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SEYMOUR  DURST 


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OLD   YORK   LIBRARY  —  OLD   YORK  FOUNDATION 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


|.<5  &jM\l 


ENCYCLOPAEDIA 

OF 

CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY 

OF 

NEW  YORK. 

VOL.  VI. 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  PORTRAITS  ON  STEEL. 


NEW  YORK : 

ATLANTIC  PUBLISHING  AND  ENGRAVING  COMPANY. 


1890. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/encyclopdiaofconOOunse 


* 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Adams,  Samuel  Caey  131 

Austell,  Alfred  301 

Bakger,  Samuel  F  215 

Beach,  Bloomfield  J  218 

Beal,  William  R  312 

Becker,  Philip  185 

Bemis,  Asaph  S  149 

Blackiiam,  George  E  132 

Booth,  Edwin  170 

Brayton,  Samuel  N  127 

Brewster,  Henry  113 

Bulger,  William  J  177 

Calhoun,  John  C   13 

Cammann,  Hermann  H   37 

Cantwell,  Edward  P.  C   48 

Carnoohan,  John  M   21 

Chandler,  Charles  F   15 

Cheney,  Alfred  C  314 

Chittenden,  Simeon  B   92 

Churchill,  John  C.   151 

Clarkson,  Floyd  256 

Cobb,  WillardA  124 

Cochran,  David  H   58 

Collins,  Michael  F  198 

Conner,  James  M  "  288 

Cooke,  Martin  W  216 

Cornell,  John  B  102 

Corning,  J.  Leonard  287 


PAGE 

Cox,  Samuel  S  294 

Crimmins,  John  D  317 

Cruiksiiank,  Edwin  A   39 

Cuyler,  Theodore  L   9 

Darling,  Charles  W   44 

Dan'enport,  Ira   ...  .146 

Day,  James  R  290 

Deems,  Charles  F  208 

Dick,  Robert  135 

Dickerson,  Edward  N  272 

Dobbins,  Daniel   87 

Dobbins,  David  P   88 

Dodge,  Grenville  M   31 

Durkee,  Charles  R  179 

Eaton,  Darwin  G  308 

Eddy,  Joseph  W  179 

Edison,  TnoMAS  A  164 

Enos,  Henry  K  250 

Erhardt,  Joel  B  117 

Ericsson,  JonN  161 

Evans,  Charles  W  110 

Evans,  Edwin  245 

Evans,  Isaac  J  243 

Ewing,  Thomas  276 

Fairchild,  Charles  S  160 

Fairchild,  Sidney  T  158 

Ferguson,  Everard  D  110 


iv. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Field,  William  Hildreth  116 


Flagg,  Edward  0  280 

Frazar,  Everett  114 

Fursman,  Edgar  L  219 

Gat,  Charles  C.  F   80 

Gould,  Jay  324 

Gould,  William  B  128 

Grant,  Charles  S  140 

Graves,  John  C  123 

Guentiier,  Henry  H  178 

Hartley,  Isaac  S   47 

Heald,  Daniel  A   25 

Hewitt,  Abram  S  210 

Hill,  John  D  .•  74 

Hisoook,  Frank  106 

Hodge,  John  143 

Hoffman,  Eugene  A  200 

HOBNBLOWEB,  WlLLIAM  B  118 

Houghton,  James  W  181 

Hull,  Amos  G  97 

Hutchinson,  Charles  W  237 

Inman,  William  H  304 

Johnson,  Jesse  230 

Jones,  W.  Martin.  240 

Kittinger,  Martin  S  129 

Langdon,  Woodbury  285 

Laughlin,  John  194 

Levy,  Jefferson  M  228 

Lewis,  Daniel  300 

Low,  Seth   99 

Ludlow,  Edward  H   35 

Maroley,  J.  Irving  222 

McCready,  Nathaniel  L   27 

MoIntire,  John  E  129 

McMahon,  John  D  245 

Merrill,  Cyrus  S  192 

Miner,  Julius  F  121 

Mott,  Thomas  S  184 


Myers,  Theodore  W 
Newman,  William  II.  H 

NOTMAN,  PETEI!  

Odeix,  Benjamin  B 

Park,  Roswell.  . . 
Parker,  Amasa  J 
Peck,  John  H.  .  . 
Plympton,  George  W 
Putnam,  John  H 

Raines,  George. 
Ramsdell,  Orrin  P 
Ransom,  Rastus  S 
Remington,  Philo 
Reynolds,  Tabor  B 
Rochester,  Thomas  F 

Satteiu.ee,  F.  LeRoy 

Scheu,  Solomon  

Schley,  Grant  B 
Scott,  George  II 
Sheehan,  William  F 
Sherman,  William  T 
Simmons,  J.  Edward 
Squibb,  Watson  C 

Stern,  Jacob  

Stookwell,  James  K 

Stryker,  John  

Si  lly,  Alfred  

Talmage,  T.  DeWitt 
Taylor,  Bayakd 
Tifft,  George  W 
Tobie,  Edward. 
Tourtellot,  Louis  A 
Tremain,  Henry  E 
Trenholm,  William  L 

Vandebbilt,  Cornelius 

Walker,  Edward  C 
Wardwell,,  William  T 


CONTENTS. 


Watson,  William  H  54 

Webster,  David  229 

West,  Charles  E   50 

Wheeler,  Jerome  B  246 

Wheeler,  William  A  223 

Whelpley,  James  W  126 


White,  Stanford 
Wilcox,  Reynold  W 
Wilcox,  Vincent  M 

WlLKESON,  SaMT'EL 

Williams,  Gibson  T 
Winston,  Fhederick 


PORTRAITS. 


Austell,  Alfred  Faces  Page  301 


Barger,  Samuel  F   "  215 

Beal,  William  R   312 

Bemis,  Asaph  S   "  149 

Booth,  Edwin   "  170 

Brayton,  Samuel  N   "  127 

Bulger,  William  J   "  177 

Calhoun,  John  C   "  13 

Carnooiian,  John  M   "  21 

Chandler,  Charles  F   "  15 

Cheney,  Alfred  C   "  314 

Chittenden,  Simeon  B   "  92 

Clarkson,  Floyd   "  256 

Cochran,  David  H   "  58 

Collins,  Michael  F   "  198 

Conner,  James  M   "  288 

Cooke,  Martin  W   "  216 

Cornell,  John  B   "  102 

Cox,  Samuel  S  ,   "  294 

Chimmins,  John  D   "  317 

Cruikshank,  Edwin  A   "  39 

Cuylei;,  Theodore  L   "  9 

Darling,  Charles  W   "  44 

Day,  James  R   "  290 

Deems,  Charles  F   "  208 

Dick,  Robert   "  135 

Dickerson,  Edwahd  N   "   •  272 

Dobbins,  Daniel   "  87 

Dobbins,  David  P   "  88 

Dodge,  Grenville  M   "  31 

Eaton,  Dahwin  G   "  308 


Edison,  Thomas  A  Faces  Page  164 

Enos,  Henry  K   "  250 

Evans,  Charles  W   "  110 

Evans,  Isaac  J   "  243 

Ewing,  Thomas   "  276 

Field,  William  Hildreth   "  116 

Flagg,  Edward  O   "  280 

Frazar,  Everett   "  114 

Ftjbsman,  Edgar  L   "  219 

Gay,  Charles  C  F   "  80- 

Gould,  Jay   "  324 

G  bant,  Charles  S   "  140 

Graves,  John  C   "  12a 

Hartley,  Isaac  S   "  47 

Heald,  Daniel  A   "  25 

Hewitt,  Abram  S.~   "  210 

Hill,  John  D   "  74 

Hiscock,  Frank   "  106 

Hodge,  John.   "  143 

Hoffman,  Eugene  A   "  200 

Hutchinson.  Charles  W   "  237 

Inman,  William  H   "  304 

Jones,  W.  Martin   "  240 

Langdon,  Woodbury   "  285 

Laughlin,  John   "  194 

Levy,  Jefferson  M   "  228 

Lqw,  Seth   "  99 

Ludlow,  Edward  H   "  35 

Marcley,  J.  Irving   "  222 

McCready,  Nathaniel  L   "  27 

McIntire,  John  E   "  129 


PORTRAITS. 


Vll. 


Merrill,  Cyhcs  S  Faces  Page  192 

Mott,  Thomas  S   "  184 

Myeks,  Theodore  W   "  299 

Newman,  William  H.  H   "  180 

Parker,  Amasa  J   "  17 

Peck,  John  H   "  109 

Plympton,  George  W   "  63 

Putnam,  John  R   "  41 

Raines,  George   "  282 

Ramsdell,  Orrin  P   "  85 

Ransom,  Rastus  S   "  28 

Remington,  Philo   "  152 

Reynolds,  Tabor  B   "  112 

Rochester,  Thomas  F   "  71 

Schett,  Solomon   "  133 

Schley,  Grant  B   "  224 

Scott,  George  H   "  30(5 

Sherman,  William  T   "  187 


[  Simmons,  J.  Edward  Faces  Page  07 

Squire,  Watson  C   "  220 

Sully,  Alfred   "  173 

Talmage,  T.  DeWitt   "  203 

Taylor,  Bayard   "  253 

Tifft,  George  W   "  77 

Tobie,  Edward   "  120 

Vanderbilt,  Cornelius   "  320 

Walker,  Edward  C   "  232 

Ward  well,  William  T   "  182 

Watson,  William  H   "  54 

West,  Charles  E   "  50 

Wheeler,  Jerome  B   "  246 

Wilcox,  Vincent  M   "  266 

Wii.keson,  Samuel   "  234 

Williams,  Gibson  T   "  83 

Winston,  Frederick  S   "  155 


ENCYCLOPEDIA 

OF 

CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY 

OF 

NEW  YORK. 


VOL.  VI. 


CUYLER,  REV.  THEODORE  LEDYARD,  D.D., 
for  thirty  years  pastor  of  the  Lafayette  Avenue 
Presbyterian  Church,  Brooklyn,  and  one  of  the 
leading  Protestant  divines  of  America,  was  born  at 
Aurora,  New  York,  January  10,  1822.  In  his  veins 
courses  the  commingled  blood  of  Huguenot  and 
Hollander,  for  to  these  two  sturdy  and  religious 
stocks  his  ancestors  belonged.  His  grandfather 
was  bred  to  the  law  and  practiced  it  at  Aurora  for 
many  years.  His  father,  B.  Ledyard  Cuyler,  also  a 
lawyer  of  considerable  repute,  was  a  student  of 
Hamilton  College  and  a  classmate  there  of  Gerrit 
Smith.  He  died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight, 
and  when  his  son,  Theodore,  was  but  four  years 
old.-  The  guardianship  and  training  of  the  boy  now 
fell  to  his  mother — a  woman  of  the  purest  and  ten- 
derest  Christian  character,  whose  prayer  from  the 
very  birth  of  her  well-beloved  son,  was  that  he 
might  become  "  a  preacher  of  the  everlasting  gos- 
pel." In  her  heart  she  dedicated  her  infant  to  the 
Lord,  desiring  for  him  the  honor  of  being  a  faithful 
minister  of  Christ  in  however  humble  a  sphere, 
rather  than  of  occupying  any  other  position,  even 
the  most  lucrative  and  distinguished.  Her  first  gift 
to  him  is  said  to  have  been  a  pocket  Bible,  which  he 
was  able  to  read  at  four  years  of  age— certainly  an 
extraordinary  circumstance,  and  an  indication  of  a 
natural  bias  which  was  too  remarkable  to  be  mis- 
taken or  neglected.  The  law  business  which  had 
been  founded  by  his  grandfather,  and  transmitted 
to  his  father,  languished  at  the  latter's  premature 
departure  from  life.    Nevertheless,   many  of  the 


family  had  strong  hopes  that  Theodore  was  destined 
to  assume  the  mantle  so  worthily  and  successfully 
worn  by  his  ancestors,  and  thus  preserve  the  lucra- 
tive as  well  as  honorable  business  which  had  grown 
up  in  the  course  of  several  generations.  In  these 
hopes  they  were  disappointed.  When  he  was  seven- 
teen years  old  he  made  his  public  confession  of  faith 
by  joining  the  church,  his  mind  having  been  won- 
drously  influenced  while  attending  some  protracted 
prayer  meetings  at  school ;  and  from  that  time 
forth  there  appears  to  have  been  little  indecision  in 
his  course,  his  steps  gradually  but  surely  leading 
him  into  the  Christian  ministry.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  entered  Princeton  College,  and  at  nineteen 
was  graduated  there  with  honors.  The  following 
year  was  passed  abroad.  Bearing  good  introduc- 
tions, he  was  received  by  various  men  of  eminence, 
"who  were  charmed  with  this  vivacious  youth, 
overflowing  with  cultured  curiosity  and  Yankee 
wit."  Among  others  Thomas  Carlyle  and  Charles 
Dickens  showed  him  no  little  kindness,  which  he 
has  always  treasured  as  a  delightful  memory. 
While  abroad  he  tested  his  literary  ability  by  writ- 
ing occasional  sketches  of  travel  and  distinguished 
men  for  American  newspapers,  and  their  publica- 
tion brought  him  to  the  notice  of  a  wide  circle  of 
readers.  During  his  sojourn  in  Scotland,  Father 
Matthew  was  there  arousing  the  wildest  enthusiasm 
for  temperance.  At  Glasgow  the  young  American 
met  the  distinguished  "  apostle  of  temperance," 
and  was  invited  to  speak  at  one  of  the  meetings. 
He  did  so  with  such  glowing  ardor  and  such  a 


IO 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


marked  effect  upon  his  auditors,  that  at  the  close  of 
his  remarks  the  noble  Irish  priest  took  him  in  his 
arms  and  kissed  him.  Upon  his  return  to  America 
his  father's  family  again  urged  him  to  devote  him- 
self to  the  law,  and  to  take  his  place  in  that  profes- 
sion sure  of  honor  and  financial  prosperity.  His 
mother,  as  wise  as  godly,  refrained  from  urging 
her  long-cherished  desire,  feeling  that  every  true 
minister  must  be  called  of  God ;  so  she  simply  said,  [ 
"The  Lord  will  lead  you."  Shortly  after  this  con- 
versation the  young  man  w  as  visiting  a  neighbor- 
ing village,  when  an  elder  of  the  church  meeting 
him,  said:  "God  has  sent  you  here,  for  we  want 
help  this  evening  at  the  meeting  for  Christian  con- 
ference with  inquirers."  He  attended  the  meeting, 
spoke  briefly,  but  so  earnestly  and  impressively 
that  many  were  deeply  moved.  Several  inquirers 
professed  belief  that  evening,  saying  "  That  young  | 
man  made  the  way  so  plain."  Riding  along  Cayuga 
Lake  on  his  wav  home  young  Cuvler  marveled  at 
his  success,  but  concluded  that  if  his  labors  for  a 
few  minutes  were  crowned  with  such  excellent  re- 
sults it  would  be  well  to  devote  his  life  to  preach- 
ing. His  good  mother,  overjoyed  at  the  realization 
of  her  fondest  desires,  confirmed  him  in  his  resolu- 
tion by  her  fervid  eloquence.  "  My  sun.''  she  ex- 
claimed, her  heart  quivering  with  joy.  "doubt  no 
longer:  God  has  called  you  to  preach  the  gospel." 
To  prepare  himself  for  the  ministry  he  studied  three 
years  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  where  he 
was  graduated  in, May,  1846.  Being  duly  licensed 
to  preach  he  supplied  the  pulpit  at  Kingston,  Penn- 
sylvania, for  about  six  months.  Shortly  after  this 
he  was  invited  to  assume  charge  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  at  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  where  his 
work  was  so  successful  and  his  pulpit  power  so  ef- 
fective that  it  was  felt  that  he  should  be  employed 
in  the  more  arduous  field  presented  by  connection 
with  a  city  church.  He  left  Burlington  to  assume 
the  pastorate  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church 
(now— 1890— presided  over  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Studdi- 
ford)  in  Trenton,  where  he  remained  until  the  sum- 
mer of  1853.  In  May,  1853,  he  received  a  call  from 
the  Shawmut  Congregational  Church,  in  Boston,  but 
declined  it  and  accepted  the  call,  coming  at  the 
same  time,  from  the  Market  Street  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  in  New  York  City,  where  he  felt  his  field 
would  be  broader  and  more  congenial  by  reason  of 
the  greater  demands  it  would  make  upon  him.  In 
this  pulpit  he  succeeded  the  learned  and  eloquent 
Rev.  Dr.  Isaac  Ferris,  Chancellor  of  the  University 
of  the  City  of  New  York.  His  preaching  at  once  at- 
tracted attention  and  particularly  interested  the 
young  men,  who  flocked  to  hear  him  by  thousands 
from  all  parts  of  the  city.    For  seven  years  he  min- 


istered to  this  charge  with  marked  success.  In 
1800  he  accepted  the  call  of  the  Lafayette  Avenue 
Presbyterian  Church.  The  exodus  from  New  York 
to  Brooklyn  was  beginning  to  be  felt  about  this  time, 
and  the  need  for  better  church  accommodations  in 
the  latter  city  had  long  been  so  pressing  as  to  en- 
gross the  attention  of  many  earnest  Christians. 
The  project  of  forming  a  new  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  Lafayette  Avenue  section  of  the  city  origi- 
nated with  Mr.  Edward  A.  Lambert,  ex-Mayor  of 
Brooklyn,  at  the  time  a  member  of  the  South  Pres- 
byterian Church.  A  conference  on  the  subject  was 
held  May  1G,  1857,  by  a  number  of  gentlemen  con- 
nected with  Dr.  Spear's  "  South  "  Church,  and  it 
was  decided  to  form  a  "  New  School  "  Church. 
Soon  after  its  organization  the  young  church  in- 
vited Professor  Roswell  I).  Hitchcock,  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary  in  New  York,  to  supply  its 
pulpit.  At  the  start  the  congregation  numbered 
but  forty-eight  persons,  but  Professor  Hitchcock's 
preaching  proved  so  popular  that  the  homely  little 
brick  chapel  could  not  contain  the  people  who  came 
in  increasing  numbers  to  hear  it.  It  was  a  season  of 
spiritual  quickening  all  over  the  land — the  revival 
of  1858 — and  Park  Church,  as  the  little  edifice  was 
then  called,  shared  in  the  general  improvement,  and 
met  the  demand  upon  its  accommodations  by  build- 
ing an  addition.  In  January,  1859,  Professor  Hitch- 
cock's increasing  professional  duties  obliged  him 
to  withdraw  from  this  charge,  and  for  the  ensu- 
ing six  mouths  the  congregation  was  ministered  to 
by  the  Rev.  Lyman  Whiting,  of  Portsmouth,  New 
Hampshire,  and  was  then  for  about  six  months 
without  a  regular  pastor.  It  was  during  the  latter 
period  that  Dr.  Cuyler  was  waited  on  and  invited  to 
become  the  pastor.  As  the  outlook  in  his  own 
church  was  theu  promising,  he  declined  the  call. 
Shortly  after  this  the  Dutch  Church  began  to  falter 
in  its  project  of  planting  its  new  edifice  in  the  new 
and  growing  part  of  the  city.  So  Dr.  Cuyler  paid  a 
visit  to  the  Fort  Greene  section  of  Brooklyn  to  view 
the  land.  Convinced  that  this  section  would  be- 
come the  centre  of  a  populous  city,  Dr.  Cuyler  told 
the  committee  which  waited  on  him  that  if  their 
congregation  would  purchase  the  plot  at  the  corner 
of  Lafayette  Avenue  and  Oxford  Street,  and  erect 
thereon  a  plain  edifice  large  enough  to  accommo- 
date about  two  thousand  people,  he  would  accept 
the  call.  It  was  a  large  undertaking  viewed  from  a 
conservative  point  of  view,  but  the  young  church 
agreed  to  enter  upon  it,  and  within  ten  days  the 
land  was  bought  and  paid  for.  A  month  later  it 
would  have  been  sold  for  private  residences.  The 
land  cost  twelve  thousand  dollars  and  the  edifice, 
a  splendid  stone  structure,  modelled  after  Mr. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OP'  NEW  YORK. 


Beecher's  church,  being  also  the  same  size,  and 
having  a  seating  capacity  as  large,  cost  forty-two 
thousand  dollars  additional.  Dr.  Cuyler  was  for- 
mally installed  as  pastor  of  the  congregation  in 
April,  I860.  At  that  time  it  had  an  enrolled  mem- 
bership of  one  hundred  and  forty  persons.  Ground 
was  broken  for  the  new  edifice  in  the  fall  of  the 
year,  and  on  March  12,  1862,  the  completed  church 
was  dedicated.  The  growth  and  prosperity  of  the 
new  church  bordered  on  the  marvellous.  During 
the  great  Christian  revival  of  1866  it  added  more 
than  three  hundred  names  to  its  roll  of  membership. 
A  Memorial  Mission  School  established  in  Prospect 
Place  was  one  of  the  immediate  results.  This 
school  was  soon  organized  into  the  present  ''Me- 
morial Presbyterian  Church,"  now  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  in  that  section  of  the  city.  The  "  Fort 
Green  Presbyterian  Church "  founded  on  one  of 
the  mission  schools,  started  in  1861,  and  the  Cum- 
berland Street  Presbyterian  Church,  originally  com- 
posed of  one  hundred  and  twelve  members  of  Dr. 
Cuyler's  rlock,  who  built  the  present  edifice  at  a 
cost  of  forty-two  thousand  dollars,  are  thriving  off 
shoots  of  the  Lafayette  Avenue  Church.  The  Clas- 
sou  Avenue  Church  also  derived  much  of  its  origi- 
nal strength  from  Dr.  Cuyler's  congregation.  In 
the  twenty-five  years  following  its  incorporation  the 
Lafayette  Avenue  Church  contributed  seventy 
thousand  dollars  to  city  missions.  Its  gifts,  as  re- 
ported for  the  year  1888,  exceeded  fifty-three  thou- 
sand dollars.  During  the  thirty  years  of  its  flour- 
ishing existence  it  has  received  into  its  member- 
ship four  thousand  one  hundred  persons,  of  which 
number  nearly  half  were  on  profession  of  their 
faith.  In  the  same  period  about  five  thousand 
children  have  been  gathered  into  the  Sunday-school ; 
and  from  the  ranks  of  the  Young  People's  Associa- 
tion, now  numbering  some  seven  hundred  members, 
twelve  young  men  have  entered  the  Christian  min- 
istry. At  this  writing — 1890 — the  church  has  a 
membership  approximately  twenty-four  hundred 
and  a  Sunday-school  attendance  of  about  sixteen 
hundred,  and  ranks  as  the  third  largest  in  the 
General  Assembly.  The  labors  of  Dr.  Cuyler  dur- 
ing the  score  and  a  half  of  years  which  have  elapsed 
since  he  assumed  charge  of  this  church  have  been 
colossal.  In  the  course  of  his  pastorate  he  has  de- 
livered to  his  own  people  very  nearly  three  thou- 
sand sermons,  and  more  than  one  thousand  ad- 
dresses. Millions  of  readers  have  been  made  ac- 
quainted with  him  through  the  columns  of  the 
Christian  Intelligencer,  Christian  at  Work,  Evange- 
list, Independent  and  other  papers  of  wide  circula- 
tion. It  is  estimated  that  in  this  way  about  one 
hundred  million  copies  of  his  articles  on  various 


texts  and  subjects  have  been  issued.  He  published, 
in  1852,  a  volume  entitled  ''Stray  Arrows"  contain- 
ing a  selection  of  his  newspaper  writings.  One  of 
his  temperance  tracts  entitled  '"Somebody's  Son" 
had  a  circulation  of  over  five  hundred  thousand 
copies.  Of  the  ten  books  of  which  he  is  the  author, 
seven  have  been  reprinted  in  England,  where  they 
have  had  a  large  sale,  viz.  :  "Cedar  Christian," 
"Heart  Life,"  "  Empty  Crib,"  "Thought-Hives," 
"  Poiuted  Papers  for  the  Christian  Life,"  "  God's 
Light  on  Dark  Clouds,"  and  "  Newly  Enlisted." 
The  "Empty  Crib"  was  called  forth  by  the  death 
of  a  beloved  boy  nearly  five  years  of  age.  It  is  a 
most  affecting  production,  and  Dean  Stanley  said 
he  had  read  it  with  tears  to  his  own  family  by  his 
fireside.  The  subsequent  loss  of  a  beautiful  and 
accomplished  daughter  was  the  occasion  of  his 
writing  that  marvellously  touching  production  en- 
titled "  God's  Light  on  Dark  Clouds."  A  selection 
from  his  writings  entitled  "Right  to  the  Point " 
has  been  published  in  Boston.  Several  of  Dr. 
Cuyler's  books  have  been  translated  into  Swedish 
and  one  into  Dutch.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he 
has  ranked  as  one  of  the  notable  preachers  of  the 
land,  and  his  labors  in  connection  with  great  re- 
forms, notably  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations, 
Mission  Schools,  Work  for  the  Freedmen,  the  Chil- 
dren's Aid  Society,  the  Five  Points  Mission  and  the 
National  Temperance  Society  have  been  persistent 
and  effective.  His  force  in  preaching  "  lies  in  pic- 
turesque description,  and  the  weaving  in  of  scenes 
and  illustrations  from  Scripture  and  from  daily  life. 
When  he  preaches  doctrinal  sermons  he  avoids 
technicalities."  His  texts  are  generally  short,  and 
his  sermons  open  by  some  forcible  form  of  illustra- 
tion, and  close  impressively,  by  forcible  appeal. 
Thus  he  enlists  attention  at  the  outset  and  leaves  an 
abiding  effect  at  the  conclusion.  Washington  Irv- 
ing having  heard  him  address  a  company  of  chil- 
dren, whispered  in  his  ear:  "My  friend,  I  would 
like  to  be  one  of  your  parishioners."  Dr.  Cuyler 
has  two  pulpits — one  of  them  the  press.  As  a 
speaker  he  is  noted  for  his  "  self  poise  and  ease  of 
manner."  Professor  Henry  Fowler  declared  that 
his  voice  had  a  wider  range  than  Mr.  Beecher's  and 
he  added  that  he  was  "  not  inferior  to  him  in  his 
gestures  and  action,  producing  by  their  means 
marked  effect."  He  has  qualities  of  oratory  and 
style  which  remind  observers  of  the  best  traits  of 
Dr.  Edward  N.  Kirk,  Henry  Ward  Beecher  and 
John  B.  Gough,  a  striking  similarity  being  "  a  pe- 
culiar friendly  intonation  which  at  the  outset  wins 
the  hearer  and  is  an  important  element  of  their  suc- 
cessful oratory."  His  style  as  a  preacher  is  very 
earnest,  and  judged  by  its  results  singularly  effec- 


CONTEMrORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


tive.  An  observant  writer,  describing  him,  says: 
"  He  raino-les  freely  and  happily  with  his  people. 
His  feeliuo/are  ardent  and  sympathetic,  Ins  conver- 
sation is  fluent  and  interspersed  with  illustration, 
anecdote,  livelv  metaphor  and  felicitous  quotation : 
hi*  manner  natural,  candid  and  frank  ;  his  tone  of 
voice  at  once  full,  encouraging,  and  also  gentle  : 
so  that  he  united  the  gifts  which  elicit  friendly  feel- 
in^  promote  freedom  of  social  intercourse,  and 
bind  a  pastor  to  his  people  by  the  innumerable 
threads  of  friendly  intercourse,  rather  than  by  the 
one  cable  of  profound  and  distant  reverence. 
Hence  lie  combines  in  an  unusual  degree,  success 
in  pastoral  labor  with  success  in  preaching.  He 
teaches  his  people  quite  as  much  out  of  the  pulpit 
as  in  it.  He  seeks  to  make  his  church  an  organized 
band  who  '  go  about  doing  good,'  in  working  sym- 
pathv  with  the  poor  and  outcast.  He  also  diffuses 
a  zeal,  '  lengthening  the  cords  and  strengthening  the 
stakes'  of  their  own  influence.  Dr.  Cuyler  is  acces- 
sible both  in  the  parlor  and  in  the  pulpit.  One  is 
sure  of  hospitality  at  church  as  well  as  at  home." 


Dr.  Cuyler  has  a  large  acquaintance  abroad  and 
is  greatly  esteemed,  particularly  in  Great  Britain. 
He  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  that  brotherhood  of 
the  English-speaking  people  which  promise  so  much 
for  the  cause  of  civilization,  liberty  and  progress. 
He  has  always  been  a  pronounced  advocate  of  tem- 
perance, and  his  church  is  a  center  from  which  ra- 
diates a  powerful  influence  in  the  cause  of  total  ab- 
stinence.   Speaking  of  its  benefits  he  once  said: 
"  In  forty  years  I  have  never  lost  but  two  Sabbaths 
from  sickness.    If  any  minister  who  believes  in 
using  alcoholics  for  his  stomach's  sake,  can  show^  a 
cleaner  bill  of  health,  he  is  welcome  to  produce  it." 
His  long-continued  labors  and  eloquent  advocacy  of 
temperance  have  been  recognized  by  his  election  to 
the  Presidency  of  the  National  Temperance  Society 
of  America.    In  1872  he  went  abroad  as  a  Delegate 
to  the  Presbyterian  Assembly  at  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land, on  which  occasion  he  made  the  close  personal 
acquaintance  of  many  of  the  leading  Presbyterian 
divines  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.    During  his 
sojourn  he  received  marked  attention  from  all 
classes  of  society,  and  had  several  informal  meet- 
ings with  Gladstone  and  other  statesmen.    His  ac- 
quaintance in  America  numbers  nearly  all  the  dis- 
tinguished men  of  his  time.    In  person  Dr.  Cuyler  is 
somewhat  below  the  ordinary  stature,  well-formed, 
erect  and  wiry,  with  an  iron  constitution  and  a  ca- 
pacity for  work  seldom  exceeded  in  his  profession. 
His  head  is  long  and  large — "  a  mate  to  the  head  of 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  " — his  eyes  are  full  orbed 
and  piercing,  and  his  hair,  originally  dark,  is  now 
well  streaked  with  silver.    His  face  is  pale  and  thin, 
that  of  a  worker,  a  student,  a  man  of  deep  thought 
and  earnest  sympathy.    On  Sunday,  February  2, 
1890,  at  the  close  of  a  brief  and  powerful  sermon, 
Dr.  Cuyler,  in  a  carefully  prepared  address,  an- 


nounced to  his  congregation  his  intention  of  resign- 
ing his  pulpit  on  the  first  Sunday  in  April  follow- 
ing.   He  spoke  as  follows  : 

"Nearly  thirty  years  have  elapsed  since  I  as- 
sumed the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Lafayette  Avenue 
Church     In  April.  1800,"  it  was  a  small  band  of  one 
hundred  and  forty   members.    By  the  continual 
blessing  of  Heaven  upon  us  that  little  flock  has 
grown  Into  one  of  the  largest  and  most  useful  and 
powerful  churches  in  the  Presbyterian  denomina- 
tion ;  it  is  the  third  in  point  of  numbers  in  the 
United  States.    This  church  now  has  two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  thirty  members.    It  maintains 
two  mission  chapels,  has  one  thousand  six  hundred 
in  its  Sundav-sehools,  and  is  paying  the  salaries  of 
three  ministers  in  this  city  and  of  two  missionaries 
in  the  South.    For  several  years  it  has  led  all  the 
churches  of  Brooklyn  in  its  contributions  to  foreign, 
home  and  citv  missions:  and  it  is  surpassed  by  no 
other  in  wide  and  varied  Christian  work.  Every 
Bitting  in  this  spacious  house  has  its  occupant.  Our 
morning  audiences  have  never  been  larger  than 
they  aie  this  winter.    This  church  has  always  been 
to  rue  like  a  beloved  child.    I  have  given  to  it  thirty 
years  of  hard  and  happy  labor,  and  it  is  my  fore- 
most desire  that  its  harmony  may  remain  undis- 
turbed and  its  prosperity  may  remain  unbroken. 
For  a  long  time  I  have  intended  that  my  thirtieth 
anniversary  should  be  the  terminal   point  of  my 
present  pastorate.    I  shall  then  have  served  this  be- 
loved flock  for  an  ordinary  human  generation,  and 
the  time  has  now  come  for  me  to  transfer  this  sa- 
cred trust  to  some  one  who,  in  God's  good  provi- 
dence, may  have  thirty  years  of  vigorous  work  be- 
fore him  and  not  behind  him.    If  God  spares  my 
life  to  the  first  Sabbath  of  April  it  is  my  purpose  to 
surrender  this  pulpit  back  into  your  hands,  and  I 
shall  endeavor  to  co-operate  with  you  in  the  search 
and  selection  of  the  right  man  to  stand  in  it.  I 
will  not  trust  myself  to-day  to  speak  of  the  sharp 
pang  it  will  cost'me  to  sever  a  connection  that  has 
been  to  me  one  of  unalloyed  harmony  and  happi- 
ness.   When  the  proper  time  conies  we  can  speak 
of  all  such  things,  and  in  the  meanwhile  let  us  con- 
tinue on  in  the  Blessed  Master's  work,  and  leave 
our  future  entirely  to  His  all-wise  and  ever-loving 
care.    On  the  walls  of  this  dear  church  the  eyes  of 
the  angels  have  always  seen  it  written,  '  I,  the 
Lord  do  keep  it,  and  f  will  keep  it  night  and  day.' 
It  only  remains  for  me  to  say  that  after  forty-four 
years* of  uninterrupted  ministerial  labor  it  is  but 
reasonable  for  me  to  ask  for  relief  from  a  strain 
that  may  soon  become  too  heavy  for  me  to  bear." 

"  This  statement "  says  the  Mew  York  Herald, 
••came  like  a  clap  of  thunder  from  a  clear  sky  to 
most  of  his  hearers,  for  in  no  church  in  Brooklyn 
are  the  relations  between  pastor  and  people  more 
wholly  in  harmony  than  at  the  Lafayette  Avenue 
Church.  The  members  of  the  congregation  were 
visibly  moved,  and  Dr.  Cuyler  had  hard  work  to 
restrain  his  feelings." 
Referring  editorially  to  the  subject  the  Herald  says : 
"  After  a  pastorate  of  thirty  years  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  of  Brooklyn,  will  soon  enjoy  a 
well-earned  rest.  From  first  to  last  his  relations 
with  his  flock  have  been  those  of  a  father  to  his 
children,  and  no  shadow  of  past  or  present  discord 
sullies  his  long  and  successful  ministry." 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


13 


On  Easter  Sunday,  April  6,  1890,  the  thirtieth 
anniversary  of  his  installation  as  pastor  of  the  church, 
Dr.  Cuyler  preached  the  concluding  sermon  of  his 
pastorate.  It  was  a  memorable  and  impressive  oc- 
casion, and  the  building  was  filled  to  overflowing 
with  the  friends  and  admirers  of  one  of  the  most 
successful  pulpit  orators  of  the  age.  No  less  mem- 
orable and  touching  was  the  subsequent  meeting  of 
the  members  of  his  flock  on  April  16,  in  the  church 
parlors,  where  a  farewell  reception  was  held,  pastoral 
relations  formally  severed,  and  a  purse  of  $30,000 
presented  to  Dr.  Cuyler— being  $ 1,000  for  each  year 
of  his  services  as  pastor.  The  address  aud  presen- 
tation were  made  in  behalf  of  the  congregation  by 
Mr.  John  N.  Beach  who,  after  reviewing  the  growth 
and  progress  of  the  church,  concluded  as  follows: 

"  While  we  have  been  constrained  to  speak  to  you 
those  simple  words  of  honest  commendation,  we  now 
deem  it  to  be  eminently  fitting  that  we  should  present 
to  you  some  more  tangible  expression  of  our  appre- 
ciation and  love.  We  therefore  tender  you  this  purse, 
not  as  a  charity,  else  you  might  fling  it  down  and 
trample  it  beneath  your  feet.  Neither  do  we  beg 
your  acceptance  of  this  merely  for  its  literal  in- 
trinsic value  as  computed  in  paltry  shillings  and 
pence.  We  would  present  you  this  as  a  token  of  the 
lasting  obligations  we  bear  toward  you  and  yours, 
and  of  the  warm-hearted  love  we  bestow  upon  you. 

"  I  take  great  pleasure  in  referring  to  the  cordiality 
and  entire  unanimity  with  which  this  testimonial 
fund  has  been  placed  in  my  hands  to  present  to  you, 
and  will  you  now  accept  it,  sir,  bearing  with  it,  as  I 
do,  the  sincere  love  and  well  wishes  of  its  many 
donors  ? " 


CALHOUN,  JOHN  C,  is  one  of  the  central  figures 
in  that  colony  of  Southerners  who  have  won 
for  themselves  enviable  success  and  honorable 
distinction  in  New  York.  He  is  a  man  of  impres- 
sive presence,  strong  personality  and  unusual  abil- 
ity. Stimulated  by  a  worthy  ambition  to  live  in 
keeping  with  his  obligations  to  a  noble  ancestry,  he 
has  pressed  forward  with  courage  and  energy  to 
the  achievement  of  much  that  is  flattering  and  cred- 
itable. His  record  speaks  for  itself,  and  his  career 
is  interesting  from  boyhood  to  date.  In  all  things 
his  conduct  is  characterized  by  the  courage  of  his 
convictions,  and  an  unswerving  integrity  of  pur- 
pose. His  paternal  grandfather  was  John  C.  Cal- 
houn, South  Carolina's  worshiped  son  and  wisest 
statesman.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  the  fa- 
mous General  Duff  Green,  who  figured  so  promi- 
nently in  Washington  City  as  the  gifted  editor  of 
the  American  Telegraph,  which  paper  had  great 
power  during  the  days  of  Henry  Clay  and  Daniel 
Webster.    His  paternal  grandmother  was  Floride 


Calhoun,  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Ewing  Calhoun, 
United  States  Senator  from  South  Carolina.  His 
mother's  mother  was  Lucretia  Edwards,  daughter 
of  Ninian  Edwards,  the  distinguished  jurist  of  Ken- 
tucky, who  was  appoiuted  Territorial  Governor  of 
Illinois,  which  position  he  held  until  Illinois  was 
made  a  State,  when  he  became  regular  Governor  by 
the  election  of  the  people.  Mr.  Calhoun's  father 
was  the  second  largest  cotton  planter  in  the  South 
before  the  war.  He  was  Andrew  Pickens  Calhoun, 
the  eldest  son  of  South  Carolina's  great  statesman  ; 
and  although  repeatedly  pressed  to  accept  high  po- 
litical positions,  he  devoted  his  entire  life  to  the  de- 
velopment of  his  own  and  the  agricultural  interests 
of  the  South.  This  long  chain  of  distinguished  an- 
cestry connects  John  C.  Calhoun  of  to-day  with  the 
famous  Chief  Justice  Marshall  and  many  more  of 
the  most  noted  characters  of  American  history.  Mr. 
Calhoun  was  born  July  9,  1843,  on  his  father's  plan- 
tation near  Demopolis,  Alabama.  When  he  was 
eleven  years  of  age,  his  parents  returned  to  South 
Carolina,  their  native  State,  and  settled  at  Fort  Hill, 
the  old  homestead  of  his  illustrious  grandfather. 
Here  every  foot  of  land  was  to  the  lad's  mind  hal- 
lowed ground,  and  every  house  fixture  was  as  sa- 
cred as  an  altar  in  a  temple.  Thus  his  boyhood  was 
environed  by  inspiring  traditions  and  family  pride, 
and  under  the  ennobling  influence  of  his  father  and 
mother  he  conceived  his  earliest  ideas  of  chivalry, 
and  experienced  the  first  throbs  of  ambition.  Mr. 
Calhoun  is  not  a  college  graduate.  He  entered  the 
State  University  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina, but  just 
as  he  completed  his  sophomore  year,  the  war  broke 
out.  At  once  the  volunteer  fever  became  epidemic 
among  the  college  students,  and  young  Calhoun 
was  among  the  first  to  enroll  his  name  for  the  for- 
mation of  a  company  of  cadets.  These  enthusiastic 
boy-soldiers  hurried  to  Charleston,  reaching  there  a 
day  or  two  before  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sum- 
ter. Soon  after  that  initiatory  engagement  Mr.  Cal- 
houn went  to  the  Virginia  army  and  joined  Hamp- 
ton's Legion.  Almost  immediately  after  connecting 
himself  with  General  Hampton's  command  he  was 
elected  Color  Sergeant  of  the  Legion  Cavalry,  al- 
though he  was  not  then  eighteen  years  old.  After 
serving  under  Hampton  for  about  a  year  he  was  dis- 
charged from  the  army  on  account  of  his  extreme 
youth.  On  returning  to  his  home  lie  found  his  na- 
tive State  greatly  inflamed  by  stirring  appeals  from 
the  War  Department  at  Richmond  for  more  troops. 
He  at  once  began  organizing  a  company,  and  within 
less  than  a  month  he  was  on  his  way  back  to  Vir- 
ginia in  command  of  a  splendid  cavalry  troop  num- 
bering one  hundred  and  sixtyr  men.  When  he  re- 
ceived his  commission  from  the  War  Department  he 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


was  said  to  be  the  youngest  Captain  in  the  Confed- 
erate army.  His  company  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  General  M.  C.  Butler,  now  United 
States  Senator  from  South  Carolina.  With  him, 
Captain  Calhoun  served  until  the  final  surrender. 
In  an  article  recently  contributed  by  General  Butler 
to  the  Century  Magazine,  he  makes  special  mention 
of  Captain  Calhoun's  splendid  bravery  at  the  battle 
of  Trevillyan  Station.  He  recounts  how  Captain 
Calhoun  led  a  memorable  charge  during  that  fight, 
and  by  his  personal  gallantry  turned  the  tide  of 
battle.  His  career  since  the  war  is  scarcely  less  in- 
teresting. Returning  to  Fort  Hill,  after  General 
Johnston's  surrenderat  Greensboro,  North  Carolina, 
he  was  confronted  b}'  waste  places,  where  he  had 
left  a  domain  of  treasure.  Darkness  had  settled  on 
the  home  of  his  fathers,  and  the  vast  estate  had  been 
swept  before  the  destroying  winds  of  war.  But  his 
soldier  life  had  schooled  him  in  privation  and  mis- 
fortune, and  he  accepted  the  widespread  ruin  and 
devastation  with  unflinching  fortitude  and  heroic 
courage.  He  reasoned  philosophically,  and  knew 
that  although  his  patrimony  was  all  gone,  he  was 
still  rich  in  industry  and  energy.  He  at  once  as- 
sumed entire  charge  of  the  family,  and  not  only 
supported  his  mother  and  sister,  but  was  father  to 
his  younger  brothers,  giving  them  every  substantial 
care,  and  providing  means  even  for  their  education. 
The  sum  total  of  his  assets  for  life's  practical  begin- 
ning were  his  two  war  horses.  With  these  he  went 
to  Alabama,  and  in  Montgomery  formed  a  co-part- 
nership with  James  R.  Powell,  who  was  afterwards 
dubbed  the  "Duke  of  Birmingham,"  because  of  his 
prominent  identification  with  the  marvellous  devel- 
opment of  the  "  Magic  City."  The  business  plan  of 
Mr.  Calhoun  and  Mr.  Powell  was  for  the  establish- 
ment of  extensive  planting  interests  in  the  Yazoo 
Valley  of  Mississippi.  The  management  of  the  en- 
terprise was  entrusted  to  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  so  suc- 
cessfully did  he  work  it,  that  within  less  than  a  year 
he  sold  out  his  interest  to  Mr.  Powell  for  $15,000. 
With  this  capital  he  went  to  Arkansas  and  repeated 
his  Yazoo  Valley  experiment,  only  on  a  larger  scale. 
There  he  lived  for  fourteen  years,  during  which 
time  he  formed  the  Calhoun  Land  Company,  and 
later  on,  likewise  the  Florence  Land  Company.  He 
was  simultaneously  President  of  both  these  corpor- 
ations, which  made  him  manager  of  the  second 
largest  planting  interest  in  America.  In  the  man- 
agement of  these  vast  plantations  Mr.  Calhoun  in- 
augurated the  emigration  movement  of  negroes  to 
that  State,  and  from  first  to  last  he  carried  per- 
sonally from  Virginia,  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia, 
over  5,000  negroes  to  the  Mississippi  Valley.  His 
conduct  of  this  system  of   co-operative  farming 


proved  very  profitable  to  him.  So  much  so  that 
when  he  wound  up  and  sold  out  in  1884,  prepara- 
tory to  coming  to  New  York  to  live,  he  had  accu- 
mulated over  $100,000.    While  a  resident  of  Arkau- 

I  sas,  so  prominently  identified  did  he  become  with 
the  planting  interest  of  that  wonderful  cotton- 
growing  section,  that  the  Governor  honored  him 
with  the  appointment  of  delegate,  from  the 
State  at  large,  to  the  Cotton  Exposition  at  Lou- 
isville in  1883,  and  also  to  the  New  Orleans  Cot- 
ton Exposition,  1884.  He  was  likewise  com- 
missioned to  the  Convention,  held  at  Washing- 
ton City  in  1884,  which  meinoralized  Congress  with 
reference  to  the  improvement  of  the  Mississippi 
and  its  tributaries.  Soon  after  he  came  to  New 
York  to  live  he  organized  a  syndicate  for  the  pur- 
pose of  settling  the  State  debt  of  Arkansas,  and  his 
work  in  that  cause  went  far  toward  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  final  adjustment.  His  first  aim  and 
chief  object,  however,  in  coming  to  New  York  to 
live,  was  to  devote  himself  unremittingly  to  the 
interests  of  the  South,  and  his  position  in  that  con- 
nection to-day  is  ample  evidence  of  his  success.  He 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  three  distinc- 
tive railroad  deals  since  he  came  to  New  York,  and 
in  each  instance  he  has  been  triumphant  in  the  ad- 
vocacy of  his  cause  and  the  attainment  of  his  ends. 
His  first  conspicuous  operation  in  Wall  Street  was 
the  big  Richmond  Terminal  deal,  whereby  the  con- 
trol of  that  property  was  wrested  from  its  then  own- 

I  ers,  and  subsequently  made  to  absorb  the  Rich- 
mond 6c  Danville.  Soon  after  that,  he  became  en- 
gaged as  a  leader  in  the  movement  to  obtain  control 
of  the  Georgia  Central  System,  out  of  which  grew 
the  Georgia  Company.  A  wholesale  change  was  made 
in  the  management  of  the  Georgia  Central,  and  Mr. 
Calhoun  became  one  of  the  leading  Directors  under 
the  new  regime.  He  was  subsequently  made  its 
Vice-President.  The  campaign  by  which  the  Geor- 
gia Central  was  secured  created  greater  interest 
than  anything  of  the  kind  which  has  ever  occurred 
in  Georgia,  and  in  the  course  of  it  Mr.  Calhoun 
made  great  reputation.  Later  he  was  elected  to 
the  Directory  of  the  Richmond  &  West  Point  Ter- 
minal Company.  This  put  him  in  affiliation  and  of- 
ficial intimacy  with  some  of  the  most  conspicuous 
railroad  magnates  of  America,  and  cannot  be  inter- 
preted other  than  as  a  just  recognition  of  his  merit, 
and  a  generous  tribute  to  his  ability.  He  now  has  a 
voice  in  the  management  of  over  7,000  miles  of  rail- 
road, all  of  which  traverse  Southern  territory.  This 
is  no  doubt  pecidiarly  gratifying  to  him,  for  above 
every  other  consideration  in  his  business  life,  is  his 
aim  to  be  inseparably  associated  with  important 
measures  for  furthering  the  material  development 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


15 


of  the  South.  He  is  unalterably  a  Southern  man, 
and  instantly  recognized  as  such  wherever  he  goes. 
In  acknowledgment  of  this  and  in  tribute  to  his 
wide  popularity,  he  was,  upon  the  organization  of 
the  New  York  Southern  Society,  elected  its  First 
Vice-President,  and  in  1889  was  elected  President. 
He  has  always  devoted  himself  unremittingly  to  the 
best  interest  of  the  Society,  and  through  his  faith- 
ful efforts  in  its  behalf,  the  association  secured  its 
present  elegant  home.  Mr.  Calhoun  has  impressed 
himself  so  indelibly  upon  the  heart  of  the  wliole  So- 
ciety that  his  name  among  the  members  is  held  in 
highest  honor  and  sincerest  affection.  While  loyal 
to  the  home  of  his  adoption,  he  is  far  more  ab- 
sorbed in  the  interest  of  his  native  section.  The 
land  of  his  birth  was  the  altar  of  his  sacrifices,  and 
his  noblest  ambition  is  to  make  that  same  land  the 
better  by  his  achievements.  In  considering  his  per- 
sonal character,  we  can  say  without  fear  of  contra- 
diction, he  is  in  every  sense  a  true  gentleman.  Born 
of  an  aristocracy  thoroughly  genuine,  he  naturally 
abhors  a  mean  or  ungenerous  ifhpulse,  and  would 
be  incapable  of  any  departure  from  strictest  integ- 
rity. In  1870,  Mr.  Calhoun  was  married  to  Miss  Lin- 
nie  Adams,  only  daughter  of  David  Adams,  of  Lex- 
ington, Kentucky,  and  grandniece  of  Richard  M. 
Johnson,  ex-Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Calhoun's  family  circle  is  delightful  in  its  har- 
mony, and  beautiful  in  its  happiness.  He  has  a 
magnificent  house  on  Fifty-eighth  Street,  near  Fifth 
Avenue,  all  the  appointments  of  which  bespeak  true 
refinement  and  substantial  prosperity.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  are  exceptionally  generous  in  hospitality, 
and  their  home  is  a  place  of  unfailing  pleasure  and 
gladness  to  their  host  of  friends.  Mr.  Calhoun  has 
never  manifested  any  partiality  for  politics,  but  on 
the  contrary  has  repeatedly  turned  his  back  on  pub- 
lic office.  Nevertheless,  he  is  a  man  of  wise  views 
on  all  public  questions,  and  takes  the  profoundest 
interest  in  all  measures  looking  to  the  material  de- 
velopment of  our  common  country  and  the  welfare 
of  our  National  Government.  It  may  be  that  some 
day  he  will  turn  from  the  fields  of  practical  business 
life,  and  devote  himself  to  the  science  of  statesman- 
ship. His  patriotism  is  as  broad  as  the  land,  and 
his  views  are  oftentimes  luminous  with  statesman- 
like thought.  The  following  extract  from  one  of 
his  speeches  as  President  of  the  New  York  Southern 
Society,  on  the  occasion  of  an  annual  banquet,  is 
admirable  evidence  of  his  uncommon  ability,  and 
likewise  of  his  comprehensive  patriotic  philosophy  : 
''  This  is  the  Centennial  year  of  our  Government, 
and  the  great  political  conflicts  that  were  waged  in 
every  one  of  the  original  thirteen  States  over  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution  a  hundred  years  ago 
■ars  vividly  called  to  our  minds.    Then,  as  now, 


]  there  was  a  Southern  question.  Then,  as  now, 
there  were  those  who  saw  danger  to  the  States 
south  of  the  Potomac  in  the  great  power  of  the 
States  to  the  north  of  it.  Governor  Benjamin  Har- 
rison, of  Virginia,  voiced  the  sentiment  of  the  op- 
position in  this  forcible  language:  '  If  the  Constitu- 
tion is  carried  into  effect  the  States  south  of  the  Po- 
tomac will  be  little  more  than  appendages  to  those 
to  the  northward  of  it.  My  objections  chiefly  lie 
against  the  unlimited  powers  of  taxation,  the  regu- 
lations of  trade  and  the  jurisdictions  that  are  to  be 
established  in  every  State  altogether  independent  of 
their  laws.  The  sword  and  such  powers  will,  nay, 
must,  sooner  or  later,  establish  a  tyranny.' 

"  But  then,  as  now,  the  heart  of  the  South  was 
true  to  the  Union.  Over  all  opposition,  in  spite  of 
all  warning,  she  rallied  to  the  support  of  her  great 

I  leaders,  and  the  Union  was  established.  Let  us,  in 
the  first  year  of  our  second  century,  emulate  the 
example  of  those  noble  men  who  labored  to  estab- 
lish the  Union,  and  draw  inspiration  from  their 
characters  and  their  careers.  Let  us  study  the  char- 
acter and  emulate  the  example  of  that  great  South- 
erner, who,  recognized  by  the  common  consent  of 
his  countrymen  as  the  foremost  citizen  of  America, 
and  elected  by  a  unanimous  vote,  swore  in  this  great 
city  a  hundred  years  ago  to  obey  the  Constitution 
just  formed,  and  was  inaugurated  the  first  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States. 

"The  Southern  question  then,  at  the  bottom  of 
which  stood  the  negro,  did  not  prevent  the  slave- 
holders, Washington  and  Madison,  of  Virginia,  from 
laboring  with  Hamilton  and  Jay,  of  New  York,  and 
a  host  of  other  patriots  in  each  of  the  other  States, 
in  a  common  effort  to  establish  a  perfect  Union. 
And  the  Southern  question  now,  at  the  bottom  of 
which  stands  the  negro,  will  not  prevent  the  South- 
ern people  from  uniting  with  the  people  of  the 
North  and  West  in  a  common  effort  to  obliterate 
sectional  lines  and  promote  the  general  welfare  of 
the  entire  Union.  The  South  relies  upon  the  conser- 
vatism and  patriotism  of  the  American  people,  and 

j  on  those  broad,  federal  principles  which,  while 
recognizing  the  rights  of  the  General  Government, 
will  also  preserve  the  rights  of  the  States." 


CHANDLER,  CHARLES  FREDERICK,  Ph.D., 
M.D.,  LL.D.,  a  distinguished  American  scien. 
tist,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  School  of  Mines 
of  Columbia  College,  New  York,  now  Professor,  of 
Analytical  and  Applied  Chemistry  and  allied  sciences 
in  that  institution,  and  late  President  of  the  Board  of 
Health,  New  York  City,  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Mass., 
Dec.  6,  1836.  As  a  boy  he  gave  every  evidence  of 
the  possession  of  scientific  tastes.  After  graduating 
at  the  local  high  school,  he  began  a  thorough  course 
of  scientific  study  at  the  Lawrence  Scientific  School 
of  Harvard  College.  This  was  continued  at  the 
Universities  of  Gottingen  and  Berlin,  from  the  first 
named  of  which  he  received,  in  1856,  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  and  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  While  a 
student  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  sit  under  the 


i6 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


teachings  of  Agassiz,  Horsford  and  Cooke,  in  Amer- 
ica, and  Wohler,  Von  Waltershausen  and  Heinrieh 
Rose,  in  Europe,  and  was  for  a  time  assistant  to 
the  last  named,  and  had  as  companion  in  the  labora- 
tory the  now  famous  Arctic  explorer,  Nordenskjold. 
Upon  his  return  to  America  he  became  assistant  to 
Professor  Joy,  at  Union  College,  taking  that  distin- 
guished instructor's  place  after  he  was  called  to 
Columbia  College,  and  lecturing  for  eight  years  to 
the  college  classes  on  chemistry,  mineralogy  and 
geology.  In  1858  he  was  appointed  Professor  of 
Chemistry  in  the  New  York  College  of  Pharmacy, 
then  in  its  infancy,  and  lectured  for  three  evenings 
a  week,  all  winter,  year  after  year,  to  its  students. 
In  1864  he  joined  Professor  Egleston  and  General 
Vinton  in  founding  the  School  of  Mines  at  Columbia 
College,  taking  at  first  the  chair  of  geology.  In  one 
year  the  school  attracted  an  attendance  of  nearly 
one  hundred  students,  and  the  Trustees  of  the  Col- 
lege placed  it  on  a  substantial  basis  as  a  co-ordinate 
department  of  Columbia  College.  Professor  Chan- 
dler, who  has  been  Dean  of  the  Faculty  and  execu- 
tive officer  from  the  first,  has  rilled  the  chair  of 
Analytical  and  Applied  Chemistry  for  many  years. 
He  made  the  assay  department  of  this  school  the 
most  famous  in  the  country.  The  improved  sj-stem 
of  weights  devised  by  him  for  assay  work  has  been 
generally  adopted  by  assayers.  In  1866  he  was 
invited  by  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Health, 
to  do  some  gratuitous  chemical  work.  The  Com- 
missioners were  so  impressed  by  his  labors  that  they 
created  the  office  of  Chemist  for  him,  which  he  held 
until  1873,  when  Mayor  Havemeyer  appointed  him 
President  of  the  Board.  In  1877  he  was  re-appointed 
for  six  years  by  Mayor  Ely.  His  official  influence 
was  exerted  from  the  start  in  bringing  about  many 
needed  reforms.  Of  the  milk  question  he  made  a 
special  study  and  for  years  he  vigorously  attacked 
the  dishonest  milk  dealers.  Simultaneously  he  prose- 
cuted an  investigation  of  the  liquors  sold  at  common 
resorts,  poisonous  cosmetics,  drinking  water,  and 
the  common  food  supply,  in  each  case  giving  the  pub- 
lic valuable  information  upon  these  topics.  He  also 
instituted  an  investigation  of  kerosene  accidents. 
His  reports  created  widespread  interest.  They  were 
reprinted  and  circulated  by  philanthropic  citizens 
and  attracted  atteutiou  in  many  foreign  countries. 
His  report  on  gas  purification,  published  in  1869,  led 
to  the  abatement  of  the  gas  nuisance,  from  which  the 
entire  city  was  then  suffering,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
able  and  complete  discussions  of  the  subject  which 
has  ever  appeared.  Under  the  Presidency  of  Pro- 
fessor Chandler  war  was  successfully  waged  by  the 
Board  of  Health  against  all  stench-producing  trades 
in  and  near  New  York  City;   the  streets  around 


Washington  Market  were  relieved  of  an  outrageous 
abuse  in  the  shape  of  two-story  structures  erected 
in  violation  of  law;  gratuitous  house-to-house  vac- 
cination was  established,  resulting  in  the  complete 
suppression  of  small-pox ;  and  also  house-to-house 
visitation  of  the  tenement  district,  with  the  result 
of  very  largely  reducing  the  infant  mortality.  In 
1872  a  portion  of  the  duties  of  the  Chair  of  Chemis- 
try in  the  New  York  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons was  assigned  to  him,  and  on  the  death  of 
Professor  St.  John,  of  the  faculty  of  that  old  insti- 
tution, he  succeeded  to  his  chair  of  Chemistry  and 
Medical  Jurisprudence.  He  had  been  a  strenuous 
advocate  of  a  more  exacting  system  of  medical  edu- 
cation. In  1874  Professor  Chandler  was  President 
of  the  Convention  that  met  at  Northumberland  to 
celebrate  the  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  oxygen 
by  Dr.  Priestly,  and  he  published  the  .proceedings 
and  addresses  in  full  in  The  American  Chemist,  a 
monthly  journal  of  chemistry,  founded  by  him  in 
connection  with  his  brother,  Professor  W.  H. 
Chandler,  of  the  Lehigh  University.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  active  projectors  of  the  American  Chemical 
Society,  founded  soon  afterwards,  and  has  been  Vice- 
President  of  it  since  the  beginning,  having  regularly 
refused  to  accept  the  Presidency.  In  the  summer 
of  1879  he  was  made  chairman  of  a  committee  com- 
posed of  eminent  medical  men,  organized  to  draw  up 
a  scheme  for  disinfection  to  be  adopted  by  the 
National  Board  of  Health.  Professor  Chandler  is  an 

i  effective  lecturer,  and  though  chiefly  devoting  him- 
self to  the  work  of  instruction,  is  a  prolific  writer. 
Probably  his  most  elaborate  chemical  work  has  been 
the  examination  of  American  mineral  waters.  He 
has  also  been  engaged  in  several  important  investi- 
gations in  the  pollution  of  water  by  factories,  and  he 
has  been  relied  upon  to  decide  important  questions 
with  regard  to  the  selection  of  water  for  supplying 
Albany,  Yonkers  and  other  places.  Of  late  years 
he  has  been  the  editor-in-chief  of  the  Photographic 
Bulletin,  published  by  the  house  of  E.  &  H.  T. 
Anthony,  of  New  York  City.  As  an  expert  in 
chemistry  he  ranks  with  the  most  distinguished  liv- 
ing, and  is  constantly  consulted  by  manufacturers 
and  courts  of  law  in  his  specialty.  He  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  the  Universitj' 
of  New  York  in  1873,  and  that  of  Doctor  of  Laws 
from  Union  College  in  the  same  year.  He  is  a  life 
member  of  the  Berlin,  Paris  and  American  Chemical 
Societies,  a  member  of  the  National  Academy  of 
Sciences,  the  London  Chemical  Society ,  the  Sociedad 
Humboldt  of  Mexico,  the  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science,  the  American  Philos- 
ophical Society,  the  New  YTork  Academy  of  Sciences, 

I  and  many  other  learned  bodies. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


17 


PARKER,  HON.  AMASA  J.,  LL.D.,  a  distin- 
guished American  lawyer  and  jurist,  ex- 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  Court  of  Ap- 
peals of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  ex-Member  of 
Congress,  was  born  at  Sharon,  Parish  of  Ellsworth, 
Litchfield  County,  Connecticut,  June  2,  1807.  On 
both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides  he  traces  his 
genealog}-  back  to  the  early  Puritan  settlers  of  New 
England,  in  which  section  his  ancestors  in  all  the 
succeeding  generations  have  ranked  among  the  most 
worthy  and  intelligent  of  the  inhabitants.  In  the 
numerous  and  memorable  historic  events  preceding 
and  following  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
members  of  the  family  to  which  he  belongs  were 
conspicuous  for  their  unswerving  loyality  to  the 
Christian  Church,  and  their  patriotic  devotion  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  country.  One  of  his  more  im- 
mediate ancestors,  the  Hon.  Thomas  Fenn,  of 
Watertown,  Connecticut,  rendered  long  and  faithful 
service  to  his  fellow-citizens  in  the  Legislature  of 
that  State,  in  which  he  sat  for  thirty  consecutive 
sessions.  His  father,  "the  Rev.  Daniel  Parker,  a 
man  of  eminent  worth,  piety  and  learning,"  was  for 
twenty  years  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church 
in  the  parish  where  Amasa,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born.  When  the  latter  was  about  nine 
years  of  age,  his  parents  removed  to  the  State  of 
New  York,  which  since  then  has  remained  his  home. 
The  elder  Parker  was  a  man  of  fine  intellectual  at- 
tainments, broad  in  his  acquirements  and  an  accom- 
plished classical  scholar.  Under  his  personal  super- 
vision and  largely  at  his  hands  his  son  received  his 
early  training.  The  boy  clearly  inherited  his 
father's  love  of  knowledge,  and  his  progress  in  his 
studies  was  remarkably  rapid.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen, in  1823,  he  was  appointed  principal  of  the 
Hudson  Academy,  an  institution  which  even  at  that 
early  date  enjoyed  a  high  reputation  for  its  educa- 
tional advantages.  Although  but  a  mere  boy  in 
years,  young  Parker  was  a  man  in  phj-sique  and  his 
mental  qualifications  were  on  a  par  with  his  stature. 
He  realized  fully  the  responsibilities  of  the  position, 
and  in  accepting  it,  determined  to  assume  them  all. 
He  devoted  himself  to  his  work  and  was  eminently 
successful  in  it,  winning  the  approbation  of  the  most 
competent  critics.  His  scholarly  attainments  and 
professional  success  may  possibly  have  excited  a 
little  envy  among  those  who  were  engaged  in  simi- 
lar work,  for  it  seems  the  clever  young  principal  was 
taunted  in  some  way  with  not  being  a  regularly 
educated  teacher,  i.  e.,  a  college  graduate.  To  show 
how  little  sense  there  was  in  such  a  taunt,  young 
Mr.  Parker  presented  himself  at  Union  College,  in 
1825,  and  successfully  passed  all  the  examinations 
for  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  was  gradu- 


ated with  the  class  of  that  year.  In  May,  1827,  he 
resigned  his  principalship,  and  thenceforth  devoted 
himself  to  the  study  of  law,  for  which  he  felt  he  had 
a  stronger  vocation  than  for  teaching.  During  the 
last  year  that  he  remained  at  the  head  of  the 
academy,  he  had  read  law  under  the  direction  of 
John  W.  Edmunds,  one  of  the  great  lights  of  Ameri- 
can jurisprudence.  When  he  gave  up  teaching  he 
removed  to  Delhi,  and  there,  in  the  office  of  his  un- 
cle, Amasa  Parker,  a  leading  member  of  the  Dela- 
ware County  bar,  he  completed  his  legal  course. 
In  October,  1828,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  at 
once  engaged  in  professional  work  as  the  partner  of 
his  uncle.  The  firm  of  A.  and  A.  J.  Parker  became 
one  of  the  most  eminent  and  successful  in  the  State ; 
its  clientage  embracing  the  heaviest  business  men, 
corporations  and  companies  of  those  times.  As  a 
consequence  young  Mr.  Parker  came  to  practice  in 
all  the  courts  in  the  State;  he  was  a  strong  and 
familiar  contestant  at  the  circuits  in  the  counties  of 
Delaware,  Greene,  Ulster  and  Schoharie,  and  fre- 
quently in  those  of  Broome,  Tioga  and  Tompkins. 
It  was  said  of  him  when  he  was  called  from  the  bar 
to  the  bench,  that  he  had  tried  more  cases  in  the 
circuit  courts  than  any  lawyer  of  his  age  in  the 
State.  Mr.  Parker  began  his  political  life  as  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  party,  to  which  he  faith- 
fully adhered  through  life.  His  remarkable  skill  as 
a  lawyer,  his  fervid  eloquence,  and,  not  least,  his 
great  personal  popularity,  concentrated  attention 
upon  him  as  a  born  political  leader.  In  the  autumn 
of  1833,  when  he  was  barely  twenty-six  years  of  age, 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Assembly  from  Delaware 
County,  being  nominated  as  a  Democrat  and  run- 
ning without  opposition.  In  this  body  he  distin- 
guished himself  by  his  successful  care  of  the  inter- 
ests of  his  constituents,  and  by  his  intelligent 

;  comprehension  of  the  needs  of  the  State,  and  great 
activity  in  carrying  through  beneficial  measures. 
His  brilliant  attainments  as  a  scholar  were  speedily 
noticed  by  his  legislative  colleagues,  and  led  to  his 

I  being  chosen  by  the  Legislature,  in  1834,  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  During  a  period  of  ten  years  he 
occupied  this  last  position  and  brought  to  its  duties 
not  only  an  unusual  degree  of  learning,  but  also  a 
profound  respect  for  and  sincere  devotion  to  the 
great  cause  of  education.  It  should  be  noted  here 
that  he  enjoyed  the  signal  honor  of  being  the  young- 
est person  ever  elected  a  member  of  this  dignified 
body.  In  1834  Mr.  Parker  was  appointed  District 
Attorney  of  Delaware  County.  He  served  three 
years,  and  could  have  had  a  second  term,  but  de- 
clined it,  owing  to  the  pressure  of  private  profes- 

I  sional  business.    Mr.  Parker's  efficient  services  in 


1 8 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


the  State  Legislature  strongly  commended  him  for 
preferment  to  a  higher  office,  and  in  the  fall  of  1836 
he  was  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  and 
elected  to  the  Twenty-fifth  Congress,  to  represent 
the  Twentieth  District  of  New  York,  then  compris- 
ing the  counties  of  Broome  and  Delaware.  The 
high  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  peo- 
ple of  this  district  is  clearly  shown  by  the  fact  that 
he  was  chosen  without  opposition.  His  services  in 
the  National  Legislature  were  all  that  could  be 
desired  by  the  most  exacting  constituency ;  every 
duty  was  faithfully  and  punctually  performed 
Among  his  colleagues  were  a  number  of  the  most 
distinguished  sons  of  New  York,  including  Millard 
Fillmore,  Mark  H.  Sibley,  Richard  P.  Marvin, 
Arphaxed  Loomis,  Hiram  Gray,  John  C.  Clark, 
Ogden  Hoffman  and  Henry  A.  Foster.  To  be  an 
associate  on  an  equal  footing  with  these  able  men 
was  in  itself  a  high  honor,  but  for  so  young  a  man 
to  hold  an  honorable  and  conspicuous  place  in  such 
a  galaxy  was  remarkable.  The  sessions  of  this 
Congres>.  were  memorable.  The  last  administration 
of  President  Jackson  had  closed  and  Mr.  Van  Buren 
had  entered  upon  his.  The  time  w  as  one  of  great 
excitement  both  politically  and  financially.  Owing 
to  the  excessive  amount  of  paper  currency  in  circu- 
lation, speculation  was  rife,  and  values,  especially 
in  real  estate,  were  greatly  inflated.  "The  specie 
circular  of  1830,  by  reviving  the  demand  for  gold 
and  silver,  had  destroyed  most  of  those  banks  not 
having  government  deposits  in  their  vaults.  The 
demand  for  the  deposits  for  distribution  among  the 
States  compelled  the  ruin  of  many  of  the  '  pet 
banks.'  They  had  treated  the  deposits  as  capital, 
to  be  used  as  loans  to  business  men,  and  now  had  to 
return  them.  The  sudden  calling  in  of  these  loans 
began  the  panic  of  1837.  compared  with  which 
nothing  had  ever  been  seen  in  America."  On  the 
floor  of  the  House  Mr.  Parker  was  invariably  lis- 
tened to  with  the  most  respectful  attention  His 
language  was  earnest  and  unaffected,  carrying  con- 
viction by  logic  rather  than  by  the  flowers  of 
rhetoric.  His  speeches  on  the  Mississippi  election 
case,  the  Sub-treasury  bill,  the  public  lands,  and  the 
Cilley  and  Graves  duel  were  among  his  most  able 
efforts,  and  were  read  with  deep  interest  not  only 
in  New  York,  but  all  over  the  Union.  His  whole 
Congressional  career  was  marked  by  boldness,  firm- 
ness, fairness,  courtesy  and  dignity.  In  1839  Mr. 
Parker  was  nominated  for  the  State  Senate,  but  was 
defeated  by  a  nominal  majority.  Although  he 
applied  himself  diligently  to  the  care  of  his  extensive 
practice,  with  no  thought  of  serving  any  personal 
ambition,  public  opinion  pointed  to  him  as  a  suitable 
candidate  for  the   bench,  and  in  1844  Governor 


Bouck,  of  New  York,  nominated  him  for  the  office  of 
Judge  of  the  Third  Circuit.  By  this  appointment, 
which  was  immediately  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  he 
became  Judge  and  Vice-Chancellor.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Albany,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
Three  years  after  he  had  entered  upon  his  judicial 
duties,  his  term  was  cut  off  by  the  adoption  of  the 
new  State  Constitution,  which  abolished  the  old 
Supreme  Court  and  Court  of  Chancery,  and  pro- 
vided a  new  Supreme  Court  and  an  elective  judi- 
ciary. An  election  to  fill  the  new  judgeships  was 
held  in  June,  1847.  The  judicial  career  of  Judge 
Parker  had  been  so  acceptable  to  the  bar  and  the 
public  that  he  became  by  common  demand  a  promi- 
nent candidate  for  one  of  the  vacant  judgeships  in 
the  Third  Judicial  District.  In  all  the  counties  of 
that  district  meetings  of  the  members  of  the  bar 
were  held,  and  candid  and  thoughtful  addresses  com- 
plimentary to  him  were  delivered  by  leading  law- 
yers. Elected  to  office  by  a  remarkably  strong  vote, 
he  filled  the  position  with  high  distinction,  serving 
until  the  expiration  of  the  term,  Dec.  31,  1855,  and 
sitting  during  the  last  year  but  one  on  the  bench  of 
the  Court  of  Appeals.  Judge  Parker  has  always 
been  an  active  and  uncompromising  Democrat  of 
the  Jefferson  school.  He  was  renominated  in  1855 
for  re-election  to  the  bench,  but  in  that  year  the 
American  or  ''Know  Nothing"  party  swept  the 
State,  and  he  was  defeated,  although  he  had  the 
honor  of  running  several  thousand  votes  ahead  of 
the  Democratic  ticket.  "At  no  time  in  the  history 
of  this  State,"  says  a  contemporary  writer,  "has 
judicial  labor  been  more  difficult  and  responsible 
than  that  which  Judge  Parker  was  called  on  to  dis- 
charge during  his  twelve  years  service  on  the  bench. 
It  was  during  this  time  that  the  anti-rent  excite- 
ment, which  prevailed  throughout  a  large  portion  of 
his  judicial  district,  was  at  its  height.,  crowding  the 
civil  calendar  with  litigation,  and  the  criminal 
courts  with  indictments  for  acts  of  violence  in  resist- 
ing the  collection  of  rents."  The  history  of  the 
anti-rent  trials,  which  took  place  before  Judge 
Parker  and  other  judges,  has  lately  been  written  so 
full}-  as  to  render  superfluous  any  attempt  at  a  de- 
tailed description  in  this  place.  Aside  from  the 
trial  of  "Big  Thunder,"  which  took  place  before 
Judge  Parker  at  Hudson,  over  two  hundred  and 
forty  persons  who  bad  been  indicted  and  arrested 
were  in  custody  awaiting  trial  at  the  Oyer  and  Ter- 
miner, at  Delhi,  in  September,  1845.  At  the  close  of 
the  third  week  of  the  holding  of  court  all  the  cases 
had  been  disposed  of  by  Judge  Parker,  to  whom 
great  credit  was  unanimously  awarded  for  the  suc- 
cessful discharge  of  the  delicate  and  difficult  duties 
devolving  upon  him.    As  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


19 


Court  and  also  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of  A  ppeals,  j 
J udge  Parker's  opinions  upon  new  questions  of  prac- 
tice, as  well  as  upon  questions  of  principles  of  law, 
were  regarded  by  the  highest  authorities  as  well 
considered  and  well  reasoned,  and  many  of  his 
decisions  have  become  prominent  as  "leading 
cases"  in  the  law.  For  clearness  of  expression, 
thoroughness  of  discussion,  calmness,  impartiality 
and  all  absense  of  pretension  or  show,  they  have 
been  pronounced  extremely  valuable  contributions  to 
judicial  lore.  One  of  his  opinions  in  particular,  that 
in  the  leading  case  of  Snedeker  v.  Warren  (2  Kernan, 
170),  which  settled  a  new  and  important  question, 
attracted  much  attention  from  the  bar  and  the 
judiciary.  On  leaving  the  bench  Judge  Parker, 
inspired  by  an  abiding  love  for  his  profession, 
resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  Albany,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  son.  General  Amasa  J.  Parker,  Jr., 
afterwards  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  from  the 
Seventeenth  District.  This  firm  at  once  took  a 
leading  rank  in  the  legal  fraternity,  and  was 
intrusted  with  a  number  of  the  most  important  cases 
brought  to  trial  in  the  State.  In  1876  ex-Judge 
Edwin  Countrj-man,  one  of  the  ablest  members  of 
the  Albany  bar,  was  added  to  the  firm,  which  then 
took  the  style  of  "Parker  &  Countryman."  Judge 
Parker  seldom  argued  criminal  cases.  He  often 
declined  to  be  retained  in  such  cases,  notably  in 
that  of  Wm.  M.  Tweed,  in  which  instance,  it  is  said, 
he  refused  a  large  fee.  One  of  his  most  important 
criminal  cases  was  the  defence  of  Cole  for  the  mur- 
der of  Hiscock.  Among  his  important  civil  cases 
argued  in  the  State  courts  were  one  involving  the 
title  of  Trinity  Church  to  property  in  the  City  of 
New  York,  the  Levy  will  case  (23  New  York,  97), 
the  famous  controversy  between  the  Delaware  and  1 
Hudson  Canal  Company  and  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  : 
Company,  and  that  of  the  boundary  line  between  the 
States  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  (42  New  York, 
283)  Among  his  celebrated  cases  was  one  involving 
the  right  to  tax  national  banks,  argued  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  under  a  retainer 
from  the  City  of  New  York  (4  Wallace  Rep.,  244). 
While  practicing  law  in  Albany  Judge  Parker  was 
repeatedly  requested  to  permit  his  renomination  on 
the  judiciary  ticket,  but  invariably  declined. 
Nevertheless  he  could  not  become  so  wholly  ab- 
sorbed iu  professional  work  as  to  alienate  "himself 
entirely  from  politics,  and  in  the  fall  of  1856  he 
consented  to  accept  the  Democratic  nomination  for 
Governor.  In  this  canvass  he  had  two  opponents — 
John  A.  King,  the  Republican  nominee,  and  Erastus 
Brooks,  who  headed  the  ticket  of  the  "  American  " 
party.  The  change  in  public  sentiment  in  this  year 
was  very  marked,  and  Mr.  King  was  elected  by  a 


large  plurality  vote.  In  the  judicial  district,  where 
Judge  Parker  was  defeated  the  preceding  year  by 
about  one  thousand  votes,  he  received  in  this  elec- 
tion several  thousand  majority,  and  in  the  State  he 
ran  about  ten  thousand  votes  ahead  of  the  Buchanan 
electoral  ticket.  Recognizing  the  Judge's  great 
political  strength  iu  the  State  of  New  York,  Mr. 
Buchanan,  upon  assuming  the  Presidency,  offered 
him  the  choice  of  several  offices  of  distinction,  but 
he  respectfully  declined  them  all,  and  at  a  later  date 
also  declined  (by  refusing  to  qualify)  the  United 
States  District  Attorneyship  for  the  Southern  Dis- 
trict of  New  York,  although  he  had  been  nominated 
by  the  President  and  confirmed,  without  a  reference, 
by  the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  In  the  fall  of 
1858  Judge  Parker  was  again  called  upon  to  be  the 
standard  bearer  of  his  party  in  the  State.  He 
accepted  the  gubernatorial  nomination  and  ran 
against  E.  D.  Morgan,  who  was  elected  by  a 
majority  of  about  seventeen  thousand  votes.  In 
this  campaign,  as  in  the  previous  one,  Judge  Parker 
ran  many  thousand  votes  ahead  of  his  ticket,  thus 
incontestable  proving  that  he  was  one  of  the  strong- 
est and  most  respected  men  in  the  State.  While 
devoted  in  his  allegiance  to  party,  Judge  Parker 
was  too  patriotic  a  citizen  to  allow  partisanship  pure 
and  simple  to  over-ride  duty  to  his  country.  When 
the  events  which  led  to  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
were  agitating  the  country,  his  voice  and  his  in- 
fluence were  used  iu  endeavoring  to  avert  the  fear- 
ful storm  of  civil  war  which  threatened  the  country. 
On  January  31, 1861,  aDemocratic  State  Convention, 
called  to  consider  the  impending  peril  of  disunion, 
assembled  at  Tweddle  Hall,  xUbany.  It  was  proba- 
bly the  strongest  and  most  imposing  assemblage  of 
delegates  ever  convened  within  the  State.  Not  less 
than  thirty  of  them  had  been  chosen  to  seats  in 
Congress,  while  three  of  them  had  been  Democratic 
candidates  for  Governor ;  one  of  them,  Governor 
Seymour,  once  elected,  and  since  chosen  again. 
Though  called  as  Democratic,  there  was  a  large 
and  respectable  representation  of  the  old  Whig  party, 
with  a  large  number  who  had  been  "  Americans." 
No  convention  which  had  nominations  to  make,  or 
patronage  to  dispose  of,  was  ever  so  influentially 
constituted.  Sanford  E.  Church,  afterwards  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  was  temporary 
chairman,  and  Judge  Parker,  President.  His  speech 
on  taking  the  chair  has  passed  into  history  with  the 
productions  of  the  great  orators  and  statesmen  of 
New  York.  One  clause  in  Judge  Parker's  speech 
exhibits  the  facility  with  which  he  could  surrender 
political  preferences  for  the  public  welfare  : 

"  We  meet  here,"  he  said,  "as  conservative  and 
representative  men  who  have  differed  among  them- 


20 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


selves  as  to  measures  of  governmental  policy,  ready, 
all  of  them,  I  trust,  to  sacrifice  such  differences 
upon  the  altar  of  our  common  country.  He  can  be 
no  true  patriot  who  is  not  ready  to  yield  his  own 
prejudices,  to  surrender  a  favorite  theory,  and  to 
differ  even  from  his  own  party  platform  where  such 
differences  tend  to  the  general  good  of  his  country. 

Judge  Parker  never  surrendered  the  belief  that 
with  temperate  counsels  on  the  part  of  the  Repub- 
lican leaders,  about  to  assume  the  control  of  the 
Federal  Government,  civil  war  could  have  been 
avoided  ;  but  when  rebellion  trained  its  guns  upon 
Fort  Sumter  and  the  flag  of  the  Union,  he  at  once 
ranged  himself  with  those  most  active  in  maintain- 
ing the  Union.    But  deep  and  self-sacrificing  as 
was  his  patriotism,  it  did  not  prevent  his  earnest 
protest  against  what  he  deemed  an  abuse  and  an 
illegal  exercise  of  power  by  Federal  officials,  in 
making  unnecessary  and  arbitrary  arrests  of  North- 
ern men  whose  only  offence  was  an  honest  and 
independent  difference  of  opinion  and  a  free  ex- 
pression of  it  on  subjects  of  mere  party  difference, 
involving  in  no  way  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the 
war  to  restore  the  Union.    During  the  war  Judge 
Parker  was  frequently  called  upon  professionally 
to  protect  the  victims  of  arbitrary  arrest,  and  the 
manner  in  which  he  performed  these  duties  was 
generally  commended  by  all  independent  minded 
citizens.    We  give  an  instance,  the  case  of  Patrie 
agt.  Murray,  tried  at  the  Greene  County  circuit 
before  Judge  Ingalls.    The  action  was  brought  for 
the  arbitrary  arrest  and  false  imprisonment  of  the 
plaintiff  by  the  Government.    The  jury,  composed 
of  men  from  both  political  parties,  gave  the  plain- 
tiff a  verdict  of  $9,000  damages.    An  attempt  was 
made  to  remove  the  case  after  judgment  into  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court,  under  an  act  of  Con- 
gress that  had  been  passed  in  1863,  for  the  purpose, 
•  as  was  alleged,  of  defeating  such  recoveries ;  but 
Judge  Parker  insisted  that  the  act  was  unconstitu- 
tional, in  violation  of  the  seventh  article  of  the 
amendments   of  the  United  States  Constitution. 
The  State  courts,  regarding  his  point  well  taken, 
refused  to  make  a  return  to  a  writ  of  error.  Ap- 
plication was  then  made  to  the  United  States  Cir- 
cuit Court  to  compel  the  return,  and  on  a  demurrer, 
a  peremptory  mandamus  was  adjudged.    To  review 
that  judgment  a  writ  of  error  was  brought  by 
Judge  Parker,  and  the  case  was  removed  into  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court,  held  at  Washington. 
It  was  first  argued  in  that  court  in  February,  1869, 
by  Judge  Parker  for  the  plaintiff  in  error,  and  by 
William  M.  Evarts,  then  Attorney  General  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  defendant  in  error.  The 
judges  were  divided  upon  the  question  and  a 
reargument  was  ordered  to  take  place  in  February, 


1870.     Judge  Hoar,  then  Attorney  General,  ap- 
peared for  the  defendant  in  error,  and  Judge  Parker 
for  the  plaintiff.    In  due  time  the  Court  handed 
down  a  judgment  reversing  that  of  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court,  and  the  unconstitutionality  of 
the  act  of  Congress  alluded  to  was  established. 
This  case  is  replete  with  interest  and  instruction, 
not  only  to  the  professional  but  to  the  lay  reader. 
The  reasoning  of  the  distinguished  counsel  engaged, 
the  learned  and  enlightened  opinions  of  the  Court, 
exhibit  the  fact  that  under  all  circumstances  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  is  the  great  binding 
ligature  of  the  Republic.    The  case  is  reported  in 
9  Wallace  U.  S.  Rep.,  274.    Judge  Parker  was  a 
delegate  from  the  County  of  Albany  to  the  State 
Constitutional  Convention  in  1867,  and  served  upon 
several  of  its  committees,  notably  the  judiciary,  in 
which  he  took  a  leading  part  in  framing  the  article 
on   the  judiciary,  which  was  the  only  portion  of 
the  constitution  submitted  to  the  people  that  was 
finally  adopted  by  them.    On  the  bench,  at  the  bar 
and  in  the  stirring  arena  of  politics,  Judge  Parker 
has  won  many  tangible  victories  and  an  honorable 
renown  which  is  one  of  the  glories  of  the  great 
State  of  New  York.    But  more  than  this,  he  has 
ornamented  civil  life  to  a  degree  which  has  been 
rarely  excelled.    Apart  from  professional  labors  or 
political  employment,  he  has  set  an  example  of 
pure  citizenship  which  will  live  in  its  results  years 
after  he  himself    has  passed  from  the  scene  of 
his  earthly  efforts.    An  ardent  friend  of  the  cause 
of  education,  he  has  served  it  with  distinction  as 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Albany 
Female  Academy,  as  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  Albany  Medical  College,  as  a  Trus- 
tee of  Cornell  University,  and  as  one  of  the  govern- 
ors of  Union  University— all  this  in  addition  to  ten 
years  of  active  service  in  the  Board  of  Regents  of 
the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York.    In  con- 
junction with  the  late  Judge  Ira  Harris  and  Amos 
Dean  he  founded  the  Albany  Law  School,  in  which 
for  a  period  of  nearly  twenty  years  he  filled  with 
exceptional  ability  an  important  professorship.  He 
is  a  man  of  large  culture,  both  general  and  classical, 
and  his  high  literary  attainments  and  eminent  ser- 
vices to  public  education  were  most  appropriately 
acknowledged  by  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws, 
conferred  upon  him,  in  1846,  by  Geneva  College. 
Prompted  by  a  wise,  humane  and  Christian  interest 
in  one  of  the  most  unfortunate,  and  at  that  time 
most  neglected  classes  of  the  sick  and  ailing,  Judge 
Parker,  when  a  Member  of  Assembly  in  1834,  made 
a  report  urging  the  establishment  of  a  State  Hospit- 
al for  the  Insane,  which  led  to  a  more  full  consid- 
eration of  the  subject  by  the  people,  though  it  was 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


not  till  some  years  afterwards  that  the  first  public 
State  institution  of  this  kind  was  founded.  Aware 
of  Judge  Parker's  initiative  in  this  matter,  Governor 
Fcnton  appointed  him  a  trustee  of  the  Hospital  for 
the  Insane  at  Poughkeepsie.  The  duties  of  this 
trust  he  discharged  with  scrupulous  attention  until 
1881,  when  he  resigned  and  Governor  Cornell  ap- 
pointed his  son,  Senator  Amasa  J.  Parker,  as  his 
successor.  Judge  Parker  married  in  1834  Miss 
Harriet 'Langdon  Roberts,  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 
Of  the  children  born  to  this  union,  four — Mrs.  John 
V.  L.  Pruyn,  Amasa  J.  Parker,  Jr.,  Mrs.  Erastus 
Corning,  and  Mrs.  Selden  E.  Marvin — still  survive. 
His  beautiful  home,  the  abode  of  happiness  to  its 
inmates,  will  belong  and  gratefully  remembered  by 
the  very  many  others  who  have  enjoyed  its  refined, 
elegant  and  most  generous  hospitality.  As  a  citi- 
zen and  in  private  life  Judge  Parker  holds  the 
highest  rank.  He  is  greatly  prized  in  the  wide  cir- 
cle in  which  he  moves,  and  of  which  he  has  at  all 
times  been  a  conspicuous  and  most  influential  mem- 
ber. His  manner,  at  once  dignified  and  cordial,  his 
sincere,  ardent,  kindly,  bold  and  manly  nature,  his 
warm  and  steady  fidelity  as  a  friend,  the  high  moral 
principles  which,  as  well  as  his  intellectual  superi- 
ority, have  marked  his  action  in  every  relation  of 
life,  have  made  him  a  very  distinguished  citizen  in 
the  history  of  the  State. 


CARNOCHAN,  JOHN  MURRAY,  M.D.,  for  forty 
years  a  practitioner  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
one  of  the  most  eminent  surgeons  of  the  United 
States,  famous  at  home  and  abroad  for  the  skill, 
originality  and  success  of  his  operations,  was  born 
in  Savannah,  Georgia,  July  4,  1817,  and  died  at  his 
residence,  No.  14  East  Sixteenth  street,  New  York, 
Oct.  28,  1887.  He  was  the  son  of  John  Carnochan, 
a  wealthy  merchant  and  planter,  who,  when  a  young 
man,  removed  from  Scotland,  in  the  beginning  of 
this  century,  to  Nassau,  in  the  West  Indies,  and 
thence,  after  a  few  years,  to  Savannah.  His  mother, 
Harriet  Frances  Putnam  Carnochan,  was  a  great- 
niece  of  the  Revolutionary  hero,  General  Israel  Put- 
nam, and,  on  her  mother's  side,  a  grand-daughter  of 
Dr.  Fraser,  a  distinguished  surgeon  of  the  British 
army.  The  two  brothers  of  John  Carnochan  came 
also  to  America.  The  elder,  William,  a  friend  of 
the  poet  Burns  in  the  old  country,  loved  rural  life 
and  became  a  planter  in  Georgia.  The  younger, 
Richard,  engaged  in  business  in  Charleston,  8.  C, 
and  became  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  that 
city.  Both  died  without  issue.  Their  nephew,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  one  of  a  family  of  three 


children,  consisting  of  himself  and  two  sisters. 
"The  ancestral  home  of  the  Carnochans,  in  Scot- 
land," writes  Mr.  John  R.  Abney,  in  his  obituary 
notice  of  Dr.  Carnochan  prepared  for  the  Memorial 
Book  of  the  New  York  Southern  Society,  "  whence 
these  brothers  came,  was  Gate  House,  of  Fleet, 
Kirkcudbright,  in  the  beautiful  district  of  Galloway, 
which  borders  upon  Ayrshire."  The  family  home 
was  left  in  the  keeping  of  two  maiden  sisters  of  his 
father,  Mary  and  Rachel  Carnochan;  and  at  the  age 
of  six  years,  John  Murray  Carnochan,  not  being  of 
robust  health,  was  taken  by  his  father  and  mother 
from  Savannah  to  Liverpool  on  a  sailing  vessel,  and 
thence  to  his  aunts'  house.  His  sojourn  was  pro- 
posed to  be  for  only  a  year;  but  the  two  ladies  be- 
came strongly  attached  to  him,  and  would  never 
consent  to  his  return  to  America,  until  eleven  years 
had  passed.  He  was  bright,  winning,  the  only  male 
child  in  all  the  family,  and  he  bore  the  name  of  their 
mother,  who  was  one  of  the  celebrated  Murrays  of 
the  Lowlands  ;  it  was  thus  only  natural  that  they 
should  cling  to  him  as  long  as  possible.  Meanwhile, 
however,  they  recognized,  with  his  parents,  the 
importance  of  education,  and  he  was  sent  to  school 
at  Edinburgh.  At  that  time  the  great  names  in 
Edinburgh  were  Wilson  in  philosophy,  Hope  in 
chemistry,  Knox  in  anatomy  and  Syme  and  Liston  in 
operative  surgery.  The  genius  of  these  eminent 
men  exercised  over  the  young  and  thoughtful 
mind  of  the  future  great  American  -  surgeon  a 
most  powerful  influence,  which  in  after  years  be- 
came manifest.  He  graduated  with  high  honors  at 
the  celebrated  High  School  of  Edinburgh  and  then 
entered  the  University,  where  he  completed  the 
course  and  took  his  degree  at  the  unusually  early 
age  of  seventeen  years.  Influenced  by  the  attain- 
ments and  example  of  the  distinguished  men  we 
have  named,  he  yielded  to  impulses  which  were 
irresistible,  and  resolved  to  adopt  the  profession  of 
medicine.  While  still  pursuing  his  studies  at  the 
University,  he  began  of  his  own  accord  a  course  of 
instruction  at  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  under 
the  illustrious  Professor  Syme.  But  his  parents 
could  no  longer  restrain  their  desire  to  see  him ; 
and  he  returned  to  America  to  take  needed  rest  from 
his  studies.  Precious  among  the  souvenirs  he 
brought  with  him  to  his  native  land,  was  a  letter 
from  Dr.  Knox,  the  President  of  the  Royal  College 
of  Surgeons,  begging  the  father  not  to  interfere  with 
his  son's  inclination  toward  the  profession  of  sur- 
gery, and  declaring  that  he  was  "destined  to  be  a 
shining  light  in  the  world."  After  spending  a  short 
time  at  his  home  in  Georgia,  he  went  to  New  York 
City,  where  he  placed  himself  under  the  instruction 
of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Valentine  Mott.    Dr.  Mott 


22 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


took  a  strong  fancy  to  young  Carnochan,  and  was 
outspoken  in  admiration  of  his  budding  talent.  He 
constantly  referred  to  him  as  his"  most  distinguished 
pupil,"  and  took  the  most  cordial  interest  in  his 
advancement.    Having  carried  through  the  usual 
course  of  instruction  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  the  young  student  passed  the  pre- 
scribed examinations,  and  received  the  diploma  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1836.     Then,  to  prepare 
himself  still  more  thoroughly  for  his  life-work,  he 
went  to  Paris  and  enrolled  himself  as  a  student  in 
the  Ecole  de  Me"decine.    For  six  years,  he  "  walked 
the  hospitals,"  as  it  was  then  expressed,  of  the 
great  capital  of  science,  and  attended  clinical  lec- 
tures by  the  most  distinguished  professors.  He 
profited    by  the   example  of    Civiale,  Lisfranc, 
Roux,  and  Velpeau.  and  by  personal  intercourse 
with  them  and  other  distinguished  medical  men. 
From  Paris  he  went  to  London  and  studied  what 
was  there  to  be  learned  in  the  hospitals  and  clinics 
of  that  great  metropolis,  under  t  he  guidance  of  Brodie, 
Sir  Astley  Cooper  and  other  surgeons  of  world-wide 
renown.    While  there  he  was  offered  a  partnership 
by  the  great  Liston,  but  he  declined  it,  as  he  preferred 
to  make  America  the  field  for  his  work.    In  after 
life  he  kept  up  correspondence  with  many  of  the 
distinguished  European  surgeons  with  whom  he  had 
established  relations  of  friendship,  and  he  always 
found  in  them  an  appreciation  even  warmer  than 
was  accorded  him  at  home.    At  last,  in  1847,  he 
returned  to  America,  thoroughly  ecpiipped  by  tem- 
perament and  training  for  the  career  which  he  was 
destined  to  pursue.    He  fixed  his  residence  in  New 
York  City  and  began  his  labors  as  a  regular  practi- 
tioner in  the  profession  which  for  forty  years  he 
adorned  with  rare  genius,  and  in  which,  by  his  nu- 
merous daring  and  original  achievements,  he  gained 
honor  and  fame  both  at  home  and  abroad.    In  the 
department  of  surgery,  especially,  he  speedily  at- 
tracted attention  and  awakened  applause,  and  within 
a  few  years  he  was  ranked  among  the  ablest  opera- 
tors in  the  world.    When,  in  1850,  the  Board  of 
Emigration  Commissioners  was  established  for  the 
protection  of  foreigners  arriving  in  this  country 
through  the  port  of  New  York,  Dr.  Carnochan  was 
selected  to  take  charge  of  the  hospital  for  immi- 
grants on  Ward's  Island ;  and  it  was  he  who,  as 
Surgeon-in-chief,  organized  that  institution.  Here 
he  had  an  excellent  opportunity  both  for  enlarging 
his  experience  and  for  exhibiting  his  skill.  He 
remained  the  executive  head  of  this  hospital  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.     In  1851  he 
accepted  the  appointment  of  Professor  of  the  Prin- 
ciples and  Operations  of  Surgery  in   the  New 
York  Medical  College,  and  for  twelve  years,  he 


brilliantly  set  forth  before  large  classes  of  stu- 
dents, the  treasures  of  science  and  research  with 
which  his  mind  was  stored.  This  medical  institu- 
tion had  attained  celebrity  from  the  high 
reputation  and  practical  talent  of  the  professors 
connected  with  it,  but  was  discontinued  during  the 
Civil  War  on  account  of  the  loss  of  Southern  patron- 
age, by  which  it  had  beerl  to  a  great  extent  sup- 
ported. In  1870  Dr.  Carnochan  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Hoffman  Health  Officer  of  the  Port  of 
New  York,  the  State  Senate  endorsing  the  appoint- 
ment by  a  unanimous  vote.  He  assumed  the  duties 
of  this  responsible  position  with  a  thorough  under- 
standing of  its  requirements  and  with  advanced 
views  on  the  subject  of  an  effective  quarantine.  In 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  Health  Officer  he  was 
not  slow  to  display  the  same  characteristic  ability 
which  had  given  him  so  distinguished  success  in 
his  private  professional  practice.  "  His  administra- 
tive talent  "  writes  an  observer  of  his  course,  "  to- 
gether with  his  intelligent  discrimination  and  fore- 
sight, enabled  him  to  establish  a  prompt  and  effective 
quarantine  without  unnecessarily  embarrassing  the 
pursuits  of  commerce ;  in  fact,  he  reduced  his  ad- 
ministration to  a  system  based  upon  principles  and 
laws  which  preside  over  and  govern  all  quarantina- 
ble  diseases."  In  his  report  for  the  year  ending 
December  81,  1870,  he  dwells  at  considerable  length 
upon  the  importance  of  systematic  temporary  isola- 
tion as  a  means  for  preventing  the  spread  of  con- 
tagious diseases.  The  following  extract  from  this 
report  outlines  the  system  he  was  the  first  to 
recommend : 

"The  subject  of  quarantine,  as  now  properly 
understood,  has  numerous  reciprocal  relations  in 
connection  with  the  interests  of  commerce  and  the 
preservation  of  the  public  health.  It  should  be 
considered  with  the  view  of  reducing  its  manage- 
ment to  a  regular  system,  in  order  that  the  various 
details  may'  be  carried  out  with  promptness  and 
discrimination,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  impose 
the  least  possible  restraint  upon  commercial  enter- 
prise compatible  with  the  public  safety.  The  quar- 
antine laws  were  originally  made  to  guard  against 
the  introduction  of  pestilential  diseases  into  our 
country  by  the  arrival  of  infected  vessels  at  the 
various  seaports.  Sanitary  and  commercial  interests 
are  thus  apparently,  by  an  implied  necessity  of 
restraint,  thrown  into  a  kind  of  antagonism.  By  a 
proper  knowledge,  however,  of  the  history,  progress 
and  laws  which  govern  the  course  of  pestilential 
maladies,  the  regulation  of  quarantine  can  be  so 
systematized  as  to  accomplish,  in  a  great  degree,  the 
objects  for  which  quarantine  was  instituted,  and  yet 
not  necessarily  embarrass  the  pursuits  of  commerce, 
except  so  far  as  to  insure  the  general  safety  of  the 
community.  To  carry  on  properly,  however,  a 
system  with  these  ends  in  view,  the  necessary 
facilities  for  administration  must  be  provided.  It 
is  of  great  importance  that  persons  arriving  from 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


23 


infected  localities  who  are  suffering  with  disease 
shall  be  completely  isolated,  at  the  same  time  that 
they  be  well  cared  for,  and  receive  good  medical 
attention.  The  second  class  of  persons  who  should 
be  subjected  to  quarantine  are  those  who  have  been 
exposed  to  infection,  and  who  may  have  the  seeds 
of  disease  lurking  in  their  system.  These  should, 
also,  be  isolated  for  a  certain  length  of  time,  in  order 
to  afford  opportunity  for  observation  of  their  condi- 
tion during  the  period  of  incubation  which  is  com- 
mon to  contagious  diseases.  Persons  who  have 
been  exposed  to  a  malarial  atmosphere,  or  who  have 
been  breathing,  for  a  time,  a  close  air  charged  with 
pestilential  poison,  should  not  be  permitted  to  min- 
gle freely  in  a  healthy  community,  as  thereby 
disease  is  apt  to  be  developed;  still,  it  would  be 
injurious  and  inhuman  to  keep  those  who  have 
been  merely  exposed  to  disease  in  contact  or  com- 
munication with  the  sick.  To  meet  the  require- 
ments of  tins  class  of  persons,  means  must  be  pro- 
vided to  secure  positive  isolation  and  the  various 
hygienic  appliances  for  the  prevention  of  disease, 
and  the  elimination  of  the  pestilential  influences 
with  which  their  systems  may  be  charged,  while  the 
various  comforts  of  good  diet,  pure  air,  clean  bed- 
ding, etc.,  shall  be  provided.  The  construction  of 
artificial  islands  in  the  lower  bay,  with  an  area  of 
from  two  to  three  acres,  sufficient  in  extent  for  the 
erection  of  hospitals  and  other  appropriate  build- 
ings for  the  accommodation  and  hygienic  manage- 
ment of  the  sick  and  infected,  and  placed  sufficiently 
remote  to  insure  immunity  from  danger  of  the 
spread  of  disease,  will  secure  incalculable  benefits 
to  the  citizens  of  New  York  and  the  adjoining  cities 
of  Brooklyn  and  Jersey  City.  From  the  extensive 
and  wide-spread  ramifications  of  the  mercantile 
interests  of  the  city  of  New  York  pestilential 
diseases  must  necessarily  find  their  way  to  the 
harbor  of  the  great  commercial  emporium  of  the 
country:  yet,  with  such  structures  located  at  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor,  offering  every  comfort  to  the 
unfortunate  sufferers,  combined  with  a  well-regu- 
lated administration  of  quarantine,  the  public  may 
rest  in  tranquil  safety  while  pestilence  is  kept  at  bay 
at  the  very  gates  of  the  city." 

In  the  main  these  valuable  suggestions  were 
approved  and  adopted  by  the  Legislative  authori- 
ties ;  and  as  they  were  faithfully  carried  out,  the 
port  of  New  York  became,  in  the  matter  of  quaran- 
tine management,  one  of  the  model  ports  of  the 
world.  During  Dr.  C'aruochan's  administration, 
cholera  and  yellow  fever  appeared  frequently,  but 
through  his  foresight  aud  careful  management  they 
were  confined  to  the  limits  of  the  harbor  and  did 
not  reach  the  city.  In  February,  1872,  Dr.  Car- 
nochan's  term  of  office  expired,  and  lie  resumed 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  New  York, 
and  continued  in  it  to  the  very  day  of  his  death. 
During  his  long  and  active  career,  Dr.  Carnochan 
performed  many  wonderful  operations,  which  early 
signalized  him  as  one  of  the  most  daring  and  skill- 
ful among  contemporary  surgeons.  In  1852  he 
inaugurated  the  practice  of  treating  elephantiasis 
aralrimhy  ligature  of  the  femoral  artery:  and  he 


I  was  the  first  successfully  to  treat  that  disease.  On 
,  this  subject  Professor  Erichsen,  of  the  London 
University,  wrote  him :  "  I  have  pursued  the  details 
of  your  cases  with  great  interest,  and  have  been 
especially  struck  by  the  account  of  the  successful 
ligature  of  the  femoral  artery  for  that  otherwise 
intractable  disease  [elephantiasis].  The  operation 
was  certainly  a  bold  step,  but  one  that  the  result 
shows  to  have  been  the  proper  one  to  take  ;  and  it 
certainly  does  infinite  credit  to  your  judgment  and 
skill  to  have  devised  a  successful  treatment  for  this 
complaint."  In  the  Deutsche  Zeitschrift  fur  Chirur- 
gie,  for  June,  1875,  Professor  Wernher,  of  Mayence, 
an  eminent  authority,  alludes  in  laudatory  terms  to 
the  skill  of  Dr.  Carnochan,  and  he  has  compiled  a 
table  of  cases  of  elephantiasis  in  which  Dr.  Carno- 
ehan'S  operations  have  beenfollowed.  In  1852  he  per- 
formed the  operation  of  amputating  for  ostitis  and 
caries  the  entire  lower  jaw,  with  disarticulation  of 
both  condyles  at  one  sitting.  This  was  the  first  suc- 
:  cessful  operation  of  the  kind  reported  in  the  annals 
1  of  surgery.  Later  he  successfully  repeated  the 
same  delicate  operation  for  osteo-sarcoma.  He 
was  also  the  first  to  treat,  two  years  later,  extensive 
enlargement  and  disease  of  the  ulna  by  the  removal 
of  the  entire  bone,  saving  the  arm  with  its  functions 
unimpaired.  In  another  case,  where  a  similar 
disease  affected  the  radius,  he  removed  this  bone 
with  equal  success.  In  1856  he  performed  for  the 
first  time  one  of  the  most  formidable  and  original 
operations  on  record,  in  exsecting  for  the  cure  of 
facial  neuralgia  the  entire  trunk  of  the  second 
branch  of  the  fifth  pair  of  nerves,  from  the  infraor- 
bital foramen  beyond  the  ganglion  of  Meckel,  as  far 
as  the  foramen  rotundum  at  the  base  of  the  skull, 
thus  locating  the  source  of  pain  and  disease  on  the 
trunk  of  the  nerve  anterior  to  the  Gasserian  gang- 
lion, and  giving  anew  pathology  to  the  disease.  He 
repeated  this  operation  several  times  with  the  same 
success — a  feat  never  attempted  before  or  since  by 
anot  her  surgeon.  Amputation  at  the  hip  joint — one 
of  the  major  operations  in  surgery, — he  performed 
a  number  of  times ;  once,  on  May  18,  1864,  at  the 
battle  of  Spottsylvauia,  where,  for  the  time  being, 
he  was  acting  in  his  professional  capacity  under 
orders  of  the  Surgeon-General  of  the  United  States 
Army.  In  the  practice  of  ovariotomy  he  was  unusu- 
ally skillful  and  almost  always  successful.  Besides 
those  mentioned,  he  performed  all  the  more  difficult 
operations  known  in  surgery  and  was  the  first  to 
perform  not  a  few  of  them.  Among  these  may  be 
mentioned  the  tying  of  both  common  carotid  arteries 
in  a  case  of  elephantiasis  of  the  head,  face  and  neck, 
and  the  tying  of  the  common  carotid  on  one  side  and 
the  external  carotid  on  the  other,  for  hypertrophy  of 


24 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


the  tongue.  In  following  up  the  different  modes  of 
practice  upon  extensive  varicose  enlargement  of  the 
veins  of  the  leg  and  thigh,  he  tied  the  femoral  artery 
on  a  number  of  patients.  In  1857  he  exsected  the 
entire  os  calcis  for  ostitis,  enlargement  and  caries ; 
and  he  also  performed  successfully  amputation  at 
the  shoulder-joint  for  an  osteo-fibro-cartilaginous 
tumor  of  the  humerus,  which  tumor  weighed 
eighteen  pounds  and  is  the  largest  on  record  in  con- 
nection with  an  operation  of  this  nature.  Besides 
six  original  operations,  he  inaugurated  the  practice 
of  performing  double  capital  operations  at  the  same 
time  and  of  injecting  coagulating  material  into  the 
morbid  mass  for  tumors  of  the  jaws,  formerly  sup- 
posed to  be  malignant  aud  incapable  of  treatment 
except  by  exsection  of  the  bone;  and  in  cases  of 
immobility  of  the  lower  jaw  from  osseous  anchylosis 
he  was  the  first  to  operate  by  exsection  of  a  portion 
of  the  jaw.  Working  from  the  most  strictly  scien- 
tific bases,  he  operated  with  great  daring  and  orig- 
inality, thus  emulating  the  example  of  his  pre- 
ceptor, Dr.  Valentine  Mott,  and  like  him  con- 
tributing largely  to  the  advancement  of  surgical 
science.  In  addition  to  the  great  reputation  Dr. 
Carnochan  derived  from  his  remarkably  comprehen- 
sive and  successful  practice,  he  made  a  distinguished 
name  for  himself  as  a  medical  author  Early  in  his 
professional  career  he  published  a  work  which 
quickly  became  famous  and  added  to  the  promi- 
nence of  its  author.  It  was  entitled :  A  treatise  on 
the  Etiology,  Pathology,  and  Treatment  of  Congenital 
Dislocation  of  the  Head  of  the  Femur,  a  disease  the 
ca\ise  of  which  he  was  the  first  to  discover.  A 
number  of  Dr.  Carnochan's  lectures  have  been  pub- 
lished, among  them  those  on  Lithotomy  and  Lith- 
otrity  and  on  Partial  Amputations  of  the  Foot,  In 
1877  he  began  the  publication  of  a  work  to  which 
lie  gave  the  name :  Contributions  to  Operative  Sur- 
gery and  Surgical  Pathology,  the  material  for  which 
was  taken  from  his  own  practice  during  a  period  of 
thirty  years.  The  first  volume  of  this  valuable 
work  had  just  been  completed  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  has  been  issued  from  the  press  of  Messrs. 
Harper  &  Brothers,  of  New  York.  In  the  early 
numbers  of  Contributions  to  Operative  Surgery  is 
found  what  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  exhaus- 
tive account  ever  written  of  the  phenomena  of 
shock  and  collapse  after  an  injury  to  the  human 
frame.  Besides  his  original  writings  he  translated 
some  important  foreign  works,  among  them,  Se"dil- 
lot's  Traite  de  Medecine  Operative,  Bandages  et  Ap- 
pareils,  and  Karl  Rotikansky's  Handbuch  der  Patho- 
loginchen  Anatomic  The  late  Dr.  Samuel  D.  Gross, 
the  eminent  Professor  of  Surgery  in  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal College,  Philadelphia,  in  his  able  contribution  to 


the  history  of  surgery,  entitled  :  A  Century  of  Ameri- 
can Medicine,  published  in  1876,  refers  to  Dr.  Car- 
nochan more  often  than  to  almost  any  other  medical 
man,  giving  him  full  credit  for  his  discoveries 
and  operations,  and  ranking  him  with  the  most 
distinguished  surgeons  of  the  century.  In  the  social 
life  of  the  metropolis  Dr.  Carnochan  was  for  many 
years  a  central  figure.  To  a  personal  presence  of 
unusual  attractiveness  he  added  the  most  charming 
manners  and  rare  conversational  powers.  These 
qualities  in  conjunction  with  his  high  professional 
standing  made  him  more  than  ordinarily  welcome 
at  all  gatherings,  both  public  and  private.  He  pos- 
sessed remarkable  vitality,  and  not  only  kept  fully 
abreast  of  all  the  discoveries  and  advances  made  in 
modem  surgery,  but  visited  patients  and  gave  atten- 
tion to  all  the  general  duties  of  his  profession,  to 
the  very  last.  In  September,  1887,  he  attended  the 
International  Medical  Congress  held  at  Washington, 
where  he  had  the  opportunity  to  see  again  a  number 
of  his  European  medical  friends.  At  this  Con- 
gress he  read,  before  the  Section  in  General 
Surgery,  two  papers  which  attracted  marked  atten- 
tion,— one  on  Bony  Union  of  Intracapsular  Fracture 
of  the  Neck  of  the  Femur,  and  the  other  on  Congenital 
Dislocation  of  the  Hip  Joint.  The  specimens  illus- 
trating these  papers  were  exhibited  to  the  Congress, 
and  have  since  been  deposited,  the  hip-joint  case  in 
the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  after  exhibition 
by  Mr.  William  Adams,  before  the  Pathological  So- 
ciety of  London,  and  the  other  in  the  Dupuytren 
Museum,  in  Paris.  Both  papers  are  published  in 
full  with  illustrations,  in  the  Transactions  of  the 
International  Medical  Congress.  Ninth  Session  :  Vol. 
I.  Washington,  1887.  Despite  advancing  years 
Dr.  Carnochan  always  seemed  to  enjoy  life  with 
extraordinary  zest :  and  late  in  life  he  continued  to 
find  in  literary  work  the  needed  outlet  for  his  un- 
wearying mental  activity.  His  death  resulted  from 
a  stroke  of  apoplexy,  evidently  prepared  by  prostra- 
tion due  to  the  severe  heat  of  the  preceding  summer. 
Through  a  mistake  to  be  ascribed  to  negligent  edit- 
ing, one  of  the  popular  encyclopedias  had  set  forth 
that  Dr.  Carnochan's  death  occurred  in  1876.  To 
those  of  the  Doctor's  colleagues  in  medicine  whose 
knowledge  of  him  was  drawn  from  this  unreliable 
source,  it  must  have  been  a  startling  experience  to 
see  him  rise  in  perfect  health  of  mind  and  body  and 
address  the  International  Medical  Congress  at 
Washington  in  1887,  and  to  learn  that  the  eleven  in- 
tervening years  had  been  devoted  to  incessant  prac- 
tice and  fruitful  literary  work.  It  is  doubtless  true, 
as  has  been  said,  that  "  a  man  is  born  a  surgeon  as  he 
is  born  a  poet  or  a  painter."  Surgical  tact  is,  in- 
deed, a  gift  of  nature;  but  unless  it  be  fortified  by 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


25 


diligent  study,  great  powers  of  observation  and 
application,  and  long  experience,  the  achievements 
of  this  natural  gift  must  remain  inconsiderable.  Dr. 
Carnochan  possessed  this  rare  natural  tact  in  an 
unusual  degree ;  but  far  from  relying  solely 
upon  this  he  devoted  his  entire  life  to  the  acquire- 
ment of  the  exact  knowledge  which,  as  he  would 
have  been  the  first  to  recognize,  was  essential 
to  the  useful  application  of  his  inborn  gift. 
One  of  the  theories  he  held,  the  one  which, 
as  he  believed,  was  of  the  highest  service  -  to 
him  in  his  operations,  was  that  success  is  always 
subordinate  to  general  treatment:  and  he  never 
operated  without  assuring  himself  that  his  patient 
had  been  fully  prepared  by  appropriate  regimen, 
for  the  ordeal,  and  that  the  sufferer's  general  health 
would  undergo  no  avoidable  risk  through  the  opera- 
tion. His  theory  of  action  was  beautifully  outlined 
by  him  in  an  early  lecture  before  one  of  his  classes 
in  surgery.  He  said:  "  While  respect  for  life  will 
dictate  to  the  surgeon  the  greatest  prudence — will 
counsel  him  to  attempt  no  operation  which  he  would 
not  be  willing  to  perform  on  his  own  child, — it  will 
also  teach  him  that  if  the  extremes  of  boldness  are 
to  be  shunned,  pusillanimity  is  not  the  necessary 
alternative.  The  surgeon  who  has  not  sufficient 
courage  to  propose  a  useful  operation,  and  sufficient 
skill  to  perform  it,  is  as  open  to  censure  as  the  reck- 
less practitioner  who  is  swayed  by  the  unworthy 
lure  of  notoriety."  One  who  knew  Dr.  Carnochan 
during  the  later  years  of  his  life — "a  period  when 
one's  traits  become  intensified  and  the  whole  man 
unfolds  himself  to  the  world's  view,  like  the  sun  as 
it  is  sinking  to  rest  at  the  end  of  its  course," 
says  of  him  that  he  was  an  accomplished  man,  of 
strong  will,  like  the  Scot  that  he  was,  but  with  a 
just  and  tender  heart,  true  to  friendship,  but  not 
blind  to  faults,  of  unaffected,  dignified  and  pleasing 
manner,  and  of  handsome  person — being  a  good 
deal  above  medium  size,  with  finely  chiseled 
features,  and  having  eyes  so  lustrous  even  in  his 
old  age  as  to  indicate  to  the  least  observing  that  the 
fires  of  genius  burned  within.  Dr.  Carnochan 
married,  in  the  latter  part  of  1856,  Miss  Estelle  Mor- 
ris, daughter  of  Major  General  William  Walton 
Morris,  United  States  Army,  and  a  great  grand- 
daughter of  Lewis  Morris,  a  Signer  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  His  esteemed  widow  and 
five  children  survive  him. 


HEALD,  DANIEL  ADDISON,  President  of  the 
Home  Insurance  Company  of  New  York,  and 
the  leading  fire  underwriter  of  the  United 
States,  comes  of  sound  Puritan  stock,  whose  trans- 


planting from  old  to  New  England  dates  back  more 
than  two  and  a  half  centuries;  the  family  having 
been  among  the  first  settlers  of  Concord,  Massachu- 
setts, arriving  there  from  Berwick,  England,  in  1635. 
Both  his  grandfathers  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, the  paternal  one  fighting  at  Concord  Bridge, 
Bunker  Hill,  and  in  other  engagements;  the  mater- 
nal, whose  name  was  Edwards,  served  creditably  as 
captain  in  the  army  under  Washington.   A  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  Edsvards  married  Amos  Heald,  a  son 
of  the  first  named  patriot.    Daniel  Addison  Heald, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  youngest  child 
of  this  marriage ;  born  May  4, 1818,  at  Chester,  Ver- 
mont, where  Amos  Heald  owned  and  tilled  one  of 
the  largest  and  best  farms  in  the  State.  Young 
Heald  spent  the  first  sixteen  years  of  his  life  on  the 
parental  farm,  sharing  in  every  labor  of  the  field. 
His  inclinations  and  ambitions  made  him  studious, 
and  he  neglected  no  opportunity  for  mental  improve- 
ment.   The  mountains  around  his  father's  farm 
seemed  to  beckon,  and  to  say  to  his  aspirations 
"Climb!  the  world  is  on  the  other  side  of  us."  A 
good  education  was  what  he  craved,  and  determined 
to  have.   Under  the  circumstances  by  which  he  was 
surrounded  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  prepare  for  a 
classical  education,   but  he  successfully  accom- 
plished the  task,  for,  after  spending  two  years  at  a 
preparatory  school  in  Meriden,  New  Hampshire,  he 
entered  Yale  College,  where  he  took  the  full 
academic  course,  and  was  graduated  with  honor  in 
1841,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  During  his  senior 
year  at  Yale  he  read  law  under  the  direction  of 
Judge  Daggett,  of  New  Haven,  and  subsequently  for 
two  years  in  the  office  of  Judge  Washburn,  of  Lud- 
low, Vermont,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the 
State  of  Vermont  in  May,  1843.  In  connection  with 
his  law  practice  he  conducted  a  fire  insurance  busi- 
ness as  agent  for  the  ./Etna,  and  other  Hartford 
companies,  and  won  for  himself  in  each  capacity  so 
excellent  a  reputation,  that  in  1856  the  Home,  then 
a  young  company,  invited  him  to  become  its  General 
Agent.    He  accepted  the  offer  and  immediately  en- 
tered upon  his  duties,  with  headquarters  in  New 
York  City.    After  twelve  years  of  service  in  this 
capacity,  he  was  rewarded  for  his  diligence,  zeal 
and  fidelity  by  being  chosen  Second  Vice-President 
of  the  company.    In  1883  Vice-President  Willmarth 
resigning,  Mr.  Heald  succeeded  to  that  office ;  and 
at  the  annual  election  in  1888  he  was  chosen  to  fill 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  President 
Martin.    The  company  at  the  time  Mr.  Heald  en- 
tered its  service  had  a  capital  of  $500,000,  and  total 
assets  of  #872,823-.    Its  capital  is  now  three  millions 
and  its  assets  nearly  nine  millions.  It  has  an  income 
of  nearly  four  and  three-quarters  millions  and  covers 


26 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


with  its  policies  property  values  of  more  than  seven 
hundred  millions.  It  passed  through  the  great  fires 
at  Portland,  JIaine,  St.  John,  New  Brunswick, 
Chicago  and  Boston,  paying  in  full  and  promptly 
every  dollar  of  its  large  losses,  and  has  become  one 
among  the  four  greatest  fire  insurance  companies  in 
the  world.  It  detracts  no  whit  from  the  just  praise 
of  any  other  man  now  or  ever  connected  with  the 
company  to  say  that  a  very  large  share  of  the  credit 
for  the  Home's  present  standing  belongs  to  Mr. 
Heald,  who  has  been  graphically  described  as  the 
possessor  of  "  the  most  active  brain  in  fire  insurance 
management  on  this  continent,  and  as  ranking 
second  to  none  among  the  great  men  who  have  made 
the  business  of  fire  insurance  what  it  is  in  this  coun- 
try." From  his  earliest  transactions  in  the  business 
he  has  been  impressed  by  the  fact  that  its  successful 
conduct  depends  upon  its  mastery  as  a  science, 
and  realizing  that  no  man  can  know  too  much  in  the 
fire  insurance  business,  his  course  has  constantly 
been  "  onward  and  upward."  A  good  lawyer,  a 
good  chemist,  a  good  architect,  a  good  financier,  a 
good  judge  of  men,  an  accurate  acquaintance  with 
the  values  of  all  things  fire-insurable,  and  well  in- 
formed on  the  constantly  varying  and  multiplying 
causes  of  tire,  and  the  means  and  appliances  of  fire 
prevention  and  extinction — all  these  combined 
would  not  constitute  a  fire  insurance  manager  too 
well  equipped  for  his  profession.  No  branch  of 
knowledge  comes  amiss  to  the  all  around  fire  under- 
writer. The  wind  currents  and  the  rainfall,  the 
state  of  trade,  the  condition  of  the  labor  market,  the 
crops,  financial  panics,  legislatures  and  courts  of 
justice,  fire  departments,  water  works,  building 
laws,  tramps,  criminals  who  burn  with  felonious 
design,  and  the  careless  who  let  fires  happen — these 
and  many  other  things  are  of  immediate  interest  to 
him,  for  they  all  touch  his  business.  He  has  to 
conduct  that  business  so  as  to  take  care  at  once  of 
policy  holders  and  stock  holders,  to  get  adequate 
rates  in  the  teeth  of  close  and  often  unfair  competi- 
tion, to  avoid  law  suits  and  yet  not  encourage 
scoundrels  by  submitting  to  uujust  claims,  and  as 
far  as  possible  to  guard  against  the  perils  of  hostile 
legislation.  It  thus  takes  an  able  man  to  build  up 
and  successfully  manage  a  fire  insurance  company. 
It  will  therefore  in  no  wise  be  flattery  to  adjudge 
Mr.  Heald  an  able  man,  upon  the  record  and  stand- 
ing of  the  Home  Insurance  Company,  upon  which 
he  has  so  fully  stamped  his  own  personality.  But  Mr. 
Heald  has  not  been  busy  all  these  years  with  simply 
the  affairs  of  the  one  company.  The  whole  system 
of  fire  insurance  in  the  United  States  has  engaged 
his  studious  attention,  and  for  the  bettering  of  it, 
for  the  settling  of  it  on  a  safe  and  equitable  and  en- 


during basis,  he  has  wrought  side  by  side  with  the 
best  men  of  the  profession.  His  has  always  been 
the  broad  view,  an  outlook  from  the  loftiest  attain- 
able height  to  the  widest  sweep  of  horizon.  Twenty- 
three  years  ago  the  need  of  union  was  startlingly 
revealed  in  the  light  of  the  great  Portland  fire, 
which  calamity  culminated  a  long  period  of  strife 
and  demoralization  among  fire  insurance  companies, 
and  directly  after  which  (July,  1806)  the  National 
Board  of  Fire  Underwriters  was  organized.  Mr, 
Heald  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  this  impor- 
tant enterprise  and  contributed  more  than  any  other 
one  member  toward  the  benefits  resulting  from  its 
organization.  In  this  body  he  has  been  a  conspicu- 
ous figure  since  its  formation,  and  has  served  it  with 
distinguished  ability  either  as  Chairman  of  the 
Executive  Committee  or  as  President,  during 
almost  the  entire  period.  His  addresses  will  always 
hold  a  high  place  in  the  permanent  literature  of  the 
profession,  and  in  themselves  they  constitute  an  en- 
during monument  to  their  clear-headed  and  pains- 
taking author.  Among  his  addresses  the  one  entitled 
"Fire  Underwriting  as  a  Profession"  and  delivered 
at  Chicago  in  September,  1880,  before  the  Fire 
Underwriters  Association  of  the  Northwest,  is 
I  especially  noteworthy.  A  most  able  oration  it  was, 
and  the  orator  was  a  living  illustration  of  his  theme. 
In  course  of  it  he  said  :  "The  Temple  of  Honor  has 
no  room  for  those  who  throng  her  portals,  without 
forcing  her  gates  and  leaving  traces  of  their  stay 
within  her  walls."  This  is  the  keystone  of  the 
speech,  and  of  the  man's  life.  The  true  underwriter 
belongs  to  the  Temple  of  Honor.  He  gets  there  by 
strong  and  honest  endeavor  to  do  large  and  needed 
service  to  those  of  his  generation.  For  all  the  time 
replacing  loss,  he  is  showing  how  to  avoid  loss, 
how  to  build  better  and  to  take  more  care ; 
so  that  a  hundred  years  from  now,  there  shall 
be  more  safety  in  home  and  shop  and  office  to  certify 
that  he  once  lived  and  wrought.  He  has  also  been 
an  inspiration  in  the  New  York  Board  of  Fire  Under- 
writers for  many  years,  having  held  all  the  official 
positions  he  was  willing  to  accept,  and  being  an  as- 
siduous worker  in  the  general  interests  for  upwards 
of  thirty  years.  Although  just  beyond  three  score 
and  ten  years  Mr.  Heald  can  hardly  be  accounted  an 
old  man  yet.  Of  slender  build,  about  five  feet  ten 
in  height,  with  a  scholarly  bend  of  the  shoulders, 
grayish  blue  eyes,  lighting  instantly  to  the  touch  of 
humor,  step  sprightly,  every  faculty  alert,  dispatch- 
ing business  easily  without  fuss,  loved  and  honored 
by  his  fellow  citizens ;  this  is  Daniel  Addison  Heald, 
without  whose  name  the  history  of  fire  insur- 
ance in  the  United  States  could  not  be  correctly 
written. 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


27 


[C  CREADY,  NATHANIEL  L'HOMMEDIEU 
a  prominent  citizen  of  New  York  City,  and  for 
twenty  years  preceding  his  death  President  of 
the  Old  Dominion  Steamship  Company,  was  born  in 
the  city  named,  Oct.  4,  1820,  and  died  suddenly  at 
sea  on  the  Cunard  Steamship  Etruria,  Oct.  3  1887 
He  was  a  son  of  Thomas  McCready,  a  member  of 
the  old  family  of  that  name  in  this  city.  After 
completing  his  school  education  he  went  to  Mobile, 
Alabama,  to  acquire  his  business  training, — having 
evinced  a  decided  preference  for  mercantile  life, — 
and  in  a  few  years  had  made  himself  sufficiently  mas- 
ter of  the  shipping  business  and  commercial  forms 
and  methods  to  warrant  his  engaging  in  business  on 
his  own  account.  In  1840  he  returned  to  his  native 
city  and  established  the  shipping  and  commission 
house  of  N.  L.  McCready  &  Co.,  at  the  head  of 
which  he  remained  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
the  enterprise  proved  a  success.  In  1865  he  retired 
from  this  business  and  associated  himself  with  the 
steamship  line  of  Livingston,  Fox  &  Co.  and  two 
years  after  established  the  Old  Dominion  Steam- 
ship Company,  which  was  probably  the  most  con- 
spicuous proof  of  Mr.  McCready's  great  personal 
energy  and  admirable  business  faculty.  Its  begin- 
nings were  small,  but  having  been  made,  its  resolute 
founder  threw  his  whole  skill,  energy  and  time  into 
the  work  of  developing  them  to  the  limit  of  their 
possibilities.  His  nature  was  one  of  ceaseless 
activity ;  and  having  by  vigor  and  foresight  added 
a  new 'and  important  avenue  of  trade  to  those 
already  existing  in  his  native  city,  he  was  ambitious 
of  doing  his  full  share  in  securing  for  it  a  solid  pros- 
perity. On  the  very  day  the  Old  Dominion  Line 
was  organized  Mr.  McCready  was  chosen  President 
of  the  company.  He  proved  himself  possessed  of  a 
rare  talent  for  directing  the  complex  affairs  and  in- 
terests of  the  enterprise,  and  under  his  energetic 
and  intelligent  management,  it  rose,  steadily,  to  a 
1  osition  of  leading  importance  among  the  great 
steamship  organizations  of  the  country.  Mr. 
McCready  was  one  of  the  most  upright  of  business 
men  and  he  exercised  great  weight  in  the  commer- 
cial affairs  of  the  city  of  New  York.  He  was  a 
Director  in  the  Farmers'  Loan  and  Trust  Company, 
the  Empire  City  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the 
"Washington  Life  Insurance  Company  and  the  Mis- 
souri, Kansas  and  Texas  Railway  Company.  With 
the  last  named  organization  he  was  prominently 
connected  as  a  Director  for  a  period  of  fourteen 
years,  and  for  a  time  was  its  President.  He  was 
also  an  esteemed  member  of  the  New  York  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  and  of  the  Union  and  St.  Nicholas 
Clubs.  As  early  as  1847  he  was  elected  an  Honor- 
ary Member  of  the  Marine  Society.    A  most  strik- 


ing trait  of  Mr.  McCready's  character  was  its  manly 
firmness,  to  which  no  little  of  his  success  in  life  may 
be  traced.  This  was  exemplified  in  a  notable  degree 
during  one  of  the  great  strikes  of  the  'longshoremen 
of  the  North  River  front,  which  occurred  a  short 
time  previous  to  his  death.  Notwithstanding  all 
manner  of  coercion  he  firmly  adhered  to  his  policy 
in  dealing  with  the  strikers,  even  when  other  firms 
and  corporations  had  decided  to  yield.  In  taking 
this  stand  he  acted  with  great  boldness  and  courage, 
and  was  successful  in  carrying  his  point,  which,  in 
this  special  case,  he  deemed  one  of  principle  as  well 
as  business  necessity.  Mr.  McCready  was  a  man  of 
strong  religious  convictions  and  faithful  in  his 
adherence  to  and  respect  for  the  teachings  of  the 
Christian  church.  He  was  a  regular  attendant  at 
the  Reformed  Church  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Twenty- 
first  Street,  New  York  City,  and  was  a  generous 
contributor  to  its  various  charities.  He  was  always 
a  staunch  Democrat,  and  although  he  never  took  an 
active  personal  part  in  political  matters,  he  kept  him- 
self thoroughly  well  informed  in  regard  to  all  gov- 
ernment affairs,  and  was  a  most  entertaining  talker 
on  these  and  other  frequently  discussed  topics. 
He  was  a  man  of  kindly  nature  and  warm  impulses, 
and  in  social  as  well  as  business  and  religious  circles 
he  made  many  friends.  In  his  home  life  he  was 
especially  affectionate,  happy  and  beloved.  With 
the  increase  of  his  wealth,  his  business  cares  inten- 
sified, but  not  to  a  degree  which  caused  any  neglect 
of  his  duties  as  a  citizen,  a  neighbor,  or  the  head  of  • 
a  family.  His  hospitalities  were  elegant  and  bounti- 
ful: and  his  private  charities  flowed  in  a  steady 
stream  but  entirely  without  ostentation.  For  these 
qualities,  as  well  as  for  his  remarkable  executive 
ability,  high  integrity  and  tireless  energy,  he  will 
long  be  remembered.  For  a  number  of  years  pre- 
vious to  his  death  Mr.  McCready  had  suffered  from 
asthma,  and  every  summer  it  had  been  his  custom 
to  spend  several  months  travelling  in  Northern 
Europe  with  his  family,  he  having  found  that  the 
voyage  and  the  change  of  climate  were  beneficial  to 
him.  On  his  last  trip,  while  sojourning  in  Norway, 
he  contracted  a  cold,  but  was  not  thought  to  be 
seriously  ill  when  he  left  that  country  in  the  latter 
part  of  September,  1887,  on  his  way  home  via  Liver- 
pool. Soon  after  embarking  at  Liverpool  he  was 
obliged  to  keep  his  stateroom,  and  on  Monday  at 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening  expired  of  "heart 
failure,"  superinduced  by  the  asthmatic  affection 
from  which  he  had  so  long  suffered.  The  news  of 
his  death  elicited  many  sincere  expressions  of  regret 
j  from  his  former  colleagues  in  the  business  world 
j  and  the  various  corporations  with  which  he  had 
been  so  long  actively  and  successfully  identified. 


28 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Old  Dominion  Steamship  Company,  held  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  October  28,  1887,  the  following 
was  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  this  Board  unite  with  the  family  of 
their  late  President,  NATHANIEL  L'HOMME- 
DIEU  McCREADY,  in  sorrow  at  the  loss  they  sus- 
tained. The  creator  of  the  Old  Dominion  Steamship 
Company,  he  lived  to  successfully  conduct  his  con- 
ception from  small  proportions  to  a  rank  equal  with 
the  largest  steamship  organizations  of  the  country, 
and  in  all  this  period  of  more  than  twenty  years  the 
success  of  the  company  was  mainly  due  to  his 
vigorous  and  intelligent  management  of  its  affairs. 
Mr.  McCready  became  endeared  to  his  associates  in 
the  directory'by  his  uniform  courtesy  and  considera- 
tion for  themselves  and  in  testimony  of  their  esteem 
it  is 

Ordered.  That  this  resolution  be  spread  upon  the 
records  of  the  company  and  a  copy  transmitted  to 
his  family. 

John  M.  Robinson,  President. 
W.  H.  Stamford,  Secretary. 

The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Texas  Railway 
Company,  at  a  meeting  held  October  18,  1887 : 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  MR.  N.  L. 
Mi  CREADY,  who  for  more  than  fourteen  years  was 
a  director  of  this  company,  and  during  a  portion  of 
that  period  its  presiding  officer,  the  company  lias 
lost  a  faithful  counsellor  and  firm  friend.  Dur- 
ing the  early  history  of  the  company,  when  it  was 
almost  on  the  verge  of  dissolution  owing  to  pressing 
financial  embarrassments,  Mr.  McCready,  with  that 
untiring  devotion  born  of  faith  in  the  enterprise  and 
characteristic  of  him  in  all  his  business  undertak- 
ings, gave  his  best  efforts  in  connection  with  those 
of  his  associates  in  the  Board  of  Directors  to  saving 
the  property  from  disintegration,  and  to  hislabors  at 
that  time  is  largely  due  the  successful  issue  out  of 
the  troubles  that  then  beset  the  company. 

Resolved,  That  we  share  the  sorrow  of  his  family 
and  extend  to  them  our  most  cordial  sympathy  in 
their  bereavement. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  minutes  be  en- 
grossed and  sent  to  the  family  of  Mr.  McCready  as  a 
token  of  personal  regard. 

H.  B.  Hbnson,  Secretary. 

The  Coastwise  Steamship  Association,  of  which 
he  was  the  first  President,  likewise  held  a  special 
meeting,  October  11,  1887,  to  take  action  on  his 
death.  Vice-President  D.  D.  C.  Mink  occupied  the 
chair,  and  Bentley  D.  Hassel  acted  as  Secretary. 
After  the  passage  of  appropriate  resolutions  of 
respect  and  condolence,  Mr.  W.  H.  Stanford,  an  old 
friend  and  close  associate  of  the  deceased,  made  a 
brief  address,  alluding  in  feeling  terms  to  his  many 
virtues.  Mr.  McCready  married  in  1846,  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  Miss  Caroline  Amanda  Waldron,  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Resolved  Waldron,  who  came 
to  New  Amsterdam  in  the  suite  of  Governor  Peter 
Stuyvesant.    This  lady  survives  her  husband.  Of 


their  family  of  five  children,  only  two  are  now 
living,  viz:  Mrs.  William  Ward  Robbins  and 
Nathaniel  L.  McCready.  A  brother  of  the  deceased, 
Dr.  Benjamin  McCready,  long  a  Professor  in  the 
Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  esteemed  members  of  the  medical 
profession  in  New  York  City. 


RANSOM,  HON.  RASTUS  SENECA,  Surrogate 
of  the  City  and  County  of  New  York,  was  born 
at  Mount  Hawley,  Peoria  County,  Illinois, 
March  31,  1839.   On  both  the  paternal  and  maternal 
side  he  derives  from  New  England  ancestry.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Robert  Ransom,  was  born  at 
Vergennes,  Vermont,  August  13,  1788.    His  pater- 
nal grandmother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lucy 
Stacy,  was  born  at  New  Salem,  Massachusetts,  July 
23, 1792.  Early  in  their  married  life  Robert  Ransom 
and  his  wife  removed  to  New  York  State  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Hamilton,  Madison  County. 
Some  years  later  they  removed  to  the  town  of  Fen- 
ner,  Madison  Co.  Notwithstanding  many  disadvan- 
tages their  industrious  and  thrifty  habits  enabled 
them  to  win  a  good  share  of  prosperity.    They  were 
also  intelligent  and  religious  people  and  stood 
high  in  the  esteem  of  their  neighbors.  Reuben 
Harris  Ransom,  son  of  the  preceding  and  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  at  Hamilton, 
November  11.  1818.   On  May  7, 1837,  being  then  but 
a  few  months  more  than  eighteen  years  of  age,  he 
married  Nancy  Caroline  Virgil,  a  native  of  the  town 
of  Mexico,  Oswego  County,  New  York.   This  lady's 
father,  Abram  Virgil,  a  farmer  of  means  and  stand- 
ing, was  born  in  the  town  of  Egremont,  Massachu- 
setts, of  which  place  her  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Laura  Hatch,  was  also  a  native.  Shortly 
after  his  marriage  Reuben  and  his  young  wife  went 
west  to  join  the  former's  elder  brother,  Rastus  Seneca 
Ransom,  who  had  settled  at  Peoria.    A  stay  of  a 
year  and  a  half  in  the  western  country,  during  which 
their  first  child,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born, 
sufficed  to  dissipate  their  dream  of  life  on  the 
prairies,  and  they  returned  to  Madison  County,  New 
York,  where  their  three  subsequent  children  were 
bom.    Owing  to  domestic  affliction  young  Rastus 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  the  age  of 
eleven  years.    He  was  a  slender,  delicate  boy,  but 
managed  to  hold  his  own  by  farm  labor,  although 
his  lot  was  hard  and  not  an  enviable  one.    Until  fif- 
teen he  attended  school  in  the  winter  season,  with 
regularity,  and  was  quite  apt  in  his  books.    At  six- 
teen he  was  enabled  by  considerable  effort  to  attend 
for  one  terrn  the  High  School  in.Perryville,  Madison 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


29 


County,  a  private,  select  institution,  originated, 
superintended  and  taught  by  Mr.  Daniel  Baldwin,  a 
talented  young  graduate  of  Yale  College.  In  the 
winter  of  his  seventeenth  year  Rastus  himself 
taught  a  district  school,  and,  from  the  meagre  salary 
of  this  position  managed  to  save  a  few  dollars, 
which  be  employed,  in  the  following  summer,  in 
paying  his  fare  to  Wisconsin,  whither  he  went  in  the 
hope  of  bettering  his  fortune,  under  the  protection 
of  his  uncle,  Charles  Rolliu  Ransom,  younger  than 
his  father,  who  had  quite  a  good  farm  at  Token 
Creek,  about  ten  miles  from  Madison,  the  capital  of 
the  State.  Working  at  farm  labor  during  the  sum- 
mer, for  moderate  wages,  and  teaching  school  dur- 
ing the  long  and  dreary  winter,  young  Ransom 
spent  about  three  years  in  the  West.  That  section 
of  the  country  was  very  prosperous,  all  things  con- 
sidered, and  the  intelligence  of  the  people  caused 
the  schools  to  be  well  attended.  Each  winter  the 
young  schoolmaster  got  a  larger  school  and  of  course 
a  slightly  larger  salary.  At  length  the  time  came 
when  he  felt  he  could  put  into  execution  the  resolve 
he  had  formed  when  a  neglected,  struggling  boy, 
that  if  he  lived  he  would  become  a  lawyer.  Pack- 
ing up  his  few  earthly  possessions,  he  bade  good-bye 
to  his  uncle  and  returned  to  New  York.  With  his 
knowledge  of  "ways  and  means,"  the  young  man 
found  no  great  difficulty,  backed  by  his  little  sav- 
ings, in  getting  through  another  year,  which  he 
devoted  chiefly  to  study,  attending  an  excellent 
academy,  the  principal  of  which,  Mr.  M.  S.  Con- 
verse, a  man  of  great  learning  and  the  most  kindly 
nature,  took  a  warm  interest  in  the  poor,  but 
ambitious  and  industrious  pupil.  In  the  winter  of 
1869-61  he  obtained  a  position  as  teacher  in  a  large 
school  at  Pine  Woods,  near  Elmira,  and  although 
the  management  involved  hard  work,  and  also  con- 
stant application  to  keep  his  own  studies  sufficiently 
advanced  to  enable  him  to  direct  those  of  his  pupils, 
he  succeeded  admirably,  being  thoughtfully  and 
generously  assisted  in  doing  so  by  Mr.  Converse, 
whose  almost  parental  kindness  to  him  at  this  criti- 
cal period  in  his  life  Mr.  Ransom  still  speaks  of 
with  emotion  and  gratitude.  About  this  time  Mr. 
Ransom  entered,  as  a  student  of  law,  the  office  of 
Judge  Theodore  North,  of  Elmira.  one  of  the  most 
excellent  lawyers  in  the  Southern  tier.  But  the  out- 
break of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  temporarily  put 
an  end  to  the  perusal  of  Coke  and  Blackstone. 
Elmira  became  almost  immediately  an  important 
depot  for  soldiery  and  supplies.  Every  young  man 
seemed  to  catch  the  patriotic  spirit  and  martial  en- 
thusiasm which  prevaded  the  place,  and  within  a 
month  or  two  after  the  firing  on  Sumter,  Mr.  Ran- 
som was  associated  with  his  friend,  Edmund  O. 


Beers,  of  Elmira,  in  raising  a  company  of  volunteers 
for  the  regiment  then  being  organized  by  Col. 
Charles  B.  Stuart,  a  prominent  and  well  known  civil 
engineer,  who  had  recently  been  engaged  in  im- 
portant work  upon  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad. 
This  regiment,  composed  largely  of  mechanics,  was 
known  as  the  50th  N.  Y.  Volunteer  Engineers, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  excellent  furnished  by  the 
State.  Its  ranks  filled,  it  was  mustered  into  the 
service  of  the  United  States,  September  14,  1861, 
"  for  three  years  or  the  war,"  and  in  a  few  days  was 
en  route  for  "the  front,"  Mr.  Ransom,  now  the 
happy  possessor  of  a  commission  as  First  Lieu- 
tenant, going  off  in  the  company  he  had  aided  in 
recruiting,  which  was  commanded  by  Capt.  Beers. 
Some  months  after  the  arrival  of  the  "50th"  in 
Washington  it  was  ordered  across  the  Potomac  to 
active  duty  at  "the  front,"  under  the  command  of 
Gen.  Daniel  Butterfield.  Two  months  later  it  was 
ordered  into  winter  quarters  on  the  Anacosta  River, 
near  the  Washington  Navy  Yard,  and  remained  in 
these  quarters  until  the  Army  of  the  Potomac — of 
which  this  regiment  was  a  part — was  ordered  to  the 
Peninsula.  As  Captain  Beers  was  a  skillful  en- 
gineer he  was  detached  for  special  duty  immedi- 
ately upon  the  arrival  of  the  regiment  in  Washing- 
ton, and  the  command  of  the  company  devolved 
upon  First  Lieutenant  Ransom,  who  served  with 
credit  in  this  position  during  the  terrible  ordeal 
of  the  Peninsula  campaign.  At  length,  prostrated 
by  the  frightfully  debilitating  fever  which  proved 
so  disastrous  to  thousands  of  the  Union  troops  in 
the  swamps  of  the  Chickahominy,  he  was  ordered 
home  by  the  medical  board  of  the  brigade  to  which 
his  regiment  was  attached,  having  struggled  in 
vain  against  its  insidious  attacks.  Refused  a  place 
in  the  Invalid  Corps,  to  which  he  sought  admission 
in  the  hope  of  remaining  in  the  service,  he  returned 
to  Elmira  to  die.  His  lot  at  this  juncture  was  in- 
deed a  trying  one.  He  had  celebrated  the  first  New 
Year  of  his  army  life  by  marrying  a  young  and 
beautiful  Elmira  girl  of  good  family,  and  now,  with- 
out either  help  or  means,  had  to  battle  for  existence. 
Nursed,  sustained  and  cheered  by  the  young  life  he 
had  added  to  his  own,  he  slowly  recovered  sufficient 
strength  to  resume  the  study  of  law,  but  his  old 
friend  Judge  North  having,  in  the  meantime,  died, 
he  entered  the  office  of  Messrs.  Diven,  Hathaway 
ami  Woods,  the  leading  law  firm  of  Southern  New 
York,  two  of  the  members  of  which,  Colonels  Diven 
and  Hathaway,  had  each  raised  a  regiment  and  gone 
to  the  seat  of  war.  Subsequently  he  entered  the 
office  of  Judge  Hiram  Gray,  late  Judge  of  the  Court 
of  Appeals.  In  1863  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Health  was  poor  and  there  was  no  law  business  to 


3° 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


be  had  at  that  time,  but  Mr.  Ransom  struggled  on, 
finding  other  employment  and  hoping  almost  against 
hope,  for  the  dawn  of  an  opportunity.  At  the  close 
of  1865  he  borrowed  fifty  dollars  from  a  kind- 
hearted  friend,  Mr.  Schuyler  C.  Reynolds,  who  also 
gave  him  permission  to  occupy  a  corner  in  his  law 
office  in  Elniira.  Two  years  later  he  was  appointed 
Attorney  and  Counsel  for  the  Corporation  by  the 
Common  Council  of  the  city  of  Elmira.  and  held  the 
office  two  full  terms.  In  the  early  part  of  1870  he 
removed  to  the  city  of  New  York.  This  was  per- 
haps, a  bold  venture,  the  more  especially  as  he  had 
no  friends  or  acquaintances  in  the  metropolis. 
Nevertheless,  he  felt  that  it  was  the  place  for  a  man 
of  brains  and  energy  to  make  his  mark.  By  one  of 
those  peculiar  accidents  which  befall  almost  every 
one,  and  though  seeming  so  little  lead  to  so  much, 
he  learned  that  Mr.  Chester  A.  Arthur  had  recently 
lost  his  law  partner  and  was  anxious  to  secure  the 
services  of  a  young  man  as  managing  clerk.  With- 
out delay  Mr.  Ramsou  applied  for  the  position, 
which  was  refused  him,  on  the  apparently  valid 
ground  that  he,  being  a  stranger  in  the  city,  and 
unacquainted  with  what  Mr.  Arthur  styled  the 
"unwritten  law,"  was  not  the  person  desired. 
Something,  possibly  the  soldier's  tie,  caused  Gen. 
Arthur  to  reconsider  the  matter,  and  Mr.  Ransom, 
was  permitted  to  "try  it"  for  a  couple  of  weeks. 
Political  life,  for  which  Gen.  Arthur,  then  in  the 
srrength  and  vigor  of  manhood;  developed  a  re- 
markable aptitude,  drew  him  by  degrees  from  his 
law  practice,  and  Mr.  Ransom  found  himself  daily 
growing  more  firmly  fixed  in  his  position.  As  may 
be  imagined  he  worked  with  a  will  and  was  happily 
successful,  perfecting  the  details  of  the  practice  to 
the  eminent  satisfaction  of  Mr.  Arthur  and  his  clients, 
and  of  course  taking  part  both  in  the  trial  and 
bringing  of  cases.  His  salary  at  this  time  was  very 
meagre,  and  barely  sufficed,  by  the  most  rigid 
economy,  to  obtain  for  him  and  his  family  the 
ordinary  comforts  of  life.  In  the  autumn  of  1871 
President  Grant  appointed  General  Arthur  Collector 
of  the  Port  of  New  York,  and  in  January,  in  the 
following  year,  the  latter,  with  two  other  prominent 
lawyers,  P.enj.  K.  Phelps  and  Sherman  W.  Knevals, 
organized  the  firm  of  Arthur,  Phelps  and  Knevals, 
Mr.  Ransom  being  admitted  as  junior  member. 
Mr.  Phelps  was  elected  District  Attorney  of  New 
York  in  the  autumn  of  1872.  In  1873  the  firm 
took  the  style  of  Arthur,  Phelps,  Knevals  and  Ran- 
som, and  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Phelps  in  1880  it  was 
changed  by  dropping  the  name  of  the  deceased 
member.  Mr.  Ransom,  although  a  strong  Demo- 
crat, always  entertained  a  high  regard  for  General 
Arthur  who,  as  is  well  known,  was  an  uncomprom- 


ising Republican.  When  the  latter  was  placed  with 
General  Garfield  at  the  head  of  the  Republican 
ticket  in  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1880,  Mr. 
Ransom  did  all  he  could  by  personal  effort  to  ensure 
his  election.  The  circumstances  of  the  case  were 
somewhat  extraordinary,  and  while  a  few  zealots  in 
his  party  blamed  Mr.  Ransom  for  his  action,  it  was 
generally  applauded.  When  General  Arthur  became 
President  of  the  United  States,  he  requested  that 
Ins  name  be  dropped  from  the  firm,  as  he  thought  it 
was  not  in  accord  with  the  custom  in  this  country 
for  the  Chief  Magistrate  to  be  engaged  in  or  con- 
nected with  private  business.  This  was  done,  of 
course,  and  Mr.  Arthur's  connection  with  the  firm, 
which  then  became  Knevals  and  Ransom,  ceased. 
In  1885,  when  President  Arthur's  term  ended,  he 
resumed  his  business  relations  with  Messrs.  Knevals 
and  Ransom,  but  his  name  appeared  as  counsel  to 
the  firm,  the  style  of  which,  otherwise,  was  not 
changed.  In  1885  Mr.  Ransom,  who  was  known  to  be 
perfectly  sound  in  his  Democratic  principles  and 
who  was  esteemed  one  of  the  worthiest  lawyers  in 
the  city  for  a  judicial  position,  was  nominated  by 
the  Tammany  Hall  Democracy  for  the  office  of 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court.  The  Republicans 
nominated  for  the  same  office  Judge  John  Sedgwick, 
to  succeed  himself,  who  was  endorsed  by  the 
"Count}'  Democracy"  organization,  making  Mr. 
Ransom's  canvass  a  forlorn  hope,  as  these  two 
organizations  controlled  about  120,000  votes  out  of 
a  total  vote  of  about  195,000  cast  in  the  city  for  the 
judiciary  ticket.  Nevertheless,  Mr.  Ransom  re- 
ceived a  strong  and  nattering  vote,  running  some 
ten  thousand  ahead  of  the  strength  of  his  ticket. 
Mr.  Ransom  lias  always  been  a  Democrat  but  never 
an  active  partisan  politician :  and,  except  in  the  Gar- 
field and  Arthur  campaign,  has  always  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket,  in  war  times  being  a  "  War 
Democrat."  In  1887  he  was  again  nominated  for 
judicial  office  by  the  Tammany  Hall  organization, 
being  placed  on  the  judiciary  ticket  for  the  office  of 
Surrogate  of  the  City  and  Count}'  of  New  York.  The 
"  County  Democracy  "  endorsed  the  nomination  and 
Mr.  Ransom  was  elected  by  a  plurality  of  nearly 
fifty  thousand  votes,  receiving  the  largest  number 
polled  by  any  candidate  on  the  State  or  county 
ticket.  His  opponents  in  this  campaign  were  Hon. 
Isaac  Dayton,  the  Republican  candidate,  and  Hon. 
Gideon  J.  Tucker,  the  nominee  of  the  Labor  Party. 
At  the  bar  Mr.  Ransom  has  earned  a  high  reputa- 
tion for  the  character  and  thoroughness  of  his  work. 
He  is  patient,  hard-working  and  persevering,  and 
has  hosts  of  friends  among  his  colleagues  and  in 
both  parties.  Mr.  Ransom  was  at  one  time  con- 
nected for  a  brief  period  with  the  New  York 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


31 


National  Guard,  as  Adjutant  of  the  110th  Regiment,  | 
commanded  by  Col.  Stephen  T.  Arnot.  He  joined 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in  1868,  and  is  now  1 
a  comrade  of  Lafayette  Post  in  the  City  of  New 
York.  For  about  ten  years  he  has  been  a  com- 
panion of  the  New  York  Commandery  of  the  Mili- 
tary Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  organization,  of 
the  New  England  Society,  and  of  the  Manhatten 
Club,  all  in  the  city  of  New  York.  His  first  wife 
was  Sarah  Elizabeth  Morgan,  daughter  of  William 
Lyman  Morgan,  Esq.,  of  Elmira  and  granddaughter 
of  Major  Ludowick  Morgan,  killed  in  a  skirmish 
before  the  works  of  Fort  Erie,  August  12,  1814. 
This  lady  died  July  14,  1883,  leaving  two  sons, 
Porte  Virgil  Ransom  and  Maxie  Lyman  Ransom, 
born,  respectively,  February  7,  1803,  and  February 
24,  1864.  Mr.  Ransom  married,  secondly,  January 
14, 1885,  a  lovely  young  woman,  Miss  Carol  Bowne 
Edwards  of  Brooklyn,  whose  father,  the  late  Chas. 
Henry  Edwards  of  the  same  city,  was  one  of  the 
original  founders  of,  and  for  many  years  a  Director 
in  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company. 

»  

DODGE,  MAJOR  GENERAL  GRENVILLE 
MELLEN,  a  distinguished  engineer,  military 
commander,  railroad  projector  and  financier, 
and  ex-Member  of  Congress,  was  born  at  Danvers,  ! 
Essex  County,  Massachusetts,  April  12,  1831.  From 
the  very  interesting  accounts  of  General  Dodge's 
ancestry  and  life  published  in  D.  Hamilton  Hurd's 
"  History  of  Essex  Count}',  Massachusetts,"  (Phila- 
delphia, 1888)  and  of  his  military  service  published 
in  S.  H.  M.  Byers'  ''Iowa  in  the  War  Times,"  (Des 
Moines,  1888)  which,  with  Mr.  N.  E.  Dawson's  vo- 
luminous manuscript  biographical  notes,  constitute 
the  chief  authorities  for  the  facts  in  this  sketch,  it 
appears  that  his  grandfather,  Captain  Solomon 
Dodge,  of  Rowley,  Massachusetts,  was  descended 
from  one  of  two  brothers  named  Dodge,  who  emi- 
grated from  England  in  the  seventeenth  century  and 
settled  in  Essex  County.  His  father,  Sylvanus 
Dodge,  born  November  25,  1800,  at  Rowley,  mar- 
ried, November  22,  1827,  Miss  Julia  T.  Phillips, 
born  at  New  Rowley  (now  Georgetown)  Massachu- 
setts, January  23,  1802.  The  first  child  of  this  mar- 
riage, named  Grenville  Mellen  after  the  somewhat 
noted  poet  of  that  name,  died  in  infancy,  and  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  the  second  child,  was  given 
the  name  of  his  deceased  brother.  In  1843  Mr. 
Sylvanus  Dodge  was  appointed  postmaster  of  South 
Danvers,  Massachusetts,  and  for  a  period  of  about 
teu  years  he  discharged  the  duties  of  that  office  with 


honor  to  himself  and  to  the  perfect  satisfaction  of 
his  fellow  citizens,  retaining  the  position  undis- 
turbed during  several  changes  of  administration, 
and  voluntarily  resigning  it  to  go  to  the  West.  In 
early  life  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  warm 
friend  of  Robert  Rantoul,  Jr.,  N.  P.  Banks,  and 
George  S.  Boutwell,  and  in  time  came  to  be  actively 
interested  in  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party ;  acting  with  it  and  zealously  supporting  its 
principles  and  candidates  until  his  death.  Gren- 
ville was  a  busy  boy  during  his  earlier  years.  While 
availing  himself  of  every  opportunity  to  attend 
school,  he  employed  a  portion  of  his  time  advan- 
tageously in  farming,  occasionally  serving  as  a  clerk 
in  the  country  store.  During  his  leisure  time  he 
fitted  himself  for  college,  and  in  1847  entered  the 
Military  University  at  Norwich,  Vermont,  and  there 
completed  the  prescribed  course  of  study.  In  1851, 
being  fully  qualified  as  a  civil  engineer,  he  went 
West  in  search  of  fortune,  settling  first  at  Peru, 
Illinois,  where  he  immediately  engaged  in  profes- 
sional work.  "  He  participated  in  the  construction 
of  the  Chicago  and  Rock  Island  and  Peoria  and 
Bureau  Valley  Railroad,  and  in  1853  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  engineer  of  the  Mississippi  and 
Missouri  Railroad  of  Iowa,  now  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  and  Pacific  line.  In  the  same  year,  having 
removed  to  Iowa  City,  he  explored  and  examined 
the  country  west  of  the  Missouri  and  became  con- 
vinced that  the  great  Pacific  Railway  would  have 
its  starting  point  where  it  now  is,  at  Council  Bluffs 
or  Omaha  on  the  Missouri  River."  At  Council 
Bluffs,  therefore,  he  decided  to  fix  his  permanent 
residence.  In  1854  he  paid  a  visit  to  the  East,  and 
at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  on  May  29,  of  that  year, 
married  Miss  Annie  Brown  of  Peru,  Illinois.  Going 
West  again  accompanied  by  his  young  wife,  he  set- 
tled in  November  at  Council  Bluffs,  and  has  since 
maintained  a  residence  at  that  place.  His  younger 
brother,  Nathan  P.  Dodge,  chose  the  same  place  for 
his  future  home,  and  in  1856  his  father  and  mother  also 
removed  there.  In  the  fall  of  1854  Grenville  made 
a  claim  and  opened  a  farm  on  the  Elkhorn  River  in 
the  Territory  of  Nebraska,  and  in  February,  1855, 
entered  upon  it.  The  Indians  at  this  time  vigor- 
ously resented  the  advance  of  the  white  settlers, 
and  after  struggling  against  them  for  six  months 
Mr.  Dodge  concluded  to  give  up  the  task,  and 
returned  to  Council  Bluffs.  Following  his  example 
his  brother  Nathan  and  also  his  father  took  up  sec- 
tions of  land  in  Nebraska,  but  like  him,  they  too 
were  forced  by  the  Indians  to  abandon  their  claims 
after  holding  them  eighteen  months.  Mr.  Sylvanus 
Dodge  and  his  son  Nathan  were  both  active  in  the 
work  of  developing  and  organizing  the  Territory  of 


3  2 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Nebraska.  The  former  was  appointed  Register  of 
the  United  States  Laud  .Office  in  the  district  in 
which  he  resided.  He  died  in  1872.  aged  seventy 
years.  Upon  his  return  to  Council  Bluffs.  Grenville 
busied  himself  for  several  years  with  professional 
work  and  also  engaged  in  a  variety  of  other  occupa- 
tions, including  banking,  mercantile  business  and  the 
purchase  and  sale  of  real  estate.  In  the  affairs  of 
the  growing  town  he  took  an  active  and  prominent 
part  and  became  quite  conspicuous  as  Captain  of  t lie 
Council  Bluffs  Guards,  a  company  which  he  raised 
and  for  the  command  of  which  he  was  well  fitted 
by  natural  qualifications  no  less  than  by  his  military 
training  at  the  Norwich  University.  The  opening  of 
the  Rebellion  found  him  a  prominent  man  of  affairs 
at  Council  Bluffs  and  still  in  command  of  the  Guards. 
When  Sumter  was  fired  upon  there  was  no  hesita- 
tion on  his  part  as  to  which  side  he  should  espouse 
or  what  course  pursue.  Loyalty  to  his  country  was 
a  plain  duty  and  he  yielded  it  willingly  and  promptly, 
volunteering  with  his  little  command  for  any  ser- 
vice. Though  declining  for  the  time  the  proffered 
company,  believing  that  its  best  place  was  where  it 
was,  in  guard  on  the  frontier,  the  Governor  of  Iowa 
gladly  accepted  Captain  Dodge's  personal  services 
aud  immediately  appointed  him  an  Aide  on  his  staif 
with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  In  this 
capacity  Colonel  Dodge  performed  wonders  visit- 
ing with  great  rapidity  different  parts  of  the  Union, 
including  the  National  capital,  where  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Secretary  Cameron  and  in  the  face 
of  great  difficulties  secured  for  his  State  six  thousand 
stand  of  arms  at  an  immense  saving  of  money.  He 
likewise  visited  New  York,  where  he  made  favorable 
contracts  for  military  supplies  and  also  aided  in  the 
negotiation  of  an  issue  of  State  bonds.  While  in 
Washington  he  modestly  declined  to  permit  his 
name  to  be  offered  for  a  Brigadier-Generalship,  and 
also  refused  a  Captaincy  in  the  regular  army. 
Determined  to  secure  his  services,  Secretary  Cam- 
eron telegraphed  to  Governor  Kirkwood,  of  Iowa, 
that  he  would  accept  another  regimeut  from  that 
State  provided  Dodge  could  have  command.  The 
Governor  acceded  aud  Colonel  Dodge  on  his  return 
home  speedihr  organized  the  "Fourth  Iowa" — of 
which  his  old  command  became  '•Company  B" — 
and  also  a  battery  which  took  his  name  and  was 
attached  to  his  regiment.  With  this  double  com- 
mand Col.  Dodge  entered  the  field  in  July,  1861,  be- 
ginning operations  before  his  men  were  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service,  by  a  forced  march  to 
the  relief  of  the  southwest  part  of  Iowa,  then  daily 
expecting  the  advance  of  a  large  body  of  rebels  un- 
der General  Pointdexter.  The  rapidity  and  boldness 
of  his  forward  movement  created  a  panic  among  the 


insurgents  and  they  fled  before  him  in  all  directions. 
Col.  Dodge  then  returned  to  Council  Bluffs,  com- 
pleted the  organization  of  his  command,  and  was 
mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States.  In 
August  he  reported  with  his  regimeut  and  battery 
to  General  Fremont  at  St.  Louis.  In  the  following 
October  he  was  ordered  to  the  frontier  post  at  Rolla, 
Missouri,  of  which  he  was  placed  in  command. 
Here  a  virulent  outbreak  of  measles  threatened  to 
play  sad  havoc  with  his  men,  and  in  endeavoring  to 
alleviate  their  sufferings  his  own  health  was  seri- 
ously affected  The  faithful  uursiug  of  his  devoted 
wife  who.  with  other  ladies  from  Iowa,  visited  the 
camp  at  this  crisis  and  performed  heroic  service, 
doubtless  saved  his  life.  On  the  occasion  of  his  first 
taking  the  field  Colonel  Dodge  exhibited  a  faculty 
for  which  he  was  afterwards  greatly  distinguished — 
that  of  collecting  information  about  the  enemy. 
Upon  assuming  command  at  Rolla,  he  displayed  the 
same  soldierly  quality,  and  in  the  several  expedi- 
tions which  he  led  from  that  place  against  the 
enemy  he  was  always  successful.  Iu  December, 
1861,  he  received  his  first  wound — a  painful  but  for- 
tunately not  dangerous  one  iu  the  thigh.  Assigned 
to  the  command  of  a  brigade  iu  t lie  Army  of  the 
Southwest,  January  21,  1862,  he  commanded  the 
advance  in  the  movement  on  Springfield,  Missouri, 
aud  captured  that  city  on  February  13.  Pursuing 
the  enemy  in  their  retreat  southward  he  participated 
in  the  engagements  at  Cane  and  Sugar  Creeks,  and 
ou  February  27  defeated  Gates'  command  at  Black- 
burn's Mills.  Arkansas.  In  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge, 
March  6.  7  aud  8,  Col.  Dodge  was  specially  distin- 
guished not  only  for  great  personal  bravery  but  for 
wisdom  in  council,  readiness  of  resource  and  celerity 
of  movement.  On  the  first  day  of  the  fighting  he 
was  hotly  engaged  and  lost  nearly  a  third  of  his 
command.  Part  of  the  time  his  brigade  held  Price's 
entire  force  (twelve  thousand  men)  in  check.  In 
this  battle  every  field  officer  in  his  brigade  was 
either  killed  or  wounded.  Col.  Dodge  himself  was 
wounded  in  several  places  and  had  four  horses  shot 
under  him,  three  being  killed,  one  receiving  twenty 
balls.  For  his  gallantry  and  services  in  this  battle 
Col.  Dodge  was  made  a  Brigadier-General  of  Yoluu- 
teers,  his  being  the  first  promotion  accorded.  Upon 
his  recovery  from  his  wounds — expedited  by  the 
faithful  attentions  of  his  devoted  wife, — he  reported 
for  duty  by  telegraph.  May  12.  On  June  11  he  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  Columbus,  Kentucky, 
and  upon  him  devolved  the  responsible  duty  of 
superintending  the  rebuilding  of  the  Mobile  and 
Ohio  Railroad,  which  had  been  wholly  destroyed  by 
the  Confederates  in  their  retreat  southward.  This 
work  he  executed  promptly  and  successfully.    In  a 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


33 


sharp  skirmish  with  the  enemy  about  the  middle  of 
June  he  narrowly  escaped  death,  but  managed  to 
capture  the  opposing  force.  Promoted  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Central  Division  of  Mississippi,  with 
headquarters  at  Trenton,  Tennessee,  he  signalized 
the  distinction  by  the  capture  of  several  towns  and 
by  the  defeat  of  Villipigne  on  the  Hatchie  River, 
after  which  his  command  was  enlarged  and  his 
headquarters  were  again  established  at  Columbus. 
The  capture  of  General  Faulkner  and  his  forces  near 
Island  No.  10  drew  the  attention  of  Grant — who  had 
succeeded  Halleck — to  General  Dodge  and  caused 
him  to  be  assigned  first  to  the  command  of  the 
Fourth  Division,  District  of  West  Tennessee,  and 
later  to  that  of  the  Second  Division,  Army  of  the 
Tennessee.  Thus  began  a  warm  friendship  which 
increased  with  years  and  was  maintained  unbroken 
until  Grant's  death.  In  the  spring  of  1863  General 
Dodge  defeated  the  Confederate  forces  under  Forrest 
and  other  conspicuous  officers.  He  organized  negro 
troops,  fed  loyal  refugees,  maintained  a  constant 
watch  upon  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  and 
destroyed  stores  and  supplies  intended  for  the  sup- 
port of  Bragg's  army,  valued  by  the  Confederate 
authorities  at  f 21, 000.000.  In  addition  he  built  or 
destroyed  railroads  as  required.  His  able  services 
during  the  campaign  of  Vicksburg  were  honestly 
and  fully  appreciated  by  General  Grant,  who  officially 
placed  his  name  at  the  head  of  all  his  recommenda- 
tions for  promotion  for  this  great  victory,  and  there- 
after invariably  referred  to  him  in  terms  of  the 
warmest  praise.  While  on  his  way  to  the  relief  of 
Rosecrans  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  General 
Grant  wrote  instructions  to  Sherman,  who  was 
bringing  forward  the  reinforcements  he  had  ordered 
to  Chattanooga,  saying:  " The  division  thus  relieved 
bring  forward  under  General  Dodge.  He  is  an  able 
officer;  one  whom  you  can  rely  upon  in  an  emer- 
gency." But  badly  as  Grant  wanted  General  Dodge 
?t  Chattanooga  owing  to  his  having  few  equals  as  a 
lighter,  he  needed  him  more  to  strengthen  his  trans- 
portation facilities,  as  he  had  no  equals  in  railroad 
construction.  Ordered  to  the  work  of  rebuilding 
the  Nashville  and  Decatur  Railroad,  General  Dodge 
prosecuted  it  witli  unparalleled  rapidity,  completing 
the  entire  line  in  six  weeks,  in  the  meantime  sub- 
sisting his  widely  scattered  command  off  the  enemy's 
country,  and  capturing  Decatur,  Alabama,  in  a  well- 
planned  night  attack,  with  all  its  garrison.  General 
Dodge  commanded  the  left  wing  of  the  Sixteenth 
Army  Corps  in  the  battle  of  Resaca  and  in  all  the 
great  battles  of  Sherman's  memorable  Atlanta  cam- 
paign. At  the  battle  of  Ruff's  Mills  he  defeated  an 
assault  from  the  entire  corps  of  General  Hood.  A 
signal  feat  of  engineering  about  this  time  was  his 


construction  of  a  double  track  bridge,  1,700  feet 
long,  across  the  Chattahoochee,  at  Roswell,  Georgia. 
On  June  4th  1804,  General  Dodge  was  commissioned 
a  Major-General  of  Volunteers.  He  fought  with 
great  distinction  and  gallantry  in  several  important 
engagements  between  that  date  and  August  17  fol- 
lowing, when  he  was  again  dangerously  wounded 
by  a  rebel  sharpshooter  while  inspecting  the  enemy's 
works  from  the  picket-line.  During  this  period  oc- 
curred the  battle  of  Atlanta,  regarding  which  the 
reports  of  both  the  Union  and  Confederate  comman- 
ders are  surprisingly  meagre.  In  this  battle,  fought 
July  22,  which  was  of  major  importance  and — as 
described  by  a  veteran  of  many  fights — a  most  hotly 
contested  one,  General  Dodge  was  specially  distin- 
guished. He  commanded  one  of  the  three  divisions 
constituting  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  of  which 
the  gallant  McPherson,  who  lost  his  life  in  this  bat- 
tle, was  the  chief.  The  other  two  divisions  were 
commanded  by  Logan  and  Blair.  When  Sherman's 
forces,  consisting  of  this  Army,  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  under  Thomas,  and  of  the  Army  of  the 
Ohio  under  Schofield,  moved  into  position  in  the 
advance  on  Atlanta,  General  Dodge's  command  was 
accidentally  crowded  out  of  its  place  in  the  line  and 
was  ordered  by  McPherson  to  make  a  detour  to  the 
rear  and  take  position  on  the  extreme  left  of  the 
Union  line.  The  night  previous,  about  three-quar- 
ters of  Hood's  forces,  including  Hardee's  Corps  and 
all  the  Confederate  cavalry  (about  forty  thousand 
men,  all  told),  quietly  marched  by  the  southeast  out 
of  Atlanta,  leaving  the  remaining  troops  to  occupy 
Sherman's  attention,  and  by  daylight  had  gained  a 
position  in  the  rear  of  the  Union  left  flank.  The 
object  (as  shown  by  Hood's  orders)  was  to  carry  at 
all  hazards  the  Union  entrenchments  on  the  left.  In 
pressing  forward  to  execute  this  design  the  Confed- 
erates quite  unexpectedly  encountered  General 
Dodge's  command,  then  on  its  way  to  the  extreme 
left.  It  should  be  noted  here  that  General  Dodge 
had  with  him  but  about  forty-five  hundred  men,  two 
of  his  brigades  being  on  detached  duty  distant  from 
the  field,  a  third  employed  in  holding  Decatur,  and 
a  battery  having  been  left  to  strengthen  Blair.  This 
force  having  crossed  the  railroad  from  Decatur  had 
halted  in  an  open  field  to  the  south  of  it  where  it 
was  rejoined  by  its  commander,  who  had  been  in 
advance  to  select  a  position.  While  General  Dodge 
at  this  point  and  McPherson  (who  had  just  left 
Sherman)  Logan  and  Blair  at  another  were  occupied 
with  luncheon,  Hardee's  skirmishers,  coming  out  of 
the  surrounding  woods,  opened  on  Dodge's  men. 
These  latter  were  veterans,  disciplined  and  cour- 
ageous, and  possessed  implicit  confidence  in  the 
bravery  and  judgment  of  their  leader.  In  an  instant 


34 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


they  were  on  the  defensive;  and  notwithstanding 
the  disadvantage  of  their  position  held  it  without 
wavering.  General  Dodge  took  in  the  situation  as 
if  by  inspiration,  and,  detecting  a  momentary  embar- 
rassment in  the  advancing  foe,  ordered  a  charge 
which  routed  the  Confederates  at  this  point  and 
effectively  checked  their  forward  movement. 
MPherson  reached  the  field  just  in  time  to  witness 
Dodge's  brilliant  success  and  generously  applauded 
it.  He  then  rode  off  in  the  direction  of  Blair's 
corpS — where  the  strife  promised  soon  to  begin.  He 
met  his  death  soon  after,  while  riding  unattended, 
bavins;  dispatched  his  aides  in  various  directions 
with  orders.  The  roar  of  the  attack  upon  Dodge's 
division  first  apprised  the  other  Union  commanders 
of  the  Confederate  movement,  but  no  one  seems  to 
have  had  a  definite  comprehension  of  it.  Sherman, 
at  a  distance,  naturally  relied  on  his  able  aiid  tried 
subordinates.  As  MePherson  rode  off  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  firing,  Logan  followed,  but  concluding 
from  indications  that  a  great  bat  lie  is  imminent  in 
which  his  corps  will  be  called  upon  to  participate, he 
returns  to  it.  Later,  in  response  to  an  order  from 
MePherson,  a  brigade  of  Logan's  was  rapidly  moved 
up  to  Dodge's  neighborhood,  but  arrived  to  find  the 
position  it  was  directed  to  take  swept  by  the 
enemy's  artillery.  McPherson's  death  was  soon 
afterwards  discovered:  and  about  an  hour  subse- 
quently, three  o'clock,  Logan  took  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee.  But  previously  to  this 
General  Dodge  had  again  defeated  the  attempt  of 
the  Confederates  to  rout  or  flank  his  division,  had 
captured  a  number  of  prisoners — finding  among 
them  the  papers  of  MePherson — and  had  also  found 
and  brought  in  the  dead  body  of  his  unfortunate 
chief.  The  brigade  of  his  corps  at  Decatur  had  like- 
wise successfully  resisted  the  assault  of  Wheeler's 
(Confederate)  cavalry  at  that  point  and  materially 
assisted  in  defeating  Hood's  calculations.  The  Con- 
federate assault  from  the  direction  of  Atlanta 
reached  the  whole  front  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennes- 
see. At.  one  point  the  Union  line  was  penetrated 
and  guns,  works,  etc.,  were  captured.  In  this  emer- 
gency Logan  borrowed  a  brigade  from  Dodge.  The 
latter  returned  the  one  Logan  had  sent  and  then 
despatched  another  on  the  double-qiuck  to  assist  in 
repairing  the  disaster.  These  pushed  at  once  to  the 
assault,  and.  assisted  with  alacritj  by  the  Fifteenth 
Corps  men,  carried  everything  before  them.  The 
Confederal es  pursued  the  conflict  until  night,  when 
they  reluctantly  yielded  the  struggle,  not  having 
been  able  at  any  time  during  its  continuance  to 
strike  the  Union  lines  heavily  and  simultaneously 
from  front  and  rear.  There  is  little  doubt  that 
Dodge's  timely  and  vigorous  assault  upon  Hardee's 


Corps  so  completely  broke  it  up  that  it  took  several 
hours  to  recover  and  thus  failed  to  co-operate  as 
effectively  as  it  might  have  done,  otherwise,  with 
the  movement  from  Atlanta.  Upon  this  success  of 
Dodge's  hangs  the  defeat  of  Hood's  plans.  The 
wound  received  August  17  was  in  the  head,  and 
terminated  General  Dodge's  connection  with  the 
Atlanta  campaign.  General  Sherman  had  him  con- 
veyed by  special  car  to  Nashville,  where  Mrs.  Dodge 
met  him  and  accompanied  him  to  Greenville,  In- 
diana, where  he  remained,  tenderly  nursed  by  her, 
until  his  recovery.  General  Dodge's  army  experi- 
ence included  over  forty  battles  and  skirmishes,  in 
three  of  which  he  had  sustained  severe  wounds,  and 
once  was  reported  killed.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  during  his  travels  North  and  East,  following 
his  recovery,  he  was  everywhere  tendered  an  ova- 
tion. Upon  reporting  again  for  duty  General  Sher- 
man assigned  him  to  the  command  of  a  column  de- 
signed to  operate  from  Yicksburg  upon  Mobile  from 
t lie  rear,  but  before  reaching  this  point  he  was  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  the  Department  of  Mis- 
souri, General  Roseerans  being  relieved.  This  com- 
mand was  given  by  the  President  at  the  instance  of 
General  Grant.  General  Dodge's  promptness  in 
denuding  his  department  of  troops  to  assist  General 
Thomas  at  Nashville  probably  had  much  to  do  with 
the  hitter's  glorious  victory.  His  work  in  the  State 
of  Missouri  called  for  administrative  ability  of  the 
highest  order  in  addition  to  all  the  firmness  and 
skill  of  a  professional  soldier.  Not  the  least  impor- 
tant of  his  services  was  the  remarkably  able  manner 
in  which  he  aided  in  .suppressing  the  Indian  war 
then  raging  on  the  plains,  winch,  by  the  merging  in 
his  command  of  the  Department  of  Kansas  and  the 
Territories,  were  placed  under  his  jurisdiction. 
During  the  Yicksburg  campaign  General  Dodge  had 
been  called  to  Washington  by  President  Lincoln, 
who  wished  his  advice  partiexdarly  witli  reference 
to  the  selection  of  the  initial  point  of  the  Pacific 
Railroad.  At  the  close  of  the  war  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  was  already  in  process  of  construction. 
General  Dodge  had  long  entertained  the  dream  of  a 
trans-continental  road,  and  he  took  the  deepest  in- 
terest in  everything  pertaining  to  the  subject. 
When  military  operations  were  at  an  end  he  resigned 
from  the  army  and  engaged  in  civil  pursuits.  He 
had  long  been  in  correspondence  with  Durant, 
Reed,  Dey,  Dix  and  others,  touching  the  great 
scheme  of  a  Pacific  railway,  and  he  consented  to 
accept  the  position  of  Chief  Engineer.  He  took 
c  harge  of  the  actual  work  in  1866.  His  first  survej-s 
in  this  regard  had  been  made  in  1853,  and  the  line 
developed  in  his  early  reconnaissances  was  substan- 
tially that  finally  adopted,  and  has  been  generally 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


35 


approved  by  experts  after  the  most  critical  examina- 
tion. Besides  the  solution  of  these  engineering 
problems  lie  was  charged  with  securing  right  of 
way,  the  disposition  of  lands,  and  the  company's 
interests  generally  west  of  the  Missouri  River. 
He  foresaw  the  development  of  the  Northwest  and 
urged  upon  the  company  the  importance  of  a 
branch  to  Montana  and  the  through  line  to  Portland, 
Oregon.  Although  he  was  not  without  critics  and  op- 
position, he  possessed  the  unquestioning  confidence 
of  the  company  all  through  the  work  ;  and  when,  on 
the  15th  of  Mayr,  1869,  the  last  spike  was  driven  he 
was  in  truth  the  most  conspicuous  engineer  in  the 
world  and  received  hundreds  of  congratulations. 
In  1866  General  Dodge  was  elected  to  the  Thirty- 
ninth  Congress  from  the  Fifth  District  of  Iowa. 
He  was  distinguished  as  a  working  member,  and 
possessed  great  influence;  but  not  finding  politics 
to  his  taste,  lie  declined  a  re-election.  His  acquaint- 
ance and  association  with  public  men  have  been  most 
extensive,  and  his  friendships  with  some  of  the  most 
notable  characters  in  contemporaneous  history  have 
been  and  continue  warm  and  enduring.  To  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  Lincoln  and  Grant, 
and  is  still  held  by  Sherman,  reference  has  already 
been  made.  His  acquaintance  with  Sheridan  began 
in  '61,  and  ripened  into  a  warm  personal  friend- 
ship. With  General  Rawlins  he  was  very  intimate, 
and  on  his  death  it  was  confidently  expected  by 
many  that  he  would  succeed  him  in  President 
Grant's  Cabinet.  General  Dodge  at  one  time  agreed 
to  accept  the  position  of  Minister  of  Public  Works 
for  the  Empire  of  China,  his  name  having  been  pre- 
sented to  Mr.  Burlingame  for  that  position  by  Presi- 
dent Grant,  but  the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Burlingame 
temporarily  ended  negotiations  and  later  other  en- 
gagements prevented  subsequent  offers  being  enter- 
tained. Since  1868  General  Dodge  has  been  a  direc- 
tor in  the  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  He  resigned 
the  position  of  Chief  Engineer  January  25,  1870. 
1  rum  1872  until  1882  he  was  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
California  and  Texas  Railway  Construction  Com- 
pany, and  has  since  then  been  closely  identified  with 
the  leading  railway  interests  of  Texas.  Since  1880 
he  has  been  President  of  the  American  Improve- 
ment Company,  which  built  the  New  Orleans  Pacific ; 
the  International  Railway'  Improvement  Company', 
which  built  extensions  of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  and 
Texas,  and  the  International  and  Great  Northern 
Railways;  and  the  Texas  and  Colorado  Railway 
Improvement  Company,  which  built  the  Fort  Worth 
and  Denver  City  Railway.  He  has  been  President 
of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Texas  Railway  Com- 
pany, and  is  now  President  of  the  Pan  Handle  Con- 
struction Company,  and  of  the  Colorado  and  Texas 


Railway  Construction  Company.  Brave,  honest  and 
upright,  a  hero  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  and  one 
of  the  most  energetic  business  men  of  America,  he  is 
also  a  man  of  fine  feeling,  showing  on  occasion  an 
almost  womanly  tenderness  of  heart,  and  being  at 
all  times  generous  and  open-handed.  He  has 
travelled  extensively  abroad  and  has  a  mind  well 
stored  with  the  most  interesting  information  and 
reminiscences.  His  great  interests  have  identified 
him  of  late  fully  as  much  with  New  York  as  with 
Iowa,  and  he  is  as  well  known  in  the  Metropolis  as 
at  Council  Bluffs,  where  he  maintains  a  palatial  resi- 
dence, and  where  his  venerable  mother  constantly 
resides.  His  family  consists  of  his  wife  and  three 
daughters.  The  eldest  daughter  is  the  wife  of  Mr. 
R.  E.  Montgomery,  a  lawyer  of  Fort  Worth,  Texas ; 
and  the  second  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  Frank  Pusey,  of 
Denver,  Colorado.  The  third,  unmarried,  and  still  liv- 
ing with  her  parents,  has  displayed  considerable 
literary  talent,  and  is  an  occasional  contributor  to 
some  of  the  magazines. 


LUDLOW,  EDWARD  HUNTER,  a  well-known 
and  influential  citizen  of  New  York  and  one 
of  the  founders  and  first  President  of  the  New 
York  Real  Estate  Exchange,  was  born  in  Greenwich 
Street,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  August  6,  1810, 
and  died  at  his  residence,  21  East  Twenty-fourth 
Street,  in  the  same  city,  on  Thanksgiving  Day, 
November  27,  1884.  The  American  family  of  which 
he  was  during  his  lifetime  probably  the  most  prom- 
inent member,  has  formed  a  substantial  element  of 
the  wealthy  and  influential  population  of  New  York 
for  nearly  two  centuries.  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Lamb,  in 
her  charming  History  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
asserts  that  the  family  was  founded  by  Gabriel 
Ludlow  of  England,  who  married  a  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Haumer,  D.D,,  of  the  same  kingdom, 
and  came  to  America  in  1694,  settling  in  New  York. 
In  England  the  Ludlow  family  is  an  ancient  and 
historic  one,  ranking  with  the  oldest  gentry  of  the 
kingdom.  Among  its  distinguished  members  may 
be  mentioned  Sir  Edmund  Ludlow,  the  regicide, 
who  appended  his  signature  to  the  death-warrant 
of  Charles  I.  Gabriel  Ludlow  was  directly  of  this 
family,  his  great-grandfather,  Sir  Edmund  Ludlow, 
Knight,  being  the  grandfather  of  the  regicide  and 
the  son  of  George  Ludlow  of  Hill  Deverall,  Wilt- 
shire, England,  whose  wife  was  a  direct  descendant 
in  the  female  line  from  Edward  I.  of  England  and  his 
Queen,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Phillip  III.  of  France. 
The  American  branch  of  the  Ludlows  has  been 
a  most  prolific  race,  ten,  twelve  and  even  more 


36 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


children  in  a  single  family  not  being  uncommon. 
Gabriel,  its  founder,  was  tlie  father  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, and  his  fourth  child.  Henry,  who  married 
Miss  Mary  Corbett,  was  the  parent  of  a  like  number. 
Through  intermarriage  the  Ludlows  are  connected 
with  the  Livingstons.  Goelets.  Gouverneurs,  Mor- 
rises. Boserts.  Duncans.  Lewises.  Harrisons,  Dun- 
cans. Hunters  and  other  distinguished  Knicker- 
bocker families.  The  same  spirited  defence  of  the 
rights  of  the  people  as  against  the  oppressions  of 
kingcraft  that  signalized  the  life  of  their  regicide 
ancestor  in  England,  was  manifested  by  the  Lud- 
lows in  America  during  the  Revolution  and  the 
stirring  period  which  preceded  it.  In  the  famous 
"Committee  of  One  Hundred."  formed  in  1775  to 
help  the  patriot  cause,  were  three  Ludlows.  two  of 
them  named  Gabriel,  one  being  the  grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  direct  descent 
of  Edward  Hunter  Ludlow  from  the  founder  of 
the  family  in  America  is  as  follows:  Gabriel,  sixth 
child  of  Gabriel  the  first  of  the  name,  married  (first) 
Frances,  daughter  of  George  Duncan,  and  (second) 
Elizabeth  Crommelin.  His  son  Gabriel,  one  of  a 
large  family  of  children,  married  Ann,  daughter  of 
Julian  Yerplanck.  One  of  their  children,  Gabriel 
Yerplanck  Ludlow,  a  lawyer  by  profession  and  at 
one  time  a  Master  in  Chancery,  married  Elizabeth 
Hunter,  the  daughter  of  an  old  and  respected  resi- 
dent of  New  York,  and  was  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Edward  Hunter  Ludlow  received  a 
good  education  in  his  boyhood  and  youth  and  be- 
fore attaining  manhood  entered  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons  of  New  York,  then  on  Barclay 
Street,  where,  under  the  tuition  of  such  eminent 
professors  as  Doctors  David  Hossack,  Valentine 
Motl  and  Alex.  II.  Stephens,  he  completed  the  pre- 
scribed course  of  study  and,  in  1831,  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  He  practised  for  a 
time  with  excellent  success  at  New  Rochelle,  but 
the  profession  became  distastefid  to  him,  and  about 
1834  he  abandoned  it  and  engaged  in  business, 
opening  in  1830  a  real  estate  office  at  No.  11  Broad 
Street.  Later  he  removed  his  office  to  the  corner  of  i 
Broad  Street  and  Exchange  Place.  In  1845  he  re- 
tired from  business  and  left  New  York  City  to  reside 
at  the  family  homestead  on  the  Hudson  River. 
When,  in  consequence  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California,  thousands  turned  to  this  new  El  Dorado, 
Mr.  Ludlow  saw  at  once  the  great  possibilities  of 
business  on  the  Pacific  slope,  and  readily  convinced 
himself  that  this  fertile  field  was  worthy  of  the 
best  cultivation.  He  made  his  preparations  to  go 
there  and  came  to  New  York  to  take  passage  in  a 
famous  clipper  ship  around  the  Horn.  Friends  in 
the  city,  seeing  that  he  was  willing  to  re-enter  busi- 


ness, persuaded  him  to  remain  in  the  metropolis. 
In  a  short  time  he  opened  an  office  at  "Wall  and  New 
Streets  and  became  again  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  of  which  he  rose  to  be  the  head  and  front 
in  the  city  of  New  York.  Mr.  Ludlow  carried  on 
business  with  Colonel  Edward  J.  Mallet  until  1850. 
when  Mr.  Morris  Wilkins  of  New  York,  his  former 
clerk  and  a  warm  personal  friend,  become  asso- 
ciated with  him  as  partner,  the  new  firm  retaining 
the  style  of  E.  H.  Ludlow  &  Co.,  which  is  still 
maintained  in  honor  of  its  sagacious  and  estimable 
founder.  Mr.  Ludlow  was  remarkable  for  his 
sound  reasoning  powers  and  excellent  judgment, 
and  no  less  so  for  his  unfailing  amiability  and  a 
politeness  which  was  both  dignified  and  winning. 
Scarcely  anyone  with  whom  he  ever  came  in  per- 
sonal contact  failed  to  be  affected  by  his  respectful 
yet  cordial  demeanor.  In  social  circles  he  was  a 
prime  favorite,  and  although  he  maintained  through 
life  a  (piiet  independence  of  character,  he  was  re- 
spected and  loved  by  all  who  knew  him.  In  busi- 
ness circles  few  men  have  ever  been  more  highly 
esteemed.  He  was  in  every  sense  of  the  word  a 
gentleman,  and  conducted  himself  so  honorably  in 
all  his  affairs  that  he  made  no  enemies.  His  charm- 
ing manners  had  doubtless  no  little  to  do  with  his 
marked  success  in  life.  The  business  entrusted  to 
his  firm  was  of  great  volume.  Some  of  the  trans- 
actions were  among  the  most  important  which  took 
place  in  the  city  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. Mr.  Ludlow  never  held  any  public  office. 
Although  often  importuned  to  permit  his  name  to 
be  used,  he  persistently  declined  to  engage  in  poli- 
tics, largely  owing  to  his  refined  nature,  which 
made  him  shrink  from  any  notoriety.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  in  his  business  to  realize  the  importance 
of  establishing  an  Exchange :  and  for  years  had 
openly  expressed  his  opinion  as  to  its  necessity. 
From  the  inception  of  the  project  he  gave  it  his 
heartiest  support  and  most  careful  attention.  At 
the  meeting  in  the  editorial  rooms  of  the  Real 
Estate  Record  and  Guide,  held  September  12. 
1883,  at  which  the  Real  Estate  Exchange  was 
primarily  organized,  he  was  the  central  figure.  An 
eye-witness  describing  the  scene  says,  "As  he  en- 
tered the  room  all  the  brokers  respectfully  made 
way  for  him,"  He  was  unquestionably  the  princi- 
pal figure  of  the  occasion  and  he  was  unanimously 
voted  to  the  chair.  In  all  the  subsequent  proceed- 
ings leading  to  the  founding  of  the  Exchange  he 
took  an  active  and  conspicuous  part ;  was  Chairman 
of  the  Commission  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of 
State  to  receive  subscriptions  to  the  capital  stock, 
was  himself  the  first  to  subscribe  to  the  stock,  and 
upon  the  permanent  organization  of  the  Exchange 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


37 


in  November,  1883,  with  a  capital  of  half  a  million 
dollars,  lie  was  unanimously  elected  its  President. 
Although  advanced  in  years  and  in  failing  health 
he  was  a  regular  attendant  at  all  the  meetings  of 
the  Board  of  Directors.    He  lent  his  aid  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  constitution  and  by-laws,  saw  the 
Exchange  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
of  New  York  and,  as  Chairman  of  the  Building- 
Committee,  was  instrumental  in  rinding  and  obtain- 
ing the  present  buildings  and  site.    He  continued 
to  devote  himself  to  his  private  business  and  to  the 
affairs  of  the  Exchange  down  to  within  a  few  days 
of  his  death,  notwithstanding  that  for  several  weeks 
he  seems  to  have  had  a  presentiment  of  his  .ap- 
proaching end.    Speaking  of  him  to  the  representa- 
tive of  a  New  York  newspaper.  Mr.  George  H. 
Scott,  then  Secretary  of  the  Exchange,  said:  "For 
a  full  generation  he  has  been  the  principal  figure  on 
the  Street,  and  his  name  has  been  synonymous  with 
honesty  of  character  and  straightforward  dealing. 
He  was  one  of  the  greatest  pillars  of  the  Exchange. 
Despite  his  age  he  faithfully  attended  to  his  duties 
as  President.    He  took  an  active  personal  interest 
in  the  building  operations  and  was  very  impatient 
at  the  delay.    The  Exchange  was  almost  a  hobby 
with  him."    Mr.  Ludlow  was  noted  for  his  strong 
attachment  to  the  city  of  New  York,  from  which 
he  was  rarely  absent  more  than  a  day  at  a  time. 
Even  in  summer  he  was  about,  as  usual,  and  de- 
clared that  he  felt  more  comfortable  in  his  city 
home  than  anywhere  else.    His  recollections  of  the 
city  dated  back  to  the  time  when  it  had  but  80,000 
inhabitants.    He  remembered  the  last  visitation  of 
yellow  fever,  when  the  infected  district  was  barri- 
caded ;  and  he  was  a  man  in  years  when  the  cholera 
first  appeared  in  1832.    His  reminiscences  of  those 
early  days  were  extremely  entertaining.    Mr.  Lud- 
low was  a  man  of  great  kindness  of  heart.  His 
sympathies  extended  beyond  humanity,  reaching 
even  to  the  humblest  members  of  the  animal  king- 
dom.   Of  dogs  he  was  very  fond,  and  also  of  birds. 
It   was  a  favorite   pastime   of  his   on  pleasant 
mornings  to  walk  in  the  public  square  near  his  res- 
idence, accompanied  by  his  dog,  and  feed  the  spar- 
rows.   It  was  at  his  suggestion  and  partly  at  his 
expense  that  the  houses  for  sparrows  were  put  up 
in  Madison  Square.    His  charities  were  very  nu- 
merous, always  unostentatious,  and  were  dispensed 
without  regard  to  race  or  creed.    Nor  did  he  wait 
to  be  asked  to  do  a  kind  deed.    He  seemed  instinct- 
ively to  desire  to  be  helpful  and  useful,  particularly 
to  the  sick  and  unfortunate.    In  conversation  with 
a  prominent  business  man  who  was  visiting  him  one 
day  at  his  house,  on  the  walls  of  which  hung  a  fine 
painting  of  St.  Francis,  he  said:  "Do  you  know  I 


have  often  thought  I  would  like  to  give  that  picture- 
to  some  institution  where  the  people  who  looked  at 
it  would  be  more  benefited  by  its  beauty  than  if  it 
remained  here."  The  visitor  suggested  that  he 
donate  it  to  St.  Francis  Hopital.  Mr.  Ludlow  re- 
ceived the  suggestion  with  evident  pleasure  and  at 
once  complied  with  it.  Mr.  Ludlow's  death  was 
due  to  a  general  breaking  up  of  the  system  conse- 
quent upon  old  age.  His  activity — both  mental 
and  physical — continued  to  the  last,  as  he  had  always 
desired,  and  his  end  was  peaceful.  At  his  death 
the  flags  over  the  offices  of  the  Real  Estate  Ex- 
change and  adjacent  buildings  were  placed  at  half 
mast,  and  at  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors, convened  for  the  purpose,  appropriate 
resolutions  of  respect  and  of  sympathy  and  condo- 
lence with  the  family  and  friends  of  the  deceased 
were  adopted  and  entered  in  the  minutes.  Having 
spent  his  whole  life  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and 
having  been  so  actively  and  prominently  identified 
with  its  largest  and  most  important  interests,  Mr. 
Ludlow  was  widely  known.  His  loss  was  severely 
Tiiourned  alike  by  the  social  and  business  commu- 
nities, in  both  of  which  he  had  been  so  long  a  strik- 
ing, a  central  and  an  agreeable  personality.  The 
funeral  services  at  Zion  Church  were  largely  at- 
tended and  among  the  pall-bearers  were  representa- 
tives of  the  principal  families  of  the  city.  Mr.  Lud- 
low married  early  in  life  Miss  Elizabeth  Livingston, 
of  Livingston  Manor,  a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Edward 
P.  Livingston — at  one  time  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  the  State  of  New  York— and  a  granddaughter  of 
Phillip  Livingston,  one  of  the  signers  of  t lie  Decla- 
ration of  Independence.  This  estimable  lady, 
whose  name  for  many  years  has  been  identified 
with  a  number  of  the  most  deserving  charities  of 
the  metropolis,  survives  her  husband.  Mr.  Ludlow 
also  leaves  two  children,  a  married  son,  Mr.  Ed- 
ward Livingsto  Ludlow,  and  a  dauughter,  the  latter 
the  widow  of  the  late  Valentine  G.  Hall.  Jr.,  of 
New  York. 


CAMMANN,  HERMANN  HENRY,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  New  York  and  one  of  the  founders 
and  for  three  years  President  of  the  New  York 
Real  Estate  Exchange,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  January  30,  1845.  His  parents  were  the  late 
Dr.  George  P.  and  Catharine  A.  Cammann,  both 
natives  of  the  same  city.  Dr.  Cammann  was,  in  his 
day,  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  metropolis. 
His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  the  late  Jacob  Lorrillard 
of  New  York.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to 
manhood  tinder  the  parental  roof,  and  was  edu- 


33 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


cated  at  the  excellent  classical  school  of  Mr.  George 
C.  Anthon,  one  of  the  most  noted  of  that  time.  In 
1864  he  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  Wall 
"Street  and  afterward  as  a  clerk  in  the  Bank  of 
America  in  Wall  Street.  A  year  or  two  later  he  en- 
gagecl  in  real  estate  operations,  and,  finding  the 
business  to  his  liking,  he  has  continued  in  it  ever 
since,  his  specialty  at  present  and  for  many  years 
back  being  the  management  of  estates.  His  busi- 
ness has  always  been  a  prosperous  one.  and  of  late 
years  has  been  so  extensive  as  to  call  for  the  aid  of 
a  partner,  whom  Mr.  Cammann  found  in  his  friend 
and  colleague,  Mr.  Newbold  T.  Lawrence,  who 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  II.  II.  Cammann 
&  Co.  Mr.  Cammann  was  one  of  the  earliest 
real  estate  men  to  see  the  necessity  for  founding  an 
Exchange  for  realty  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and 
was  most  active  in  promoting  the  scheme  from  the 
moment  of  its  inception,  attending  the  first  meeting 
of  the  leading  realty  operators,  held  for  the  purpose, 
September  12,  1883,  and  lending  efficient  aid  in  for- 
mulating the  plan  which,  through  the  efforts  of 
himself  and  several  experienced  and  practical  col- 
leagues, was  speedily  put  into  operation  and  re. 
suited,  on  the  13th  of  November  following,  in  the  fil- 
ing with  the  Secretary  of  State,  at  Albany,  of  the 
certificate  of  incorporation  of  the  Beal  Estate  Ex- 
change and  Auction  Boom  (Limited)  with  a  capital 
of  $500,000.  In  the  work  of  organizing  and  build- 
ing up  the  Exchange  Mr.  Cammann  labored  with 
untiring  zeal  and  with  a  conscientious  fidelity  to 
the  interest  of  all  concerned,  serving  on  the  chief 
committees  and  to  a  large  extent  practically  direct- 
ing the  work.  He  was  one  of  the  first  subscribers 
to  the  stock,  and  at  the  initial  election  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  also  the 
First  Vice-President,  his  esteemed  friend  and  senior 
in  the  board,  the  late  Mr.  E.  H.  Ludlow,  becoming 
President.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Ludlow  in  the 
fall  of  1884  Mr.  Cammann  became  the  chief  execu- 
tive officer  of  the  Exchange,  and  at  the  first  election 
held  thereafter  was  chosen  President.  His  popu- 
larity and  eminent  fitness  for  the  position  were  un- 
questioned, and  with  the  cordial  co-operation  of  his 
associates  on  the  building  committee,  and  during 
his  first  term  and  under  his  watchful  supervision, 
the  realty  Exchange  became  a  reality.  The  Ex- 
change occupies  premises  55  to  59  Liberty  Street, 
corner  of  Liberty  Place,  and  cost,  together  with  the 
site,  etc.,  over  half  a  million  dollars.  The  original 
structure-  being  in  part  the  Marquand  building- 
was  altered  and  enlarged  for  its  present  purpose. 
The  hall  of  the  Exchange  is  eighty-seven  feet  long, 
forty-three  feet  wide  and  thirty-three  feet  high. 
The  iron  girders  used  in  its  construction  are  the 


most  massive  ever  employed  for  any  purpose  in  the 
United  States,  the  largest  weighing  twenty-two 
tons.  The  decorative  features  of  the  hall  are 
unique,  striking  and  artistic  in  the  highest  degree. 
Every  modern  improvement  that  could  facilitate  or 
simplify  the  conduct  of  business  has  been  called  into 
service.  The  work  was  successfully  completed 
without  accident  ,  and  the  Exchange-  recognized  by 
the  courts,  which,  by  authoritative  action  trans- 
ferred to  it  the  judicial  sales  on  and  after  April  16, 
1885 — was  formerly  opened  Tuesday,  April  14,  1885, 
Mr.  Cammann,  then  serving  his  first  term  as  Presi- 
dent, being  in  the  chair.  The  occasion  was  a  nota- 
ble one  in  the  history  of  New  York,  and  brought 
together  a  thoroughly  representative  body  of  citi- 
zens— the  owners  and  controllers  of  property  aggre- 
gating in  value  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars. 
Mr.  Cammann  was  twice  re-elected  to  the  Presi- 
dency. At  the  close  of  four  consecutive  years  of 
active  service  in  founding  and  developing  the  Ex- 
change, the  three  last  as  President,  and  having 
placed-it  "in  perfect  working  order,  clear  from  all 
difficulty  and  in  full  current  toward  sound  and  per- 
manent success,"  he  laid  down  the  gavel  to  resume 
the  management  of  his  private  business.  He  is  still 
a  Director  of  the  Exchange  and  an  active  member 
of  one  or  two  of  its  principal  committees.  No 
member  of  it  has  its  interests  more  sincerely  at 
heart,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  none  has 
more  wisely  or  ably  furthered  them  up  to  the  present 
time.  That  the  realty  interests  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  valued  at  upwards  of  two  thousand  millions 
of  dollars,  are  properly  served  and  guarded  at  this 
day,  is  due  to  a  very  large  extent  to  his  executive 
ability,  which  carried  the  project  of  the  Beal  Estate 
Exchange  through  the  earlier  and  more  trying  pe- 
riod of  its  existence  to  a  brilliant  and  permanent 
success.  The  institution,  now  firmly  fixed  on  a  legal, 
lasting  and  satisfactory  basis,  may  be  justly  consid- 
ered the  crowning  achievement  of  the  earlier  man- 
hood of  Mr.  Cammann.  To  his  business  duties 
Mr.  Cammann  adds  many  others  in  the  interests  of 
society  at  large  and  religion.  He  is  energetic  and 
efficient  in  whatever  sphere  of  usefulness  he  ma}-  be 
called,  and  labors  always  with  beneficent  results  as 
the  end  in  view.  He  is  a  vestryman  of  Trinity 
Church,  a  Governor  of  the  New  York  Hospital,  Treas- 
urer of  the  Home  for  Old  Men  and  Aged  Couples, 
Trustee  of  the  House  of  Mercy,  President  of  the 
Society  for  Improving  Workingmen's  Homes,  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Endowment  Fund  of  St.  Mary's 
Free  Hospital  for  Children.  He  married,  in  1873, 
Miss  Ella  C.  Crary,  daughter  of  Mr.  Crary,  an  old 
merchant  of  New  Y'ork,  and  granddaughter  of 
Robert  Fulton.    He  has  three  children,  all  boys. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


39 


CRUIKSHANK,  EDWIN  ALLEN,  head  of  the 
oldest  real  estate  firm  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
and  now  (1889)  serving  a  second  term  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  Real  Estate  Exchange,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  founders,  was  horn  in 
New  York  City,  August  11,  1843.  His  grandfather, 
William  Cruikshank,  the  first  of  the  name  to  settle 
in  America,  came  of  an  old  and  highly  respected 
Scottish  family  and  in  his  early  days  was  a  miller 
and  shipwright  at  Boynsville,  Aherdeen,  Scotland. 
He  came  to  America  shortly  after  becoming  of  age, 
and  arrived  in  New  York  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
last  century.    He  married  shortly  afterwards  Miss 
Sarali  Allen  (  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  Allen) 
who  was  born  at  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Pearl 
Streets,  where  the  Commercial  Bank  now  stands,  by 
whom  he  was  the  father  of  seven  children,  five  sons 
and  two  daughters.   After  marriage  he  settled  in  New 
York  City,  where  he  acquired,  among  other  property, 
the  house  at  the  corner  of  Morris  Street— formerly 
Beaver  Lane— and  Greenwich  Street,  which  was 
then  so  near  the  water-line  that  the  bowsprits  of 
vessels,  lying  "nose  on  shore"  in  that  locality,  came 
far  up  over  the  back  garden.    William  Cruikshank, 
who  was  engaged  in  building  to  some  extent,  was 
also  a  merchant,  keeping  what  was  then  called  a 
'•  general  grocery  store,"  and  had  contracts  with  the 
National  Government  for  drug  supplies.    He  was  a 
most  active  business  man,  noted  for  his  sterling  in- 
tegrity, and  greatly  esteemed  by  his  neighbors, 
many  of  whom  commissioned  him  to  attend  to  their 
real  estate  transactions,  collections,  etc..  while  he 
was  busy  with  his  own.    These  commissions  he 
managed  with  rare  fidelity  and  judgment;  their 
number  steadily  increased,  and  in  1794  attention  to 
them  constituted  a  special  department  of  his  busi- 
ness.   His  son  James  was  finally  drawn  into  this 
business,  and  \ipon  his  father's  death  devoted  his 
whole  time  to  it.    James  Cruikshank,  the  eldest  son 
of  William,  was  born  in  the  house  at  Morris  and 
Greenwich  Streets,  January  1,  1804.    During  the 
War  of  1812,  although  at  the  time  but  nine  years  of 
age,  he,  with  his  father,  joined  his  older  country- 
men in  repelling  British  invasion,  and  assisted  in 
throwing  up  fortifications  on  Long  Island.    He  was 
afterwards  for  a  number  of  years  connected  with  the 
State  Militia,  and  held  the  office  of  Assessor  and 
School  Trustee  of  the  First  Ward.    He  married  Miss 
Mary  Ann  Wheeler,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Wheeler, 
of  England,  by  whom  he  was  the  father  of  eight 
children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters.    Of  late  years 
he  has  resided  in  the  village  of  Hempstead,  Long 
Island.    Notwithstanding  his  eighty-five  years  he  is 
still  in  the  possession  of  good  health  and  a  wonder- 
ful degree  of  vigor,  and  is  a  welcome  visitor  in  the 


busy  haunts  of  the  metropolis,  where  his  acquaint- 
ance is  most  extensive,  particularly  among  the  older 
and  wealthier  citizens.    His  eldest  son,  Mr.  E.  A. 
Cruikshank,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  early  evinced 
an  aptitude  for  business,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
years  was  admitted  to  his  father's  office  in  the 
capacity  of  "boy."    He  was  full  of  life  and  ambi- 
tion and  at  an  age  when  most  lads  woidd  have 
shirked  work  as  a  sad  task,  he  was  revelling  in  it 
and  paving  the  way  for  future  success,  fortune  and 
honors.    The  opening  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
found  him  still  a  mere  lad  of  seventeen,  and,  because 
of  his  slender  build,  looking  even  younger.  But 
what  he  lacked  in  weight  he  more  than  made  up  in 
patriotism,  and  after  repeated  attacks  on  the  parental 
stronghold  finally  wrung  from  his  father  and  mother 
their  assent  to  his  enlistment  in  the  ranks  of  the 
volunteers.    On  the  26th  day  of  May,  1862,  he  was 
enrolled  as  a  member  of  Company  "CY'of  the  Thir- 
teenth Regiment,  Colonel  Black,  and  made  the  cam- 
paign of  that  season  with  this  command.    His  love 
for  military  exercises  prompted  him  to  continue  his 
connection  with  the   State  Militia  after  the  war 
closed,  and  enlisting  as  a  private  in  the  Eighty-ninth 
Regiment,  he  rose  by  close  attention  to  duty,  through 
the  different  grades  of  corporal,  sergeant,  and  or- 
derly sergeant  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant,  receiving 
his  commission  as  such  from  Governor  R.  E.  Fen- 
ton,  in  1865.    Following  the  custom  observed  in  his 
youth  by  the  best  young  men  of  the  day,  he  joined 
the  volunteer  firemen  and  served  his  full  term.  In 
1865,  when  his  father  retired  from  active  business,  he 
was  succeeded  by  the  firm  composed  of  himself,  his 
uncle,  Mr.  Augustus  Cruikshank,  and  his  cousin, 
Mr.  William  Cruikshank.    In  1875  the  two  other 
partners  withdrew  and  Mr.  E.  A.  Cruikshank  took 
his  younger  brother,  Mr.  Augustus  Wr.  Cruikshank, 
into  the  firm,  which  was  reorganized  as  E.  A. 
Cruikshank  &  Co.    In  1886  his  younger  brother, 
Mr.  Warren  Cruikshank,  was  admitted  to  the  firm, 
the  style  of    which  remained   unchanged.  The 
original  offices  of  this  long  established  firm  were  in 
the  store  of  Mr.  William  Cruikshank,  in  the  old 
house  at  the  corner  of  Beaver  Lane,  now  Morris,  and 
Greenwich  Streets.    James  transacted  business  first 
at  that  place,  then  at  48  Greenwich  Street,  whence 
he   removed  to  35  Broadway,  thence  to  the  old 
Cruger  mansion,  at  No.  55  Broadway,  corner  of 
"Tin-Pot  Alley."   From  there  removal  was  made  to 
No.  68  Broadway,  where  the  offices  remained  for 
ten  years  or  more.   In  1881  the  firm  removed  to  No. 
163  Broadway,  where  it  remained  until  1884,  when 
it  removed  to  its  present  central  and  commodious 
apartments  at  No.  176  Broadway.  The  books  of  the 
house  of  Cruikshank  &  Co.  run  back  to  the  begin- 


40 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


ing  of  the  century,  and  some  of  them,  fully  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  old.  are  marvels  of  careful 
book-keeping,  elegant  penmanship  and  neatness  of 
arrangement.  The  firm's  collection  of  maps,  of 
every  kind  and  description,  is  unusually  large  and 
extremely  valuable.  Records  of  sales  of  every 
piece  of  property  disposed  of  at  auction  in  the  city 
of  New  York  are  here  to  be  found,  dating  back  to 
the  very  beginning  of  the  system  of  records.  On 
the  books  of  the  firm  every  ward  in  the  city  is 
represented  and  every  class  of  property.  Some  of 
the  largest  property  owners  in  the  city  and  vicinity 
place  their  entire  estates  in  the  hands  of  the  Cruik- 
shanks,  while  they  themselves  go  abroad  to  enjoy 
European  life  and  travel  for  years  at  a  time.  There 
is  a  considerable  line  of  selling  done  by  the  firm, 
but  its  main  business  is  in  renting  and  collecting. 
It  holds  power  of  attorney  from  many  of  the  heavi- 
est owners  of  realty  in  the  city.  .Mr.  E.  A.  Cruik- 
shauk,  personally,  has  the  reputation  among  his 
business  colleagues,  of  being  the  best  renting  judge 
in  thee  ity.  He  is  also  noted  as  the  greatest  expert 
and  authority  on  wharf  and  bulkhead  property. 
For  years  the  firm  has  done  an  extensive  business  in 
building  and  leasing  piers,  a  line  in  which  it  has  few 
competitors.  During  his  business  career  Mr.  Cruik- 
shank  has  been  Commissioner  in  some  of  the  most 
important  real-estate  transactions  occurring  in  the 
city,  including  the  partition  of  some  of  the  largest 
estates.  Both  he  and  his  brothers  Augustus  and 
Warren  are  among  the  most  respected  members  of 
the  real  estate  fraternity  in  New  York.  They  have 
consistently  maintained  the  conservative  policy  that 
has  always  characterized  the  firm  since  its  institu- 
tion, and  have  carefully  refrained  from  speculation 
in  any  form  or  manner.  Their  rare  personal 
knowledge  of  the  city  adds  greatly  to  the  value  of 
their  advice  to  their  clients.  A  special  branch  of 
their  business  is  the  superintendence  of  properties 
owned  by  non-residents,  and  their  connections  in- 
clude patrons  not  only  in  New  York  but  in  the 
Eastern,  Southern  and  Western  States  and  in  Eng- 
land, France,  and  Italy.  Some  of  the  estates  that 
they  are  managing  to-day  were  placed  in  the  hands 
of  their  grandfather  by  their  owners,  many,  many 
years  ago.  In  financial  circles  also  the  firm  is  widely 
known  and  is  noted  for  its  success  in  the  negotia- 
tion of  loans  on  bond  and  mortgage.  Their  exten- 
sive acquaintance  among  investors  and  capitalists 
has  enabled  them  to  carry  to  a  successful  issue 
some  of  the  most  important  real  estate  transactions 
on  record.  As  the  head  of  a  firm  now  nearly  a  cen- 
tury old,  of  unassailable  reputation,  and  conspicu- 
ously identified  witli  the  sale  or  management  of 
some  of  the  greatest  estates  of  the  city,  Mr.  Cruik- 


shank  ranks  easily  witli  the  leading  members  in  his 
chosen  walk.  In  the  movement  to  found  the  New 
York  Real  Estate  Exchange,  inaugurated  in  1883, 
by  the  late  E.  H.  Ludlow,  Morris  Wilkins,  H.  H. 
Cammann,  Richard  Y.Harnett,  and  other  gentlemen 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  and  co-operated 
in  by  the  Astors,  Rhinelanders  and  other  wealthy 
real  estate  owners,  Mr.  Cruikshank  took  an  active 
and  leading  part.  He  was  one  of  the  original  sub- 
scribers to  the  stock  of  the  Exchange,  one  of  its  in- 
corporators, and  has  always  been  a  member  of  its 
directory.  He  was  made  Chairman  of  the  Finance 
Committee,  and  in  1885  and  188(i  he  held  the  office 
of  Treasurer  of  the  Exchange.  At  the  annual  elec- 
tion held  in  December  of  the  year  last  given,  he  was 
chosen  to  the  office  of  Second  Vice-President. 
When  Mr.  Morris  Wilkins,  also  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Exchange,  resigned  the  office  of  First  Vice- 
President,  Mr.  Cruikshank  was  elected  to  fill  the 
vacancy  thus  occasioned.  At  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Board  of  Directors,  December  1!),  1887,  he  was 
elected  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Exchange.  In  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  the  new  President  displayed 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  needs  of  the  Exchange 
and  a  broadness  of  purpose  which  strongly  com- 
mended him  to  his  colleagues.  At  the  close  of  the 
year  he  was  re-elected  a  Director  by  a  very  heavy 
vote,  and  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  new  Board,  held 
the  day  following.  December  14,  was  re-elected  to 
the  Presidency  of  the  Exchange.  Mr.  Cruikshank 
is  a  man  of  striking  personal  appearance.  No  one 
could  fail  to  detect  in  him  the  alert  man  of  affairs. 
Slender  and  wiry,  his  physical  make-up  betokens  a 
highly  nervous  organization.  In  the  words  of  a 
keen  observer  of  men,  "he  has  a  quick,  sharp 
fashion  of  transacting  business.  He  manages  to  in- 
stil his  own  buoyant  feeling  into  any  one  with  whom 
he  may  come  in  contact,  yet  he  has  a  very  emphatic 
way  of  calling  a  halt,  either  upon  an  investor  who 
would  make  a  rash  purchase  or  an  owner  who  would 
insist  upon  excessive  terms  from  a  tenant."  Outside 
of  purely  business  transactions  he  is  a  courteous, 
genial  gentleman,  whose  knowledge  of  men  and  af- 
fairs, gleaned  during  a  life-time  devoted  to  active 
business,  has  been  broadened  by  foreign  travel  and 
observation,  by  extensive  reading,  and  by  excep- 
tionally pleasant  relations  with  many  of  the  most 
cultured,  wealthy  and  prominent  men  of  the  day, 
a  large  number  of  whom  are  his  warm  personal 
friends.  He  is  an  enthusiastic  sportsman,  equally 
at  home  with  the  rod  and  the  rifle,  and  for  many 
years  has  made  a  habit  of  spending  a  portion  at 
least  of  every  summer  and  fall  in  the  North  Woods, 
from  which  he  has  brought  a  number  of  remarkable 
trophies  including  the  skin  of  at  least  one  bear, 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


41 


shot  by  his  own  trusty  rifle,  and  the  antlers  of  sev- 
eral magnificent  deer.  As  a  fisherman  he  has  rare 
patience  and  skill,  and  has  landed  some  of  the  largest 
trout  ever  taken  in  the  Adirondack  wilderness.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  General  Committee  of  Citizens 
of  New  York  having  in  charge  the  recent  Centennial 
celebration  of  the  inauguration  of  Washington  as 
President  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Cruikshank 
is  frequently  called  upon  to  accept  directorships  in 
business,  financial  and  other  corporations,  but  with 
few  exceptions  has  invariably  declined,  owing  to  the 
incessant  demands  of  his  own  business  and  latterly 
of  the  affairs  of  the  Real  Estate  Exchange.  Since 
its  organization  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  New- 
York  Board  of  Trade  and  Transportation  and  has 
served  with  ability  on  several  of  its  committees. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Lafayette  Post.  No.  140, 
Department  of  New  York,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  He  is  a  member  of  the  General  Commit- 
tee of  the  Word's  Fair  which,  it  is  expected,  will  be 
held  in  New  York  in  1892.  Mr.  Cruikshank  married 
in  1866,  Miss  Susie  Hinehman,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Hinehman,  Esq.,  an  old  and  respected  resident  of 
Long  Island.  Hehas  one  child,  a  daughter,  Miss  Susie 
Cruikshank.  His  home  is  in  Schermerhorn  Street, 
Brooklyn,  and  both  he  and  his  accomplished  wife 
and  daughter  are  well  known  in  the  social  and  re- 
ligious life  of  that  city.  Mr.  Cruikshank  was  form- 
erly a  member  of  Plymouth  Church  (Rev.  Henry 
Ward  Beecher's)  but  of  late  years  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  Hanson  Place  Methodist  Episcopal 
( ihurch. 


PUTNAM,  HON.  JOHN  RISLEY,  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
for  many  years  previous  to  his  elevation  to 
the  bench,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Saratoga 
County  bar,  was  born  at  the  family  homestead, 
"  Putnam  Place,"  Saratoga  Springs,  New  York, 
March  25,  1830.  The  Putnam  family  is  in  all  re- 
spects a  representative  one.  Its  founder,  John  Put- 
nam, came  from  England  in  1634  and  settled  in  Dan- 
vers,  Massachusetts,  whence  the  descendants  of  his 
three  sons,  Thomas,  Nathan  and  John,  have  emi- 
grated to  all  parts  of  the  country.  From  Thomas, 
the  eldest  son,  descended  a  long  line  of  prominent 
persons,  including  General  Israel  Putnam,  the  Rev- 
outionary  hero,  and  Gideon  Putnam  (cousin  of  the 
latter)  "the  man  of  strong  nerve,  comprehensive 
powers  of  invention,  and  indomitable  will,  who  was 
the  virtual  creator  and  originator  of  the  beautiful 
village  of  Saratoga  Springs."  The  latter,  who  was 
the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 


the  son  of  Rufus  and  Mary  Putnam.  Born  at  Sut- 
ton, Massachusetts,  in  1764,  he  married  in  early 
manhood,  Miss  Doanda  Risley,  daughter  of  Squire 
Benjamin  Risley,  "a  gentleman  of  influence  and 
means,"  at  Hartford,  Connecticut.  After  spending 
several  years  in  prospecting  in  various  parts  of 
New  England,  he  crossed  into  New  York  State, 
and,  in  1789,  choosing  Saratoga  Springs  as  a  place 
of  abode,  built  a  habitation  there  on  Prospect  Hill, 
and  settled  down  permanently  as  a  farmer  and 
manufacturer  of  lumber.  In  1791,  having  accumu- 
lated considerable  means,  he  purchased  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  at  Saratoga  Springs,  from  Dirck 
Lefferts,  who  was  one  of  the  original  purchasers  of 
the  Kayadrossera  patent.  Subsequently  he  added 
largely  to  his  real  estate  and  began  the  erection  of 
buildings  thereon,  his  prophetic  vision  clearly  dis- 
cerning the  future  growth  of  the  place  consequent 
upon  its  unrivalled  wealth  in  medicinal  springs  and 
admirable  situation  as  a  health  resort.  He  was 
active  in  the  work  of  developing  these  springs,  and 
in  1809  discovered  and  tubed  the  now  celebrated 
Congress  Spring.  In  1811,  haviDg  completetd  Union 
Hall,  he  began  the  erection  of  Congress  Hall,  and 
was  engaged  in  this  work  when  he  met  with  an  ac- 
cident which  unfortunately  led  to  his  death,  Decem- 
ber 1,  1812.  Gideon  Putnam  was  in  every  sense  of 
the  word  a  remarkable  man,  and  although  he  closed 
his  labors  at  the  early  age  of  forty-nine,  he  had 
already  accomplished  a  great  work.  The  impetus 
he  gave  to  the  village  was  lasting,  and  his  liberal 
public  gifts  of  lands  for  religious  and  educational 
purposes  were  productive  of  great  good  to  the  com- 
munity. His  wife,  who  died  February  10,  1835, 
was  a  woman  of  rare  personal  excellence.  Her  fa- 
ther, Benjamin  Risley,  who  settled  at  the  Springs 
about  the  same  time  that  she  and  her  husband  did, 
was  a  prominent  factor  in  the  development  of  the 
place,  employing  his  large  wealth  freely  to  this  end.  " 
The  second  child  of  Gideon  and  Mary  Putnam  was 
Benjamin  Risley  Putnam,  born  at  Rutland,  Ver- 
mont, while  his  parents  were  temporarily  residents 
there.  He  inherited  large  wealth  and,  like  his  able 
and  far-seeing  father,  has  used  it  liberally  in  pro- 
moting the  development  of  Saratoga  and  in  philan- 
thropic, educational  and  religious  work.  His  wife, 
born  Eunice  Morgan,  was  the  daughter  of  Daniel 
Morgan  of  Saratoga.  John  Risley  Putnam,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  is  the  youngest  son  of  his  par- 
ents. He  was  carefully  educated  in  the  academic 
schools  of  his  native  place,  and,  having  elected  to 
adopt  the  profession  of  law,  prosecuted  his  legal 
studies  in  the  offices  of  Judges  Charles  S.  Lester, 
John  C.  Hurlbert  and  John  Willard.  Admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1852,  he  at  once  devoted  his  attention  as- 


42 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


siduously  to  his  profession  and  speedily  acquired  an 
honorable  position  among  his  colleagues,  rising  in 
time  to  distinguised  prominence  both  as  a  lawyer 
and  citizen.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he  was  named  on 
the  Republican  ticket  for  the  office  of  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  to  succeed  Justice  Augustus 
Bockes,  and  was  also  placed  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  and  elected  without  opposition.  His  term  of 
office  began  January  1st,  1888,  and  will  expire  De- 
cember 31,  1900.  Saratoga  Springs  has  been  the 
residence  of  several  jurists  occupying  seats  in  the 
highest  courts  of  the  State,  among  them  Judge  Reu- 
ben H.  Walworth,  afterward  Chancellor;  Esek 
Cowen,  Circuit  Judge  and  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court :  John  Willard,  Circuit  Judge  and  first  Justice 
of  t lie  Supreme  Court  under  the  Constitution  of  1840; 
and  Augustus  Bockes,  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
from  1850  to  January  1st,  1888.  As  a  lawyer  of  un- 
questioned ability  and  a  citizen  of  spotless  integrity 
Justice  Putnam  worthily  continues  the  succession. 
He  has  arrived  at  his  present  dignified  position 
through  no  political  turbulence,  and  in  the  discharge 
of  its  important  duties  is  trammeled  by  no  un- 
worthy pledges  or  corrupt  alliances.  Although  his 
life  has  been  an  uneventful  one  compared  with  that 
of  some  who  have  risen  to  equal  prominence,  it  has 
not  been  uninteresting  or  devoid  of  incident.  In  all 
that  goes  to  make  up  good  and  honorable  citizen- 
ship it  lias  been  especially  fruitful  ;  and  in  its  sim- 
plicity and  purity  carries  no  ineffective  lesson. 
Rich  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  and  placed 
by  fortune  beyond  the  ordinary  necessities  of  labor, 
Justice  Putnam  is  in  a  singularly  favorable  position 
for  discharging  his  high  public  functions,  and  his 
time  is  given  wholly  and  with  devotion  to  his  judi- 
cial duties.  He  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Mary 
S.  Shoemaker,  daughter  of  the  late  R.  M.  Shoe- 
maker, of  Ohio,  an  extensive  builder  and  operator 
of  railroads.  He  now  resides  at  the  family  home- 
stead with  his  wife  and  three  sons. 


T REMAIN,  GENERAL  HENRY  EDWIN,  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  New  York  bar,  late  First 
Assistant  United  States  District  Attorney  for 
New  York,  and  widely  known  in  military  and  politi- 
cal circles,  was  born  in  New  York  City  November 
14,  1840.  He  was  educated  at  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  graduated  therefrom  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  in  1800.  The  open- 
ing of  the  Civil  War  found  him  a  student  in  the  Co- 
lumbia College  Law  School,  but  he  abandoned  his 
studies  to  enter  the  service  of  his  country,  enlisting 
as  a  private  in  the  New  York  Seventh  Regiment,  on 


April  17,  1801.  Upon  his  return  to  New  York  at 
the  expiration  of  the  first  three  months'  campaign, 
he  recruited  a  company  for  the  Second  Regiment  of 
Fin-  Zouaves  (the  Seventy-third  New  York  Volun- 
teers), being  assisted  in  the  work  by  his  younger 
brother.  Lieutenant  Walter  R.  Tremain,  who  after- 
wards died  in  the  service.  Of  this  company  he  was 
commissioned  First  Lieutenant.  In  the  field  he  was 
advanced  to  the  post  of  Adjutant  of  the  regiment, 
which  was  attached  to  the  famous  Excelsior  Bri- 
gade. "  At  the  siege  of  Yorktown  he  was  promoted 
to  the  staff  of  General  Nelson  Taylor,  commanding: 
the  Excelsior  Brigade,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
during  the  Peninsular  campaign  under  McClellan 
and  the  final  operations  of  Pope,  his  brigade  being 
attached  to  Hooker's  glorious  Second  Division,  the 
'White  Diamonds'  of  Jleintzelman's  Corps."  His 
able  services  in  the  battle  of  Williamsburg  called 
forth  an  official  compliment  from  General  Taylor. 
General  Sickles  in  his  report  of  the  battle  of  Fair 
Oaks  thus  speaks  of  him  :  "  My  particular  acknowl- 
edgments are  due  to  Lieutenant  H.  E.  Tremain, 
A.D.C.  and  A. A. Gen.,  upon  whom  I  relied  for  nearly 
all  the  staff  duty  in  the  field  during  the  day.  His 
arduous  duties  were  performed  with  courage,  zeal 
and  ability."  The  same  commander,  in  his  report 
of  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill,  also  says  :  "  Lieutenant 
Tremain,  the  only  officer  of  my  staff  able  to  report 
for  duty,  was,  as  usual,  distinguished  for  zeal  and 
gallantry."  At  the  second  battle  of  Manassas  "  he 
was  taken  prisoner  while  endeavoring  to  check  the 
panic  and  the  rapid  advance  of  the  enemy."  Upon 
his  exchange,  several  months  later,  he  resumed  the 
field  on  the  staff  of  General  Sickles,  w  ith  whom  he 
served  at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  and  until  the 
reorganization  of  the  army,  in  the  meantime  being 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain.  In  1863  (April  25) 
he  was  commissioned  Major  and  Aide-de-Camp,  on 
the  staff  of  the  General  commanding  the  Third  Army- 
Corps.  For  his  brilliant  services  in  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville  he  was  specially  commended  for  a 
brevet.  Upon  learning  of  General  Lee's  second  inva- 
sion of  Maryland,  Major  Tremain, — then  in  New 
York — telegraphed  to  General  Hooker  an  offer  of  his 
services  in  any  capacity  until  General  Sickles  should 
again  take  the  field.  Hooker  in  reply  telegraphed 
thanks  and  orders  to  join  him  at  headquarters. 
Major  Tremain  served  with  Hooker  until  the  latter 
was  relieved  by  Meade.  In  a  communication  to 
Governor  Fentou  of  New  York,  Hooker  said  of  his 
young  staff  officer:  "He  served  in  my  command 
during  the  whole  time  that  I  was  connected  with 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  a  capacity  which 
brought  him  within  my  immediate  notice.  I  have 
always  regarded  him  as  an  officer  of  uncommon 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


45 


promise:  he  is  capable,  energetic  and  devoted  in 
•the  discharge  of  liis  duties,  brave  in  battle  and  of 
unexceptionable  moral  charac  ter."  Major  Tremain 
was  Chief  of  Staff  of  the  Third  Corps  at  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg  and  as  such  played  an  important 
part  in  that  decisive  conflict.  Sent,  in  1864,  by 
President  Lincoln's  orders,  on  special  service  in  the 
West  with  General  Sickles,  he  visited  every  army 
in  the  held.  While  with  Sherman's  army  at  Chat- 
tanooga he  volunteered  on  the  staff  of  Major- 
General  Buttertield.  commanding  Twentieth  Arniy 
Corps,  and  participated  in  the  operations  before 
Dalton,  and  in  the  engagements  at  Buzzard's  Roost 
and  Resaca,  being  one  of  two  staff  officers  selected 
to  accompany  and  direct  the  storming  column  in 
the  last  named  tight.  In  1864,  finding  himself 
again  in  the  East,  awaiting  orders,  he  wrote  to  Sec- 
retary Stanton  asking  to  be  returned  to  active  duty. 
This  led  to  his  being  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  under  General  Meade,  and  with  the  Cav- 
alry Corps  of  this  army  he  served  in  the  operations 
about  Petersburg,  on  the  staff  of  General  Gregg,  and 
his  successor.  General  Crook,  and  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Hatcher's  Run,  Dinwiddie  Court 
House,  Five  Forks,  Amelia  Court  House.  Sailor's 
(  reek,  Farmville  and  Appomattox  Court  House. 
He  also  served  a  short  time  on  General  Mott's  staff. 
Second  Division,  Third  Corps.  At  the  close  of  this 
arduous  campaign,  Major  Tremain  was  brevetted 
Lieutenant-Colonel  "for  gallant  and  meritorious 
services,''''  by  special  recommendation  of  General 
Sheridan.  Shortly  afterward  he  was  brevetted 
Colonel.  In  1865,  as  the  armies  dispersed,  Colonel 
Tremain  was  ordered  on  reconstruction  duty  at 
Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  on  the  staff  of  General 
Crook.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  asked  to  be  mus- 
tered out  of  service,  but  instead  of  a  discharge  he 
was  ordered  to  duty  at  the  headquarters  of  the  De- 
partment of  South  Carolina,  and  at  the  same  time 
wa-  brevetted  Brigadier-General  for  "faithful  and 
meritorious  service  during  the  war."  In  April, 
1866,  after  five  years  continuous  service,  he  resigned 
his  commission,  and  returned  to  his  home  in  New 
York.  While  in  that  city  in  1864  he  passed  the 
usual  examinations  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
but  this  did  not  prevent  his  taking  the  full  course 
of  study  at  the  Columbia  College  Law  School,  from 
which  he  was  duly  graduated  in  1867.  In  1868  he 
organized,  with  Colonel  Mason  W.  Tyler, — a  young 
officer  from  Massachusetts,  and  then  a  recent  grad- 
uate from  Mr.  Evarts'  law  office — the  present  well- 
known  firm  of  Tremain  and  Tyler.  About  a  year 
later  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans  for 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  had  the 
honor  of  leading  the  county  ticket,  although  his 


party  was  defeated.  In  1870  he  was  employed  by 
the  United  States  Marshal  "as  special  counsel  to 
aid  in  the  prosecution  of  cases  for  infringement  of 
the  census  law  and  in  enforcing  the  United  States 
election  laws,  then  for  the  first  time  applied  and 
tested."  Since  then  he  has  often  been  employed  by 
the  Government  in  important  cases.  During  the 
entire  second  term  of  President  Grant  he  was  First 
Assistant  United  States  District  Attorney  at  New 
York,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  the  position  with 
signal  ability.  General  Tremain  has  always  been 
interested  in  politics,  and  on  the  Republican  side 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  every  Presidential  cam- 
paign since  the  war.  A  man  of  high  character  and 
pure  ambitions,  he  instinctively  prefers  the  part  of 
instructor  and  leader  to  that  of  office-holder,  and  in 
the  former  capacities  has  been  most  active  and 
public-spirited  in  discussing  education,  monopoly 
and  reform,  and  has  delivered  many  admirable  ad- 
dresses on  these  subjects.  His  worth  and  ability 
are  thoroughly  appreciated  by  his  party.  In  the 
Senatorial  contest  in  1881  he  received,  at  different 
times  during  the  balloting,  the  votes  of  about  twenty 
members  of  the  New  York  Legislature  for  the  office 
of  United  States  Senator,  and  was  third  on  the  list 
when  the  contest  closed.  In  1871  General  Tremain 
was  elected  President  of  the  Alumni  Association  of 
the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  was  an- 
nually re-elected,  serving  altogether  five  terms. 
General  Tremain's  long  and  varied  staff  service  iu 
the  army-gave  him  a  wide  acquaintance  with  mili- 
tary men,  and  to  this  day  he  is  a  prime  favorite 
among  the  veterans  of  the  war  of  all  grades.  He 
was  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  founded  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  in 
the  same  year  aided  in  organizing  the  first  Post  of 
the  Order  established  in  New  York,  viz:  Phil  Kearney 
Post,  with  which  he  is  still  affiliated.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Third  Army  Corps 
Union,  and  in  1879  was  elected  its  President.  He  is 
likewise  a  member  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal 
Legion,  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
i  and  of  the  Veterans  of  the  Seventh  Regiment,  N.G. 
S.N.Y.  Of  the  last  named  organization  he  was 
chosen  Colonel  in  1888,  and  re-elected  in  the  follow- 
ing year.  On  the  24th  of  March,  1888,  his  command 
acted  as  guard  of  honor  to  the  remains  of  the 
South  American  patriot,  General  Paez,  then  trans- 
ferred from  New  York  to  Venezuela,  with  high  mil- 
itary honors.  On  this  occasion  General  Tremain 
acted  as  Chief  of  Staff  to  General  Sickles,  who  com- 
manded the  column  of  escort,  which  was  composed 
of  a  large  contingent  of  United  States  troops  in  ad- 
dition to  the  corps  named.  More  recently  his  com- 
mand officiated  prominently  in  the  escort  to  the 


44 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


President  of  the  United  States  on  his  arrival  in  New- 
York  to  participate  in  the  Centennial  of  Washing- 
ton's Inauguration.  General  Tremain  began  writ- 
ing for  publication  during  the  war,  when  lie  was 
often  a  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Evening 
Post.  While  stationed  at  Wilmington,  in  1865,  he 
wrote  editorially  for  the  Wilmington  Herald.  He 
has  also  been  employed  editorially  in  professional 
publications.  He  is  the  author  of  numerous  ad- 
dresses and  pamphlets,  a  number  of  which  have 
had  a  wide  circulation.  Among  them  may  be  men- 
tioned an  address  on  "  Lawyers  and  the  Adminis- 
tration of  Justice,"  delivered  before  the  alumni  of 
the  Columbia  College  Law  School,  in  180!):  a  pam- 
phlet entitled  "  In  Memoriam :  Major-General  Jos- 
eph Hooker"  (Cincinnati.  1881) :  and  a  paper  entitled 
Ethics  of  the  Tariff,"  read  before  the  Church 
Cimgress  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  October  21, 
1885.  From  time  to  time  trenchant  articles  from 
his  pen  are  hurled  at  existing  abuses:  and  from  the 
rostrum  he  frequently  rebukes  with  logic,  vigor  and 
dignity  "the  fallacies  of  free-trade"  and  the  greedi- 
ness of  corporations  and  monopolies.  General  Tre- 
main was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Constitution 
Club  in  New  York  City,  and  its  first  President, 
holding  office  in  1883.  His  public  utterances  are 
easy,  forceful  and  eloquent,  and  in  them  he  is 
scrupulously  cautious  not  to  misrepresent  the  law 
or  the  facts  in  the  case.  During  his  experience  at 
the  bar  he  has  probably  conducted  the  trial  of  more 
civic  causes  than  any  man  in  his  profession  who  is 
not  Ids  senior  in  years.  A  case  of  major  import- 
ance somewhat  recently  entrusted  to  Messrs.  Tre- 
main and  Tyler  was  the  celebrated  Marie-Garrison 
case,  in  which  they  appeared  for  the  plaintiff. the  late 
Roscoe  Conkling  being  retained  as  senior  counsel. 
For  one  who  has  been  so  active  and  prominent  in 
the  field  and  on  the  forum.  General  Tremain  is 
a  remarkably  young  looking  man.  In  1869  he 
married  Miss  Sarah  Brownson  Goodrich,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Luther  A.  Goodrich — one  of  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  California  and  long  a  resident  of  Sacra- 
mento—and niece  of  (lie  late  Orestes  A.  Bronson, 
LL.D.,  the  distinguished  American  author. 


DARLING,  GENERAL  CHARLES  W.,  was  born  in 
New  Haven,  Connecticut.  His  family  is  of 
New  England  origin,  having  intermarried  with 
the  families  of  Pierpont,  Noyes,  Chauncey,  Ely, 
Davis  and  Dana.  His  great  grandfather,  a 
graduate  of  Yale,  was  Hon.  Thomas  Darling,  an 
eminent  jurist  who  resided  in  New  Haven,  Connecti- 
cut, and  who  married  Abigail  Noyes,  granddaughter 


of  Rev.  James  Pierpont  of  New  Haven.  The  pater- 
!  nal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was  Dr. 
!  Samuel  Darling  of  the  same  city,  a  graduate  of 
Yale,  who  married  Clarinda,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Richard  Ely  of  Saybrook,  Connecticut.  His  young- 
est son,  the  father  of  General  Darling,  was  Rev. 
Charles  Chauncey  Darling,  who  was  graduated  at 
Yale  College  and  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary, 
and  having  entered  the  ministry  subsequently  made 
|  his  residence  in  New  York.  He  married  Adeline  E., 
j  daughter  of  William  Dana,  of  Boston,  and  grand- 
daughter of  General  Robert  Davis,  an  officer  of 
artillery  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  The  boy- 
hood years  of  General  Darling  were  devoted  largely 
to  study,  under  the  guidance  of  a  private  tutor.  After 
matriculating  at  the  classical  and  mathematical  de- 
partment of  the  New  York  University,  he  passed 
through  its  regular  curriculum,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  course  entered  as  clerk  in  a  mercantile  house  in 
New  York.  Several  years  later  he  became  connected 
as  Secretary  of  an  incorporated  company  under  the 
Presidency  of  Commodore  C.  K.  Garrison.  Shortly 
afterwards  he  resigned  his  position  to  accept  the  Pres- 
idency of  a  manufacturing  company,  with  which  he 
was  associated  several  years.  When  he  ceased  his 
immediate  relations  with  business  he  made  his  first 
trip  to  Europe  to  gratify  those  literary  and  artistic 
tastes  which  his  active  life  had  forbidden.  Return- 
ing from  his  Continental  trip  when  the  question  of 
the  possible  secession  of  the  South  from  the  Federal 
Union  was  receiving  much  public  discussion,  he 
connected  himself  with  the  National  Guard  of  New- 
York,  and  when  Hon.  Edwin  D.  Morgan  was  elected 
Governor,  he  w-as  appointed  a  member  of  his  staff 
with  rank  of  Colonel.  He  also  identified  himself 
with  political  matters  and  was  President  of  one  of 
the  Republican  organizations  of  his  district.  By  his 
decision  of  character  he  united  many  discordant 
elements  in  the  party,  subdued  the  passions  of  some, 
deepened  the  love  of  country  in  the  hearts  of  others, 
and  preserved  order  frequently  under  difficult  cir- 
cumstances. When,  in  the  summer  of  1863.  New 
Y'ork  became  the  scene  of  riots.  General  Darling  was 
called  upon  to  perform  difficult  and  dangerous 
duties,  and  his  firm  stand  on  that  memorable  occa- 
sion received  the  most  cordial  approbation  of  the 
military  as  well  as  the  civil  authorities.  As  the  fol- 
lowing letters  have  a  historical  as  well  as  a  personal 
signification,  for  the  first  time  they  are  given  publi- 
cation : 

IlEAnoj  AKTEKs  Fikst  Division  N.  Y.  S.  N.  G.,> 
New  York,  July  21.  1863./ 

Col.  C.  W.  Darling. 

Colonel: — Having  a  vacancy  on  my  staff,  I  shall 
be  happy  to  receive  you  as  a  member  of  my  military 
family,  as  Volunteer  Aide-de-camp,  you  to  retain 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


45 


your  rank  of  Colonel.  At  the  same  time  I  take  oc- 
casion to  express  my  thanks  for  your  services  dur- 
ing the  late  riot.    I  am  very  respectfully. 

Your  obedient  Servant. 
(Signed)  Ciiari.es  W.  Sandford, 
Major-  General. 

New  York,  August  17,  1863. 

Col.  C.  W.  Darling, 

Colonel: — It  always  gives  me  pleasure  to  do 
justice  to  those  who  are  prompt  in  discharging 
the  duty  which  they  owe  to  their  fellow  citizens  in 
resisting  violence,  let  it  come  from  what  source  it 
may.  Your  gallant  and  efficient  efforts  to  put  down 
the  riot  in  New  York,  so  disgraceful  to  the  city,  on 
the  13th,  14th  and  15th  of  July  last,  entitle  you  to 
the  thanks  of  a  grateful  people.  I  am  very  respect- 
fully yours, 

(Signed)  John  E.  Wool, 

Major  General,  U.  S.  A. 

State  of  New  York.  ) 
Dept.  of  the  Commissary-General  of  Ordnance,  • 
New  York,  August  22,  18(53. ) 

Col.  C.  W.  Darling. 

Colonel: — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  your  communication  informing  me  of 
your  instructions  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
Eighth  Regiment  to  withdraw  his  command  from 
the  State  Arsenal,  and  to  thank  you  for  so  doing. 
Permit  me  to  express  my  thanks  for  the  energy  dis- 
played during  the  scenes  of  disorder  that  occurred 
in  our  city  in  the  month  of  July,  and  to  assure  you 
that  we  will  recall  with  pleasure  the  names  of  your- 
self and  fellow  officers  with  whom  the  occasion 
brought  us  in  close  connection,  and  to  whose  efforts 
the  State  and  this  Department  are  much  indebted. 
Very  respectfully  yours, 

(Signed)  W.  R.  Farrell. 
'  'ommissa/ry- General  of  Ordnance. 

Mayor's  Office.  New  Y'ork,  August  24,  18G3. 
Col.  C.  W.  Darling, 

Dear  Sir: — Accept  my  thanks  for  your  energetic 
and  efficient  service  on  the  occasion  of  the  disloyal 
outbreak  in  this  city  on  the  13th,  14th  and  15th'  of 
last  month.  The  help  of  the  military  in  subduing 
the  riot  was  invaluable,  and  among  them  I  was 
pleased  to  recognize  yourself  as  prominent  for  gal- 
lantry and  good  conduct  in  the  performance  of  the 
duty  devolving  upon  you.  It  gives  me  pleasure  to 
find  that  General  Wool,  in  command  of  the  United 
States  troops  called  on  duty,  General  Sandford,  com- 
manding the  First  Division,  N.  Y.  S.  N.  G.,  and  the 
Commissary-General  of  Ordnance  have  accorded  to 
you  so  much  credit  for  the  part  you  took  on  that 
occasion.  I  trust  that  our  city  may  never  again  un- 
dergo a  similar  trial,  but  if  it  should,  I  hope  that  we 
may  find  in  the  hour  of  need  many  such  as  yourself 
coming  forward  equally  prompt,  earnest  and  efficient, 
to  perform  the  patriotic  duty  of  defending  govern- 
ment and  order  against  treason  and  anarchy.  With 
high  regard. 

Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)  George  Opdyke, 
Mayor. 


Early  in  1804  Col.  Darling  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  Additional  Volunteer  Aide-de-camp  on  the 
staff  of  Major-Geueral  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  then  in 
command  of  the  Arm}-  of  the  James,  and  was  as- 
signed special  duties  at  his  temporary  headquarters 
in  New  York.    At  this  time  the  draft  was  to  be  en- 
forced, when  it  was  anticipated  that  new  disturb- 
ances might  occur  threatening  the  peace  of  the 
State.    As  it  was  known  that  the  authorities  had 
made  every  preparation,  and  sixteen  thousand  men 
under  arms  were  afloat  on  the  harbor,  no  attempt 
was  made  to  resist  the  enforcement  of  the  law. 
When  Hon.  Reuben  E.  Fenton  was  elected  as  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  of  New  Y'ork  in  1865,  Col.  Dar- 
ling was  recommended  for  the  position  of  head  of 
one  of  the  military  departments.    His  qualifications 
for  the  important  trust  were  supported  by  recom- 
mendations from  Major-Generals  Butler,  Doubleday 
and  Warren;  Brigadier-Generals  Van  Vliet,  Webb, 
Davies,  Morris,  Gordon  and  Granger;  also  twenty- 
one  commandants  of  regiments  and  batteries  in  the 
field.    A  large  number  of  influential  politicians  also 
joined  in  the  request :  among  whom  were  the  Mayor 
of  New  York,  the  Collector  and  Surveyor  of  the 
Port,  the  Postmaster,  the  Chairman  of  the  Union 
Central  Committee  and  several  members  of  Congress. 
This  powerful  influence  thus  brought  to  bear  upon 
the  administration  had  its  effect,  and  Col.  Darling, 
in  view  of  his  past  business  training  and  his  reputa- 
tion for  order  and  integrity,  was  assigned  to  duty  in 
the  Paymaster-General's  Department,  which  at  this 
critical  period  was  of  the  first  importance.  As 
many  of  the   soldiers  were   being  mustered  out 
through  the  expiration  of  their  terms  of  enlistment, 
no  little  watchfulness  and  executive  ability  were 
required  to  protect  the  interests  of  the  brave  de- 
fenders of  their  country  as  well  as  those  of  the  Gov- 
ernment.   Nearly  every  New  York  regiment  had 
unsettled  accounts  with  the   Federal  and  State 
governments,  and  many  unprincipled  claim  agents 
were  following  the  soldiers  like  sleuth  hounds. 
The  pressure  to  which  the  occupant  of  this  responsi- 
ble office  was  subjected  at  this  period  is  well  illus- 
trated by  the  following  brief  quotation  from  one  of 
the  New   York   daily  papers:     "The  number  of 
claimants  at  the  office  of  Col.  Darling  averages 
about  two  hundred  daily.    He  is  beset  with  land- 
sharks,  bounty-brokers,  middlemen,  etc.,  who  are 
trying  all  sorts  of  ways  to  grab  a  portion  of  the 
money  being  disbursed,  but  the  Colonel  thwarts  all 
their  contrivances  in  the  shape  of  offered  presents, 
commissions,  percentage,  etc.,  and   will  manage 
affairs  so  that  every  man  who  is  justly  entitled  to 
pay  shall  receive  the  same  without  drawbacks  or 
deductions."    The  drafted  men  in  the  city  who  fur- 


46 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


iiished  substitutes  and  who  were  reimbursed  by  the 
State,  were  also  notified  to  tile  their  claims  at  this 
office,  where  they  were  examined  and  passed  over  to 
the  Supervisors  at  New  York  for  final  adjustment. 
The  vouchers  were  sent  by  the  Supervisors  to  the 
Paymaster-General  at  Albany,  and  the  funds  were 
transmitted  from  headquarters  for  payment  to 
individuals.  At  the  Union  State  Convention  of  the 
Republican  party,  held  in  Syracuse,  September. 
1866,  among  the  delegates  from  the  city  of  New 
York  was  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  When  the  roll 
of  delegates  was  called  it  was  claimed  that  the  dele- 
gates sent  from  the  Seventh  Assembly  District  repre- 
sented the  conservative  element,  and  were  hostile  to 
the  radicals  who  called  the  Convention.  It  caused 
some  excitement :  a  recess  was  (•ailed  and  during  tins 
recess  Gen.  Darling  with  wise  diplomacy  reconciled 
opposing  factions  by  resigning  his  seat  in  favor  of 
Mr.  Sinclair  Tousey,  upon  condition  that  his  two 
associates  should  compose  with  him  the  delegation. 
This  arrangement  was  acceptable  to  the  convention 
and  the  renomination  of  Gov.  Fenton  was  thus 
secured  beyond  a  doubt  and  made  unanimous. 
Had  this  course  not  been  adopted  it  has  been  gravely 
doubted  whether  Gov.  Fenton  would  have  been 
elected  for  a  second  term.  In  1866  Col.  Darling  was 
commissioned  as  Commissary-General  of  Subsistence, 
which  brought  him  into  still  closer  relations  with 
Gov.  Fenton  as  a  member  of  his  military  cabinet. 
This  office  he  held  until  January  1. 1K67,  when,  on  the 
re-election  of  the  Governor,  Gen.  Darling  received 
the  appointment  of  Military  Engineer-in-Chief  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral. When  the  administration  of  Gov.  Fenton  was 
nearing  its  close,  Gen.  Darling  applied  for  and  ob- 
tained leave  of  absence  to  visit  Europe  again  on  a 
tour  of  instruction  and  pleasure.  While  in  England 
he  received  many  cotirtesies;  among  the  various 
invitations  extended  him  was  one  from  Lord  Elcho 
to  meet  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  Duke  of  Cam- 
bridge, and  be  present  with  them  on  a  review  of 
troops  at  Aldersholt.  In  a  subsequent  trip  abroad 
with  his  wife,  he  traveled  extensively  through 
Europe,  Asia  and  Africa,  making  the  trip  up  the 
Nile,  through  Ethiopia  and  Nubia,  as  far  as  the  river 
is  navigable.  During  this  time  many  articles  from 
his  pen  appeared  in  our  journals,  of  a  historical  and 
political  as  well  as  of  a  social  character.  Having 
means  at  his  command  which  render  him  indepen- 
dent of  business  cares,  Gen.  Darling  has  been  able 
to  gratify  to  the  utmost  his  literary  and  scientific 
tastes.  Ten  years  of  his  life  have  been  devoted  to 
foreign  travel  in  nearly  every  country  on  the  globe, 
and  from  this  broad  experience  he  has  returned  with 
a  knowledge  of  national  manners  and  customs,  and 


a  fund  of  general  information  which  has  been  of 
great  value  in  his  writings.  Intensely  fond  of  his- 
torical studies,  he  has  prosecuted  his  investigations 
in  this  department  of  learning  with  unusual  dili- 
gence and  with  excellent  results.  His  writings 
cover  a  wide  range  of  themes,  which  he  handles  with 
skill  and  in  a  way  to  interest  both  the  specialist  and 
the  general  reader.  His  high  character,  scholarly 
attainments  and  distinguished  public  services  have 
given  him  a  large  acquaintance  with  many  of  the 
public  men  of  the  day  and  earned  for  him  many 
scientific  and  literary  honors.  He  is  the  active  Cor- 
responding Secretar}'  of  the  Oneida  Historical  So- 
ciety at  Utica,  New  York,  also  either  Honorary  or 
Corresponding  Member  of  societies  of  like  character 
in  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union.  His  active  in- 
terest in  public  affairs  and  his  prominent  connection 
with  some  of  the  most  stirring  events  happening  in 
his  time  have  necessarily  made  him  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent a  conspicuous  figure  among  his  fellow  citizens, 
by  whom  he  is  held  in  universal  esteem.  Notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  he  has  persistently  held  aloof 
from  politics,  preferring  the  more  congenial  pursuits 
of  literature  and  historical  research,  he  has  several 
times  been  asked  to  become  a  candidate  for  munic- 
ipal positions  :  but  while  appreciating  the  honor  he 
has  declined  all  political  preferment.  His  work  is 
performed  quietly  among  his  books,  from  which  he 
feels  that  nothing,  save  the  gravest  condition  of  pub- 
lic affairs,  can  separate  him.  For  several  years  he 
held  the  office  of  President  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  of  Utica,  his  present  adopted 
home,  and  is  now  one  of  its  Directors.  Those  who 
are  familiar  with  the  past  struggles  of  that  associa- 
tion for  life :  concede  that  he  carried  it  through  the 
most  critical  period  of  its  history.  As  a  result  of 
those  arduous  undertakings  an  elegant  structure 
has  been  erected  for  the  Utica  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  by  its  friends,  and  the  building  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  ornaments 
of  the  city.  Gen.  Darling  was  also  a  member  of  the 
State  Executive  Committee  of  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Associations  and  on  the  expiration  of  his  term 
of  office  in  1888  he  was  elected  one  of  its  Trustees. 
His  interest  in  religious  matters,  however,  is  not 
confined  to  affairs  connected  with  this  department 
of  Christian  work.  He  is  a  ruling  elder  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Utica,  and  in  the  private 
life  to  which  he  has  retired,  is  the  object  of  the  warm 
regard  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Through  his 
connection  with  the  Oneida  Historical  Society  he 
has  cultivated  his  taste  for  historical  studies  and  his 
literary  productions  are  numerous.  He  never  writes 
for  pecuniary  compensation,  and  the  monographs, 
brochures,  essays,  excerpta,  etc.,  which  he  fre- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


47 


quently  sends  out  are  printed  for  private  distribu- 
tion. On  the  21st  of  December,  1857,  Gen.  Darling 
married  Angeline  E.,  second  daughter  of  Mr.  Jacob 
A.  Robertson,  a  wealthy  and  highly  respected  citi- 
zen of  New  York.  His  father  was  Archibald  Rob- 
ertson, the  Scotch  artist  who  painted  from  life  the 
celebrated  miniatures  on  ivory  of  General  and 
Martha  Washington,  during  the  time  when  he  was 
sojourning  as  a  guest  in  the  family  of  the  "First 
President."  His  brothers  were  Andrew  J.,  Alexan- 
der H.  (who  at  the  time  of  his  decease  was  Grand 
Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  of  the  State  of  New  York)  and  Anthony  L., 
Surrogate  of  New  York  in  1848,  also  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Superior  Court  1860-69.  A  sister  of  these 
brothers  married  Henry  Winslow.  founder  of  the 
banking  house  bearing  his  name.  Another  sister 
married  Mr.  Robert  N.  Tinson  of  England,  and  well 
known  as  a  resident  of  New  York  City.  Gen.  Dar- 
ling has  no  children  to  inherit  the  honor  of  a  good 
name,  but  his  fondness  for  the  little  ones  makes  him 
always  a  favorite  with  them. 


HARTLEY,  REV.  ISAAC  SMITHSON,  D.D.  pas- 
tor of  the  Reformed  Church  at  Utica,  was 
born  in  the  city  of  New  York.  His  father, 
Robert  M.  Hartley,  (1796-1881.)  for  more  than  forty 
years  was  identified  with  many  of  the  humane  and 
benevolent  institutions  of  the  metropolis.  Dr. 
Hartley  is  in  the  direct  line  of  descent  from  the 
Hartleys  of  York,  Berkshire  and  Cumberland,  Eng- 
land. Among  those  who  have  been  signalized  for 
their  merit  may  be  mentioned  the  Reverend  Hart- 
ley, Vicar  of  Armley  in  York,  Dr.  David  Hartley, 
his  son,  and  David  Hartley,  M.D.,  his  grandson. 
Dr.  David  Hartley  was  an  original  thinker  and 
a  prolific  author ;  but  his  fame  as  a  metaphysician 
and  philosopher  rests  chiefly  on  his  "  Observa- 
tioi  s  on  Man,"  which  at  the  time  of  its  publi- 
cation made  a  deep  impression  among  men  of 
letters,  and  in  later  years  it  has  passed  through 
many  editions.  David,  son  of  the  above,  was  dis- 
tinguished as  a  statesman  and  an  ingenious  pro- 
jector. His  steady  opposition  to  the  war  with  the 
American  Colonies  led  to  his  appointment  as  one  of 
the  Plenipotentiaries  to  treat  with  Dr.  Benjamin 
Franklin  at  Paris,  and  with  him  to  sign  the  defini- 
tive treaty  of  peace.  He  is  allied  also  to  the  Smith- 
son  family,  one  of  whom,  James  Smithson.  be- 
queathed five  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the 
United  States  for  the  establishment  of  a  National 
Scientific  Institution  at  Washington,  D.  O,  known 
throughout  the  world  as  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 


tution.   His  mother,  Catherine  Munson,  daughter 
of  Hon.    Reuben   Munson,  ,  the    intimate  friend 
of  Governor  DeWitt  Clinton,  came  of  good  old 
Puritan  and  Holland  stock.    Her  nobleness  of  char- 
acter,  purity  of  purpose  and  graceful  manner, 
blended  with  deep  Christian  principle  and  love  for 
her  native  soil,  left  an  abiding  impression  on  all 
her  children,  which  contributed  largely  to  their 
personal  attainments  and  success.    After  the  usual 
preliminary  studies.  Dr.  Hartley  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  York,  and  was  graduated  in  1852. 
Having  chosen  the  ministry  as  his  field  for  useful- 
ness, in  1853  he  matriculated  at  the  Union  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  in  New  York,  where  he  remained  a 
year,  subsequently  completing  the  requisite  course 
of  preparation  at  the  Theological  Seminary,  An- 
dover,  Massachusetts.    At  the  close  of  his  seminary 
life  he  visited  Europe,  where  he  remained  quite  a 
year.    Through  a  physical  disability,  superinduced 
by  an  accident,  he  was  led  to  revisit  Europe,  on 
which  occasion  he  extended  his  travels  through  the 
Levant,  Egypt,  Syria  and  Asia  Minor.    As  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion  was  now  upon  the  country,  during 
his  sojourn  in  foreign  lands,  he  did  much  by  pub- 
lic addresses,  personal  interviews  and  through  the 
press  to  have  the  causes  which  led  up  to  the  Rebel- 
lion clearly  known,  the  questions  involved  plainly 
understood,  and  how  upon  their  solution  would  de- 
pend the  permanence  and  power  of  the  American 
Republic.    As  his  brother  had  been  sent  abroad  in 
the  interest  of  the  General  Government,  Dr.  Hart- 
ley at  once  associated  himself  with  his  mission,  and 
personally  aided  in  the  shipment  of  immense  quan- 
tities of  war  material  for  the  use  of  the  Federal 
forces,  receiving  as  his  only  reward  for  this  self- 
denying  service  the  satisfaction  of  having  aided  his 
country  in  the  hour  of  its  need,  and  hastening  for- 
ward the  hoped  for  issue — the  collapse  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy.    On  his  return  to  the  States 
in  1864  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Sixth 
Avenue  Reformed  Church,  New  York  City.  His 
official  relations  to  this  church  covered  a  period  of 
six  years,  terminating  by  being  unanimously  chosen 
to  minister  to  the  Second  Reformed  Church,  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania.    After  two  years'  residence 
in  that  city,  he  was  led  to  accept  an  invitation  to 
Christ  Church,  Utica,  New  York,  a  position  he  now 
fills  with  unusual  fidelity  and  acceptance.    In  1873 
he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
Rutgers  College,  New  Jersey,  of  which  institution 
he  has  been  a  trustee  since  the  same  period.  In 
1881  he  was  elected  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Synod 
of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America,  a  few  years 
later  was  commissioned  as  its  delegate  to  the  Evan- 
gelical Alliance  in  London,  England,  and  at  this 


48 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


writing  is  the  acting  President  of  the  Oneida  His- 
torical Society,  Utica,  New  York,  having  succeeded 
the  present  Assistant  Treasurer  of  the  United  States. 
In  1873  Dr.  Hartley  was  directly  instrumental  in 
founding  an  annual  course  of  lectures  to  be  deliv- 
ered before  Rutgers  College  and  Seminary,  known 
as  the  "  Vedder  Lectures  on  Modern  Infidelity." 
Though  Tayler  Lewis,  LL.D.  had  been  selected  to 
open  the  course,  to  be  followed  by  Dr.  Hartley,  he 
requested,  however,  Dr.  Hartley  to  take  the  prece- 
dence and  deliver  the  first  series:  which  he  did, 
choosing  as  his  theme,  "  Prayer :  its  Relations 
to  Modern  Thought  and  Criticism."  These  lec- 
tures were  shortly  given  to  the  press ;  and  have 
been  regarded  as  a  noble  contribution  to  Christian 
science  and  apologetics.  Lectures  on  subjects  so- 
cial and  economic,  as  well  as  religious,  have  fre- 
quently been  delivered  by  Dr.  Hartley,  which  have 
met  with  unwonted  favor.  Among  the  topics 
which  he  has  specially  discussed  may  be  men- 
tioned: The  Orient;  Egypt:  Palestine:  Assyria:  The 
Testimony  of  the  Ancient  Monuments  and  Coins 
to  the  Truths  of  Revelation;  College  Education; 
and  a  history  of  the  University  of  Oxford.  An  arti- 
cle in  the  American  Theological  Renew  entitled, 
"Testimonials  from  Profane  History  to  the  Coming 
of  a  Redeemer,"  won  him  admiration  from  the 
scholarship  evinced,  as  well  as  from  his  labor  and 
patience  in  the  study  of  original  sources.  He  is 
the  author  also  of  a  "  History  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  Utica,  New  York,"  a  "Memorial  of  Rev. 
Philemon  H.  Fowler  D.D. ;  "  "Old  Fort  Schuyler 
in  History;  "  and  of  a  large  octavo  volume  entitled, 
"  Memorial  of  Robert  M.  Hartley."  To  the  Amtri- 
ea n  Magazine  of  History  he  has  contributed  valua- 
ble biographical  and  historical  articles  on  Hon. 
Horatio  Seymour,  and  Hon.  Roscoe  Conkling: 
and  tn  other  magazines  brochures  on  early  Ameri- 
can history.  There  have  been  put  in  print  also 
several  of  his  occasional  discourses,  especially  such 
as  bear  upon  local,  State  and  National  interests.  In 
1887  he  issued  a  volume  of  poems,  original  and  se- 
lected, richly  illustrated,  entitled,  "The  Twelve 
Gates  ;  "  and  in  the  following  year,  "  Sundays  in  the 
Adirondacks,"  a  collection  of  suggestive  discourses 
delivered  while  camping  with  friends  among  the 
wilds  of  that  broad  wilderness.  The  prevailing 
tone  of  thought  in  the  theological  discourses  and 
lectures  of  Dr.  Hartley  is  reverent,  instructive  and 
elevating.  He  teaches  that  the  present  is  far  in  ad- 
vance of  the  preceding  age,  and  that  the  records  of 
mankind  are  for  instruction  rather  than  for  our  imi- 
tation. Between  revelation  and  true  science  he 
finds  no  antagonism ;  but  when  the  truths  of  these 
departments  of  study  are  viewed  in  their  proper  re- 


lations, they  are  parts  of  a  common  whole;  and 
however  modern  scientists  may  deride  spiritual 
and  divine  forces,  they  are  none  the  less  real  than  is 
gravitation  in  the  material  world.  His  contributions 
to  the  magazines  are  carefully  prepared,  always 
written  in  the  interest  of  truth,  and  possess  a  his- 
toric as  well  as  an  instructive  value.  He  wields  a 
graceful  pen,  writes  with  method  and  divides  his 
periods  between  force  and  earnestness.  His  sen- 
tences are  as  pleasurable  as  they  are  logical :  nor  is 
there  any  reading  between  his  lines.  His  study  of 
the  Elizabethean  and  Addisonian  periods  of  letters, 
and  his  familiarity  with  the  best  of  American 
writers,  are  discoverable  in  all  his  productions.  As 
a  pulpit  orator  and  a  platform  speaker  he  is  far 
above  the  average,  and  when  important  interests 
are  at  stake  he  touches  the  circle  of  the  purest  elo- 
quence. His  varied  studies,  his  travels,  his  ac- 
quaintance with  leading  and  influential  minds,  his 
broad  views  and  love  for  all  that  contributes  towards 
the  elevation  of  our  common  humanity,  combine  to 
make  him  a  most  useful  citizen,  while  affording 
him  also  an  enviable  position  among  his  associates. 


CANTWELL,  COL.  EDWARD  PAYNE  CHRY- 
SOSTOM,  of  Utica,  soldier,  jurist,  teacher  and 
author,  was  born  in  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, December  22,  1825.  He  comes  of  the  ancient 
family  of  Cant  well,  which  is  of  Norman-English 
origin.  He  received  an  academical  education  under 
the  Right  Reverend  Dr.  England,  at  the  Philosophi- 
cal and  Literary  Seminary  in  his  native  city,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  was  graduated  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  the  Law  Department 
of  Harvard  University.  In  1847  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Polk  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  Twelfth 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  United  States  Army,  and 
Avas  confirmed  in  that  rank  by  the  United  States 
Senate,  March  17  of  the  same  year.  At,  the  battle 
of  the  National  Bridge,  August,  1847,  he  comman- 
ded the  storming  party,  and  carried  the  stars  and 
stripes  which  are  now  preserved  as  a  relic  of  this 
war  in  the  War  Department,  Washington  City.  On 
February  22,  1848,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
First  Lieutenant.  On  the  disbandment  of  his  regi- 
ment at  the  close  of  the  Mexican  War,  in  1848,  he 
established  himself  at  Wilmington,  North  Carolina, 
and  began  the  practice  of  law.  While  a  resident  of 
this  city  he  organized  the  company  of  militia  which 
was  chartered  in  1853  as  the  Wilmington  Light  In- 
fantry. Of  this  command  he  was  the  first  Captain. 
In  1854  he  removed  to  Raleigh  in  the  same  State, 
and  two  years  later  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  House 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


49 


of  Commons,  the  lower  branch  of  the  Legislature, 
serving  as  such  until  1861,  when  he  resigned.  On 
April  15,  1861,  he  was  appointed  Adjutant-General 
of  North  Carolina,  and  on  May  14  following  ac- 
cepted the  commission  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
Second  Regiment  of  North  Carolina  Volunteers, 
and  took  the  field  with  that  command.    Being  cap- 
tured shortly  afterwards  by  the  Federal  troops,  he 
was  confined  for  a  period  at  the  Old  Capitol  and  at 
Johnson's  Island,  in  Lake  Erie.    Upon  his  release, 
early  in  1862,  he  was  appointed  Civil  and  military 
Governor  of  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth,  with  the  rank 
of  Brigadier-General,  by  the  President  and  Senate 
of  the  Confederate  States.    In  1863  he  was  com- 
missioned Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Fourth  North 
Carolina  Cavalry.   For  gallantry  at  Petersburg,  dur- 
ing the  Kautz  raid,  repulsing  the  attack  at  the 
Water  Works,  June  9, 1864,  he  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Colonel.    In  the  latter  year  he  was  appoint- 
ed by  the  President  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate  of 
the  '•  Confederate  States,"  as  Presiding  Judge  of  the 
Third  Corps  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 
With  the  cessation  of  hostilities  he  returned  to 
North  Carolina  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law. 
settling  temporarily  at  Oxford.    In  1866,  upon  the 
passage  of  an  Act  of  Congress  providing  for  the 
readmission  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina  to  the 
Union,  on  certain  conditions,  lie  addressed  a  letter 
to  Robert  P.  Dick,  Esq.,  afterwards  United  States 
Judge,  recommending  the  Old  Line  Democracy  of 
the  State,  and  the  people  generally,  to  accept  any 
terms  of  readmission  the  Government  (night  pro- 
pose, and  particularly  the  adoption  of  what  was 
called  "the  Radical"  Constitution,  pledging  him- 
self, in  the  event  of  its  adoption,  to  any  necessary 
amendments.    The  Raleigh  Standard  published  sev- 
eral thousand  copies  of  the  letter  during  the  bitter 
canvass  which  ensued  and  which  resulted  in  the 
success  of  the  Republican  ticket  by  a  large  majority. 
The  Congress  of  1866  removed  Col.  Cantwell's  disa- 
bilities, but  he  refused  to  hold  office  or  be  a  candi- 
date in  the  election.    In  1868  he  was  chosen  Judge 
of  the  City  Court  of  Wilmington,  by  the  unanimous 
vote  of  the  Governor  and  Senate  of  North  Carolina. 
In  1873  he  was  appointed  Solicitor  of  the  Fourth 
Judicial  District  in  the  same  State.  He  was  elected, 
without  opposition,  Senator  of  the  Twelfth  District, 
in  1876.    On  taking  his  seat  in  that  body  he  intro- 
duced a  bill  to  call  a  State  Convention  for  the 
amendment  of  the  constitution,  which  passed  both 
branches  of  the  Legislature.    The  convention  was 
called,  the  constitution,  as  it  now  stands  amended 
under  this  act,  was  adopted,  and  Col.  Cantwell  im- 
mediately retired  from  public  life  and  has  never 
since  taken  any  part  in  public  affairs.    Upon  leav- 


ing the  North  Carolina  Senate  he  retired  to  his 
farm  at  Brinkley,  North  Carolina,  and  in  1880  re- 
turned to  his  native  city.  In  1882  he  was  appointed 
Instructor  of  the  Preparatory  Department  of  the 
Charleston  High  School,  with  classes  in  History  and 
Law,  and  in  the  following  year  became  Professor  of 
Law  and  History  in  the  Georgia  Military  Academy. 
He  afterwards  removed  to  Utica,  New  York,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  Col.  Cantwell  has  won  dis- 
tinction in  the  field  of  letters  as  the  author  of  books, 
essays  and  opinions  on  legal  subjects,  and  a  number 
of  historical  works  and  papers.  Among  these  are 
volumes  entitled,  "  The  North  Carolina  Justice," 
"  North  Carolina  Form  Book,"  "  Early  Times  and 
Traditions  of  the  Caroliuas,"  "  The  Barnwell  Expe- 
dition, 1712,"  "  Irish  Discovery  of  America,"  "In- 
surrection of  1766,"  "Life  of  Franklin,"  "Life  of 
Malesherbes,"  etc.,  etc.  Col.  Cantwell  is  a  member 
of  the  Historical  and  Scientific  Society  of  North 
Carolina,  a  member  of  the  Historical  Societies  of 
Delaware  and  Georgia,  and  of  the  Oneida  Histori- 
cal Society.  In  the  cultured  circle  in  which  he 
moves  he  is  prominent  in  philanthropic  and  Chris- 
tian work.  In  February,  1889,  upon  an  invitation 
from  some  of  the  most  prominent  gentlemen  of 
Utica,  he  repeated,  in  that  city,  his  famous  lecture 
upon  the  Pre-Columbian  Discover}'  of  America  by 
the  Irish.  Among  these  gentlemen  were  Gen.  G.  W. 
Darling,  Hons.  John  F.  Seymour,  M.  C.  Comstock, 
Francis  Kernan,  E.  Prentiss  Bailey,  Alexander  T. 
|  Goodwin.  P.  F.  Bulger,  C.  W.  Hutchinson,  Messrs. 

G.  W.  Weaver,  G.  K.  Shurtleff,  P.  V.  Rogers,  and 
|  the  Rev.  Drs.  Goodrich,  Hartley  and  Gibson,  Rev. 
■  Messrs.  Maxon,  Olmstead,  Schulte  and  others  emi- 
•  nent  for  their  public  services  and  their  deep  inter- 
j  est  in  the  welfare  of  the  city.  Col.  Cantwell  is  per- 
sonally held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  generally. 


TOURTELLOT,  LOUIS  ANDRAL,  M.D.  of  Utica, 
was  born  in  Greenfield,  Saratoga  County,  New 
York,  February  13,  1832.  He  is  descended  in 
the  fifth  generation  from  Gabriel  Tourtellot,  a  native 
of  Bordeaux,  France,  and  a  Huguenot,  who  emi- 
igrated  to  this  country  in  1690.  He  prepared  for 
College  in  Kingsboro  Academy,  but  was  compelled 
by  delicate  health  to  forego  a  collegiate  course.  For 
several  years  afterward  he  was  engaged  in  teaching, 
and  as  assistant  editor  of  a  daily  newspaper,  but  at 
length  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  his  father, 
Dr.  Freeman  Tourtellot,  who  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  Saratoga  County  for  nearly  fifty  years.  He 
was  graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of  the 


5° 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


University  of  New  York  in  1854,  and  after  passing 
a  year  in  the  hospitals  and  dispensaries  of  that  city, 
-went  to  Utica  in  1855,  to  accept  an  appointment  as 
assistant  physician  in  the  State  Lunatic  Asylum. 
After  holding  that  office  for  seven  years,  he  resigned 
to  enter  upon  private  practice  in  Utica.  Dr.  Tour- 
tellot was  married,  in  18G2,  to  Elizabeth  Hubbard, 
only  daughter  of  Hon.  Hiram  Denio,  LL.D.,  Chief 
Judge  of  the  New  York  Court  of  Appeals.  In  1871 
he  went  to  Europe,  where  he  devoted  much  time, 
during  a  two  years'  stay,  to  the  study  of  insanity 
and  the  care  of  the  insane,  visiting  for  that  purpose 
man}-  of  the  asylums  of  Great  Britain,  France, 
Switzerland  and  Italy.  Since  his  return  in  1873  Dr. 
Tourtellot  has  devoted  himself  to  the  specialty  of 
mental  and  nervous  diseases.  As  an  editor  for 
twelve  years  of  the  American  Journal  of  Insanit/y, 
and  as  a  contributor  to  the  American  Psychological 
.Journal,  the  Journal  of  JYtrroiix  and  Mi  idol  Dixeaxex, 
and  the  Medico-Legal  Journal,  his  writings  are  vo- 
luminous. He  has  labored  in  the  cause  of  reform  in 
our  civil  service,  and  has  been  especially  devoted 
to  the  department  of  lunacy  reform.  Dr.  Tourtellot 
has  two  children  :  a  son  and  a  daughter.  Widely 
esteemed  in  social  life,  he  is  especially  honored  in 
his  profession.  Hanking  therein  among  the  foremost 
and  most  progressive,  and  enjoying  in  an  exception- 
al degree  the  confidence  of  a  large  and  evergrowing 
clientage,  he  gives  abundant  promise  of  increasing 
usefulness  and  honor  in  the  coming  years  of  an 
active  life. 


VEST,  PROF.  CHARLES  EDWIN.  A.M..  M.D.. 
LL.D.,  etc.,  etc.,  a  distinguished  American 
teacher,  founder  of  the  system  of  higher  edu- 
cation for  women,  and  for  nearly  thirty  years  Prin- 
cipal of  the  Brooklyn  Heights  Female  Seminary, 
was  born  at  Washington.  Massachusetts,  February 
23,  1809.  His  parents  were  New  Englanders,  and 
were  both  of  English  ancestry.  Gilbert  West,  the 
poet  and  the  author  of  the  great  work  on  the  Resur- 
rection, was  of  the  same  family  as  that  from  which 
Dr.  West's  father  sprang,  and  was  the  son  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  West,  Prebendary  of  Winchester,  England, 
whose  wife  was  Mary,  daughter  of  Richard  Temple, 
Baronet,  of  the  Buckingham  and  Chandos  families. 
The  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
Abel  West,  a  native  of  Lebanon,  Connecticut.  He 
is  described  as  "a  large  man,  of  commanding  ap- 
pearance; an  inveterate  hater  of  British  tyranny, 
and  a  profound  admirer  of  John  Calvin."  He  mar- 
ried Hannah  Chapman,  whose  father,  John  Chap- 
man, an  Englishman  by  birth,  was  the  first  deacon 


of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Yernon,  Connecti- 
cut. Mrs.  West  died  at  Washington,  Massachu- 
setts, April  28,  1814,  aged  sixty-one  years.  She  was 
an  amiable  and  pious  woman  and  was  remarkable 
for  her  extraordinary  memory.  The  Rev.  Dr.  John 
Todd,  in  his  sermon  at  the  funeral  of  Abel  West.  Jr. 
(her  son)  said  of  her  that  while  she  never  read  but 
two  books, — the  Bible  and  Josephus, — she  could  re- 
peat these  verbatim,  from  memory,  so  that  you 
might  open  the  Bible  anywhere  and  read  a  verse 
and  she  would  unhesitatingly  recite  the  next  verse 
following.  Her  pastor  used  to  say  that  she  was  one 
of  two  persons  in  the  congregation  whom  he  feared, 
for  if  he  were  to  repeat  a  sermon,  however  great 
the  interval,  she  would  be  sure  to  know  it.  At  a 
critical  period  in  the  Revolution  Abel  West  sold  his 
farm  and  witli  the  money  thus  obtained,  purchased 
provisions  for  Washington's  army.  While  driving 
an  ox-team  laden  with  these  army  stores  through 
the  forests  of  New  Jersey,  a  courier  from  the  army 
came  dashing  along  with  despatches  announcing 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  Such  was  the  univer- 
sal joy  that  West  was  ordered  to  turn  his  oxen 
loose  and  was  paid  in  Continental  money,  which 
was  never  redeemed  by  the  government.  He  died 
January  12.  183G.  and  the  support  of  his  family  fell 
upon  his  son  Abel  Jr.,  who  was  one  of  seven  chil- 
dren,— two  sons  and  five  daughters.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  up  to  the  year  1870  six  of  these 
children  were  living,  t heir  aggregate  ages  reaching 
510  years,  averaging  85  years  each.  Abel  was  born 
in  Yernon.  Connecticut.  November  27,  1780.  and 
married,  in  early  manhood,  Matilda  Thompson,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Thompson,  who  came  over 
from  England  in  the  British  Army  under  General 
Burgoyne,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga.  This 
martial  grandfather  of  Dr.  West  was  born  at  Ap- 
pleby. Westmoreland.  England.  April  18.  1737,  and 
was  a  fine  example  of  physical  strength  and  per- 
sonal beauty.  He  stood  six  feet  six  inches  in 
height.  When  disaster  befell  the  British  troops 
under  Burgoyne.  he  was  one  of  the  hundred  men 
selected  by  that  commander  from  the  very  flower 
of  that  army  and  ordered  to  cut  through  the  Amer- 
ican lines.  Although  his  clothing  was  pierced  in 
three  places  by  Indicts,  he  managed  to  get  through 
alive  and  unharmed,  being  one  of  the  nine  or  ten 
who  succeeded  in  doing  so.  When  peace  was  de- 
clared he  made  his  home  in  America,  spending  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  in  Pittsfield.  Massachusetts, 
where  he  died  November  21,  1840,  at  the  great  age 
of  one  hundred  and  three  years,  seven  months,  and 
three  days.  Dr.  West's  mother  (his  daughter)  was 
in  all  respects  a  most  remarkable  woman.  She, 
too,  was  distinguished  for  great  physical  poweis, 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


which  served  her  admirably  in  the  arduous  work  of 
rearing  and  managing  a  large  family.    She  is  re- 
membered with  great  affection  as  possessing  "  all 
the  virtues  which  make  up  a  noble  character." 
"  Her  crowning  glory  was  her  disinterested  benevo- 
lence."   She  was  without  selfishness,  and  hesitated 
at  no  sacrifice  for  the  good  of  her  children  or 
others.    In  a  wide  district  she  was  known  as  "the 
good  Samaritan."  ever  ready  to  go  on  errands  of 
mercy  to  the  sick  and  needy.    She  possessed  great 
evenness  of  temper  and  was  profoundly  religious. 
Her  life  and  example  were  of  the  highest  value  in 
suggesting,  to  those  in  her  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances as  well  as  to  her  children,  the  beauty 
and  importance  of  a  noble  life.    Born  in  Pelham, 
Massachusetts,  July  9,  1782,  she  died,  sincerely 
mourned,  at  Pittsfield,  in  the  same  State,  May  10. 
18(>6.    Dr.  West's  father,  Abel  West,  died  at  Pitts- 
held,  Massachusetts  (where  he  had  lived  for  more 
than  half  a  century)  on  February  2,  1871.    By  na- 
ture Mr.  West  inherited  a  very  tenacious  memory, 
so  that  what  he  read  was  retained  ami  assimilated 
and  digested  so  as  to  be  his  own.    "  In  judgment," 
says  Dr.  Todd,  in  the  funeral  sermon  quoted  above. 
'•  he  was  sound,  balanced  and  so  discriminating 
that  he  seldom  had  occasion  to  reverse  his  deci- 
sion*.   It  should  be  noticed  that  he  was  one  of  the 
most  perfect  specimens  of  a  natural  gentleman  in 
his  dress,  bis  address,  his  maimers  and  language. 
His  dress  was  faultless,  his  manners  actually  court- 
ly, his  form  straight  and  active,  and,  whether  he 
spoke  or  wrote,  everything  bore  the  marks  of  the 
gentleman.    Those  who  recollect  him  in  the  town- 
meeting — the  training  school  for  the  genuine  New 
England  man — will  recall  his  unusual  powers  in 
debate.    On  one  occasion,  when  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  at    Boston,  a  subject  arose  in 
which  he  was  interested,  and  a  distinguished  law- 
yer of  this  county,  though  not  of  this  town,  pro- 
nounced the  speech  of  Mr.  West  the  ablest  of  the 
wh  >lc  session.    He  was  also  a  man  of  childlike  sim- 
plicity of  character,  to  which.  I  may  add.  great  pur- 
ity of  heart,  and  had  the  comfort  through  life  of  re- 
ceiving the  Bible  as  God's  word  without  doubt, 
cavil,  or  hesitation.    Such  a  temperament  united  to 
his  religious  faith  made  him  cheerful  and  happy  to 
an  unusual  degree.    Thus  by  the  grace  of  God  this 
man  lived,  and  was  gathered  as  a  shock  of  corn 
cometh  in  its  season,  and  at  the  great  age  of  ninety 
went  to  his  rest  without  a  tarnish  on  his  name  or  a 
reproach  attached  to  his  memory."    Such  were 
some  of  the  influences,  and  such  the  goodly  herit- 
age that  were  destined  to  mold  the  life  and  character 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.    Among  the  Berkshire 
Hills,  in  the  charming  town  of  Pittstield,  he  spent 


5* 

his  early  childhood  and  youth,  and  the  bracing 
mountain  air  and  picturesque  surroundings  were 
not  without  their  direct  influence  upon  him.  Un- 
der the  guidance  of  virtuous  and  industrious  pa- 
rents he  formed  a  taste  for  knowledge.  The  growth 
of  plants,  the  peculiarities  and  habits  of  animals, 
and  the  forces  of  nature  early  engaged  and  inter- 
ested his  young  mind.  He  was  eight  years  old 
when  his  parents  removed  to  the  Ward  house  in 
Pittstield.  When  placed  at  school  he  found  pleas- 
ure in  study.  The  atlas  with  its  colored  lines, 
marking  the  boundaries  of  States  and  countries,  es- 
pecially pleased  his  fancy,  and  in  the  maps — almost 
the  first  pictures  which  fell  under  his  eye — betook  un- 
bounded delight.  As  a  Consequence  geography  was 
mastered  on  the  run.  While  still  very  young  he 
attracted  the  attention  of  his  teachers,  one  of 
whom,  Mr.  Henry  K.  Strong,  a  graduate  of  Union 
College,  inspired  him  with  a  desire  for  a  collegiate 
education.  A  financial  disaster  made  it  necessary 
for  his  father  to  economize  and  for  some  years  the 
project  could  only  be  referred  to  as  one  very  desira- 
ble but  not  altogether  feasible.  In  the  meantime 
young  West  worked  about  the  farm,  but  his  health 
began  to  fail  and  the  outlook  was  not  very  promis- 
ing. Nevertheless,  he  applied  himself  closely  to 
study,  hoping  for  better  things.  With  money  saved 
from  his  small  holiday  allowance  he  made  his  first 
purchase  of  books:  Pike's  Arithmetic  and  Bobbin's 
Narrative,  and  the  joy  he  experienced  in  their  pos- 
session has  probably  not  been  equalled  by  any  sub- 
sequent purchase  of  literature.  Permitted  at  last 
to  attend  the  academy  in  Pittstield  he  cheerfully 
worked  during  his  leisure  hours  so  as  to  defray  the 
cost  of  his  board,  and  when  sufficiently  advanced 
began  teaching  in  the  district  schools  during  the 
winter  sessions.  When  the  academy  was  super- 
seded by  the  Berkshire  Gymnasium,  under  the  priu- 
cipalship  of  Prof.  Chester  Dewey,  he  took  his  place 
in  the  classes  in  the  hitter,  and  during  the  winters 
of  1827,  '28  and  '2!)  taught  in  the  district  schools 
with  no  little  success.  In  May,  1830,  he  entered 
Union  College,  at  Schenectady,  under  President 
Eliphalet  Nott,  then  at  the  zenith  of  his  fame  and 
popularity.  In  1832  he  was  graduated  at  Union 
College  with  the  highest  honors.  His  class  num- 
bered seventy-five.  Twenty-seven  of  its  members 
became  lawyers;  twenty-three,  clergymen;  six, 
physicians;  and  four,  teachers.  Among  those  who 
became  specially  prominent  were  Dr.  John  McClel- 
land, Bev.  Dr.  James  M.  Macdonald,  Bev.  Dr.  Ed- 
ward D.  G.  Prime,  Hon.  Alex.  Bradford,  LL.D., 
Hon.  Thomas  Allen,  LL.D.,  Hon.  David  B.  Floyd- 
Jones,  Judge  Gilbert  M.  Spier  and  Hon.  Boger 
Averill.    West's  first  position  after  leaving  college 


52 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


was  at  the  head  of  a  boy's  school  at  Sand  Lake, 
New  York.  From  there  he  went  to  Albany  to 
study  law:  but  despite  his  desire  to  master  and 
practice  that  profession  he  was  drawn  into  teach- 
ing; and  in  that  city  his  fife  work  may  be  said  to 
lujve  betruii  in  earnest  when  he  found  himself  at  the 
bead  of  a  select  school  of  fifty  or  more  boys.  From 
1833  to  183G  he  labored  in  this  field,  the  foundation 
he  established  maturing  into  the  Albany  Classical 
School.  While  residing  in  Albany,  Prof.  West 
married  Antoinette  E.  Gregory,  daughter  of  Henry 
M.  Gregory,  of  that  city.  She  was  the  possessor  of 
many  and  rare  personal  accomplishments,  and  of  a 
profound  religious  character,  and  was  devoted  to 
works  of  charity  among  the' poor  and  afflicted. 
This  beautiful  and  estimable  Christian  woman  died 
on  March  26,  1838.  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-four 
years.  In  the  autumn  following  this  bereavement. 
Prof.  West,  who  for  some  little  time  previously 
had  been  filling  the  chair  of  Chemistry  and  Natural 
History  at  the  Oneida  Institute,  removed  to  Bing- 
hamton,  where  he  was  residing  when  invited  to 
take  charge  of  Rutgers  Institute  in  New  York.  At 
this  time  numerous  invitations  and  offers  were 
made  to  him,  but  of  them  all  he  chose  to  accept  the 
call  of  the  institution  named,  since  he  was  in  full 
accord  with  its  projectors,  in  believing  that  woman 
was  as  capable  of  higher  mental  training  and  devel- 
opment as  man.  Polite  learning  for  the  drawing- 
room  was  apparently  the  limit  of  the  most  advanced 
female  education  at  this  period.  With  ample 
means  at  his  disposal  to  carry  on  the  work,  and  the 
hearty  co-operation  of  a  most  intelligent  board  of 
trustees — the  Chairman  of  which  was  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Isaac  Ferris — Prof.  West  began  his  experiments, 
hopefully,  systematically  and  scientifically.  The 
results  may  be  said  to  have  astonished  not  only  the 
community  but  the  nation,  and  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  many  distinguished  Europeans.  As  per- 
fected, the  course  in  mathematics  was  similar  to 
that  of  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point :  and 
when  the  classes  were  examined  by  college  pro- 
fessors of  mathematics,  it  was  clearly  proven  that 
woman  could  and  did  excel  in  the  higher  walks  of 
learning.  Thus  Rutgers  Female  College  of  New  York 
took  its  place  as  the  originator  of  the  college  system 
of  education  for  women  in  this  country,  underthe  di- 
rection of  Professor  West.  Among  the  distinguished 
foreign  visitors  to  the  institute  in  these  early  days 
were  Frederica  Bremer,  the  Swedish  novelist; 
Catherine  M.  Sedgwick:  Fanny  Kemble :  Lady 
Franklin  ;  Prof.  D.  Buddiugh,  of  the  Royal  Acad- 
emj  of  Delft,  Holland:  Amin  Bey,  Naseef  Shedood- 
yat.  Martin  F.  Tupper.  General  Bertrand,  of 
France,  and  other  celebrities;  while  among  the  em-  | 


inent  Americans  who  examined  its  workings  wen- 
Webster  and  Clay.  Brought  into  agreeable  and,  in 
numerous  instances,  intimate  relations  with  the 
literary  and  scientific  men  of  New  York  City,  Prof. 
West  became  a  member  of  several  societies,  among 
them  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History.— at  the  meet- 
ings of  which  he  often  met  Audubon.  Torrey.  De- 
Kay.  Jay  and  other  lights  of  the  scientific  world: — 
and  the  Historical  Society,  whose  honored  Presi- 
dent was  Albert  Gallatin.  In  1851,  after  spending 
twelve  years  there  in  founding  this  first  collegiate 
course  for  women.  Prof.  West  left  Rutgers  to  ac- 
cept the  Principalship  of  the  Buffalo  Female  Acad- 
emy, a  position  to  which  he  had  been  urgently  in- 
vited. Here  he  spent  nine  years,  during  which 
period  lie  advanced  this  school  to  the  front  rank. 
The  opening  of  the  Civil  War  broke  up  the  project 
of  founding  a  university  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
in  which  he  was  engaged  in  conjunction  with  Gor- 
ham  D.  Abbott,  the  President  of  the  Spingler  Insti- 
tute in  Union  Square,  and  for  which  a  site  had  ac- 
tually been  purchased.  Urged  by  Professor  Gray, 
then  the  Principal  of  the  Brooklyn  Heights  Female 
Seminary,  who  was  suffering  from  a  fatal  disease,  to 
take  his  school,  Prof.  West  consented.  Prof.  Gray 
died  in  March,  I860,  and  Prof.  West  entered  upon 
his  duties  the  succeeding  fall  term,  and  remained 
until  the  close  of  the  school  year  in  June,  188!).  Prof. 
West's  experience  as  a  teacher  covers  sixty-two 
years.  During  the  first  ten  of  these  he  taught  boys 
exclusively,  their  number  aggregating  at  least  one 
thousand.  The  succeeding  years  were  devoted  en- 
tirely to  the  instruction  of  girls,  ten  thousand  of 
whom  have  unfolded  and  developed  their  intellects 
under  his  wise  teaching  and  loving  counsel.  This 
remarkable  record,  probably  Unexampled  in  point 
of  length,  is  doubtless  unequalled  in  point  of  effi- 
ciency and  also  unparalleled  as  regards  the  number 
of  pupils.  The  intellectual  and  moral  effect  of  such 
labor  is  scarcely  conceivable.  Dr.  West  is  justly 
entitled  to  be  called  a  many-sided  man.  His  studies 
have  touched  upon  nearly  every  field  of  human 
knowledge  and  have  penetrated  many  of  them 
deeply.  Experimental  research  in  every  depart- 
ment of  scientific  inquiry  has  always  held  a  charm 
for  him  which  nothing  could  overcome.  At  the 
period  he  adopted  teaching  as  a  profession  he  was 
engaged  in  studying  the  mysteries  of  the  law.  Up- 
on removing  to  New  York  City  he  continued  his 
studies  in  the  office  of  John  Yan  Buren  ("  Prince 
John ")  and  Hamilton  W.  Robinson,  and  on  May 
16,  1845,  was  duly  admitted  to  the  bar.  Later  in 
life  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  medicine  pri- 
vately and  at  the  best  colleges,  simply  with  a  view 
to  enlarging  his  fund  of  knowledge  and  powers  of 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOG 


RAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


53 


usefulness.  In  1844  the  University  of  New  York 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine. In  the  same  year  he  received  from  Columbia 
College  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  In  1851  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  Rutgers  College,  New  Jersey.  While 
at  college  in  Schenectady  he  became  affiliated  with 
the  Kappa  Alpha,  the  oldest  college  society  in 
America,  and  was  also  honored  by  election  to  the 
Alpha  Chapter  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society. 
As  a  young  man  he  studied  chemistry  as  a  private 
pupil  of  the  elder  Sillinian  of  Yale  College.  This 
science  and  physics  were  special  favorites  with  him, 
and  for  forty  years  he  taught  them  to  his  pupils. 
All  the  remarkable  advances,  discoveries  and  inven- 
tions, which  make  this  century  notable,  have  oc- 
curred in  his  day  and  he  has  known  many  of  the 
men  who  through  them  have  written  their  names 
Upperishably  on  the  scroll  of  fame.  He  had  ar- 
rived at  man's  estate  before  Peter  Cooper,  in  1830, 
started  the  locomotive  "Tom  Thumb"  over  the 
tracks  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  ami  he 
became  intimately  acquainted  with  this  kind- 
hearted  inventor  and  liberal  friend  of  education. 
With  Prof.  Henry,  who  in  the  same  year  had  an 
electric  telegraph  in  working  order,  and  with 
Morse,  who  later  perfected  its  application,  he  was 
likewise  intimate.  In  1839,  while  Daguerre's  dis- 
covery was  astonishing  and  delighting  the  world, 
he  was  co-operating  with  Prof.  Draper,  Dr.  James 
P..  Chilton,  and  Prof.  Morse  in  bringing  it  out  in 
this  country,  and  his  was  the  first  likeness  taken  in 
a  public  gallery  in  America,  Prosch,  the  noted 
instrument  maker,  being  the  operator.  Almost 
from  its  development  as  a  science  Prof.  West  has 
been  an  active  promoter  of  meteorology — now  so 
useful  to  man — and  for  many  years  made  several 
observations  daily,  recording  the  results.  In  1860 
his  knowledge  of  hydro-dynamics  was  put  to  a 
most  useful  test  by  the  citizens  of  Buffalo,  he  hav- 
iiiL  been  appointed  on  a  committee  to  investigate 
the  claims  made  by  Rollin  Germain  bearing  on  the 
construction  and  speed  of  ocean  steamships.  His 
adverse  report  as  Chairman  of  the  committee 
opened  the  eyes  of  would-be  investors  to  the  fallacy 
of  Germain's  preposterous  assertion  that  a  speed  of 
one  hundred  miles  an  hour  was  attainable,  and 
saved  the  citizens  of  Buffalo  many  thousands  of 
dollars.  As  a  microscopist  he  was  also  early  in  the 
field,  and  rendered  valuable  service  in  perfecting 
instruments,  organizing  societies  and  lecturing  in 
this  department.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  American  Society  of  Microscopists,  and  about 
1850  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Royal  Microscop- 
ical Society  of  London.    In  the  science  of  astron- 


omy he  has  always  been  deeply  interested.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Astronomical  Society  and 
has  been  the  friend  and  correspondent  of  several 
eminent  astronomers,  both  American  and  European, 
among  the  latter  the  late  Father  Secchi  of  Rome. 
Altogether  he  is  a  member  of  some  twenty-five  sci- 
entific societies.  As  an  antiquary  he  holds  a  high 
rank ;  being  honored  several  years  since  by  an  invi- 
tation from  the  Royal  Society  of  Northern  Antiqua- 
ries of  Denmark,  to  visit  that  country  and  read  a 
paper  on  American  antiquities.  This  society  con- 
ferred its  Honorary  Fellowship  upon  him  in  recog- 
nition of  his  attainments  and  writings.  This  dis- 
tinguished honor  he  shares  with  the  esteemed 
Emperor  of  Brazil  and  several  European  sovereigns. 
His  diploma  is  signed  by  the  late  Emperor  Freder- 
ick, as  President  of  the  Society.  For  many  years 
Dr.  West  was  an  active  and  prominent  member  of 
the  Brooklyn  Institute,  and  upon  its  recent  reor- 
ganization was  elected  President  of  the  Section  on 
Natural  Science.  Shortly  after  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Brooklyn  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Clerical  Union  of  that  city,  with  which  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  Rev.  Dr.  R.  S.  Storrs,  and  other  eminent 
divines  were  connected.  He  has  made  a  profound 
study  of  the  Bible  and  has  written  a  large  number 
of  papers  on  Biblical  subjects.  The  titles  of  some 
of  these  are  as  follows  :  The  Pentateuch:  The  Eng- 
lish Bible;  Book  of  Genesis:  The  Creation  of  Mat- 
ter; Creation  of  Man:  The  Image  of  God;  The 
Original  Status  of  Man:  The  Official  Dignity  of 
Man ;  The  Fall  of  Man  ;  The  Tree  of  Life  or  Immor- 
tality; The  Immortality  of  the  Redeemed;  The 
Everlasting  Death  of  the  Wicked :  The  Noachic 
Deluge  :  The  Confusion  of  Languages ;  The  Unity 
of  the  Human  Race:  .Miracles:  etc.,  etc.  His  "An- 
alysis of  Butler's  Analogy  "  was  published  by  Har- 
per Brothers.  Among  the  numerous  scientific  pa- 
pers from  his  pen  may  be  named  one  entitled 
"  Cyclones  and  Earthquakes,"  and  an  article  on  an 
earthquake  that  occurred  in  western  New  York, 
which  was  published  in  Sillimari'a  Journal.  His 
review  of  Dr.  Edward  II.  Clark's  book  on  co- 
education, read  before  the  Clerical  Union,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1873,  attracted  wide  attention  and  gained 
him  the  author's  friendship.  One  of  his  recent 
publications  is  entitled  "  Fifty  Years  of  Progress." 
It  is  an  octavo  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  pages, 
and  is  crowded  from  cover  to  cover  with  interesting 
and  valuable  facts  and  experiences.  On  the  23d  of 
May.  1889,  he  delivered  an  address  before  the 
Brooklyn  Union,  entitled  "The  American  System 
of  Education ;  Its  Origin  and  Development ;  Its 
Value  as  a  Civilizing  Force."  Among  his  papers 
and  addresses  of  lesser  note  may  be  named  one 


54 


CON  TEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


proving  the  date  of  "  Forefather's  Day"  to  be  De- 
cember 21,  which  led  to  its  adoption  by  the  New- 
England  Society  of  Brooklyn,  of  which  Dr.  West  is 
one  of  the  original  members;  also  several  pa- 
pers which  bore  on  the  title  "  Doctor  of  Laws  "  and 
permanently  settled  the  controversy  as  to  the 
punctuation  of  the  usual  abbreviation  of  that  title. 
For  twenty-nine  years,  Dr.  West  gave  daily  lectures 
upon  art  before  his  pupils,  the  course  comprising 
eighty  lectures.  His  knowledge  of  this  subject, 
based  on  careful  study,  wide  observation,  and  an 
instructive  appreciation  of  the  beautiful,  is  unusu- 
ally thorough  and  his  lectures  in  consequence  ab- 
sorbingly interesting.  In  his  private  collection  of 
engravings  and  etchings  were  no  less  than  ten  thou- 
sand examplars,  among  them  being  some  of  the 
rarest  and  most  valuable  in  the  world,  including 
several  original  etchings  by  Rembrandt,  and  one  of 
the  first  five  copies  of  the  Sistine  Madonna, — en- 
graved by  Johann-Frederich-Wilhelm  Muller — the 
acknowledged  masterpiece  among  engravings.  Dr. 
Wrest's  interest  in  art  has  led  to  his  being  elected 
honorary  member  of  the  Rembrandt  Club,  and 
member  of  the  Grolier  Club.  He  is  one  of  the  old 
members  of  the  Century  Club,  and  also  of  t lie 
Brooklyn  and  Hamilton  Clubs..  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  President  of  the  Council  of  the  last 
named.  His  residence  in  Montague  Street,  Brook- 
b  n,  is  rilled  witli  rare  and  costly  art  treasures.  1 [is 
collection  of  Japanese  art  is  one  of  the  finest,  and 
includes  some  of  the  oldest,  richest  and  most  ele- 
gant Satsuma  and  bronze  vases  that  have  ever  been 
brought  to  this  country ;  and  as  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment has  forbidden  the  Damioes  to  sell  any 
more  of  these  ancient  goods,  their  equal  will  prob- 
ably never  leave  Japan.  In  this  marvellous  collec- 
tion are  sacred  pictures,  shrines,  images  and  vest- 
ments of  remarkable  antiquityr,  several  having  an 
authenticated  pedigree  of  from  ten  to  twenty  centu- 
ries. A  volume  might  be  written  on  this  collection 
alone.  Its  character  and  authenticity  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  Buddhists  who  have  visited  it  fall  on 
their  knees  and  worship  before  these  shrines.  His 
library,  which  was  sold  upon  his  removal  to  Buffalo, 
in  1889,  was  one  of  the  finest  private  collections  in 
Brooklyn,  and  included  among  its  treasures  the 
first  Algebra  ever  printed  and  a  copy  of  the  first  edi- 
tion (very  rare)  of  Johannes  Zahn's  "  Oculus  Arti- 
ticialis."  P>ery  department  of  science,  art  and  lit- 
erature was  represented,  and  it  contained  a  num- 
ber of  rare  works  in  the  Icelandic,  Anglo-Saxon  and 
( >riental  languages.  Dr.  West  possesses  a  fine  col- 
lection of  scientific  apparatus  and  instruments,  large 
and  valuable.  His  collection  of  autograph  letters 
is  extensive  and  interesting.    His  intimate  acquain- 


tance with  science,  so  far  from  alienating  him  from 
Christianity,  serves  only  to  deepen  his  respect  for 
revealed  religion  and  reverence  tor  and  confidence 
in  God.  In  conversation  he  is  absorbingly  interest- 
ing; in  manner  as  simple  as  a  child.  He  carries 
his  years  gracefully  and  wears  his  honors  modestly, 
but  at  all  times  he  is  noticeable  for  that  quiet  dig- 
nity which  superior  knowledge  combined  with  ele- 
vated character  alone  confers.  On  April  24,  1843, 
Dr.  West  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Green  Giles,  of 
Worcester,  Massachusetts,  daughter  of  Nehcmiah 
and  Mary  Giles  of  Walpole,  New  Hampshire.  The 
ceremony  was  performed  at  the  house  of  the  late 
ex-Governor  Emory  Washburn,  of  Cambridge,  Mass- 
achusetts, whose  wife  was  a  sister  of  this  lady. 
Miss  Giles  came  of  an  old  New  England  family. 
Dickens,  who  met  her  at  the  house  of  Governor 
John  Davis  of  Massachusetts,  declared  her  the  most 
beautiful  woman  lie  had  ever  seen.  She  was  highly 
accomplised  and  was  a  devout  Christian.  She  died 
September  7,  1804,  leaving  two  sons  and  three 
daughters. 


TTTATSON,  DR.  WILLIAM  H.,  A.M..  M.D.,  of 
yU  L'tica,  was  born  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
If  Novembers,  182!).  lie  is  the  only  son  of  the 
late  Hon.  William  Robinson  Watson.  On  the 
paternal  side  lie  is  descended  from  the  oldest,  most 
respectable  and  most  distinguished  families  in  the 
State  of  Rhode  Island,  among  whom  may  be  named 
the  Wantons,  Hazards,  Robinsons  and  Browns, 
who,  at  a  period  anterior  to  the  Revolutionary  War, 
were  the  largest  landed  proprietors  in  the  southern 
portion  of  that  State.  These  families  were  noted  for 
dispensing  an  elegant  and  princely  hospitality  and 
furnishing  a  genial  and  polished  society  when  the 
city  of  Providence  was  yet  but  a  small  and  incon- 
siderable village.  Dr.  Watson,  on  the  paternal  side, 
is  the  lineal  descendant  in  the  fifth  generation  of 
Gideon  Wanton,  the  Colonial  Governor  of  Rhode 
Island  in  1745  and  1747.  Five  of  Dr.  Watson's  an- 
cestors had  filled  the  Gubernatorial  chair  of  that 
State  previous  to  the  Revolution  of  1770.  The 
original  ancestor  of  the  Watson  family,  John  Wat- 
son, came  from  England  about  1680,  and  settled  in 
South  Kingstown,  Rhode  Island.  Dr.  Watson's 
father,  son  of  John  J.  and  Sarah  (Brown)  Watson, 
was  bom  at  South  Kingstown,  December  14,  17'J'J. 
He  pursued  his  early  preparatory  studies  at  the 
Plainfield  Academy  at  Plainfield,  Connecticut,  and 
was  graduated  from  Brown  University,  class  of 
1823.  Among  his  classmates  were  Chief  Justice 
Ames,  of  Rhode  Island,  Rev.  Dr.  Crane,  George  D. 


m  .IP** 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


55 


Prentice,  the  distinguished  editor  of  the  Louisville 
Journal  and  Judge  Mellen.  of  Massachusetts. 
Professor  Gammell.  in  an  article  on  the  necrology 
of  Brown  University,  1863-64.  states  that  Mr,  Wat- 
son ••  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  but  engaged  to  only 
a  very  limited  extent  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
His  life  was  devoted  pre-eminently  and  almost  ex- 
clusively to  politics.  For  nearly  forty  years  he  was 
one  of  the  most  active  and  prominent  politicians  in 
Rhode  Island.  Yen  probably  no  individual  ever 
exerted  a  greater  influence  in  its  local  politics.  Mr. 
Watson  was  also,  during  a  greater  part  of  his  life,  a 
writer  for  the  political  press.  In  several  instances, 
usually  for  brief  periods  prior  to  important  elec- 
tions, he  conducted  editorially  certain  papers 
with  which  he  was  politically  connected.  His  writ- 
ings were  almost  invariably  of  a  political  character, 
and  in  the  interest  of  the  Whig  party,  of  which  he 
was  a  devoted  champion  in  Rhode  Island.  The 
most  elaborate  of  these  were  a  series  of  papers  first 
published  in  the  Journal,  in  1844.  under  the  signa. 
t ure  of  'Hamilton.'  These  papers  were  afterward 
collected  and  reprinted  in  pamphlet  form.  The 
political  doctrines  then  held  by  the  Whig  party  were 
therein  explained  and  vindicated  with  unusual  force 
and  clearness."  Mr.  Watson  was  distinguished  alike 
for  the  integrity  and  ability  with  which  he  discharged 
the  duties  of  the  many  and  varied  public  offices 
which  he  filled:  for  the  elegance  and  force  with 
which  he  wielded  a  facile  and  graceful  pen:  and  for 
kindness  of  heart  and  dignified  urbanity  of  manner. 
These  traits  of  character  secured  the  attachment  of 
many  of  the  warmest  of  friends,  by  whom  his  agree- 
able qualities  were  fully  appreciated.  Dr.  Watson's 
mother,  Mary  Anne  Earle  Watson,  was  the  daughter 
of  Hon.  Caleb  Earle.  a  former  Governor  of  Rhode 
Island.  Dr.  Watson  pursued  preparatory  studies  for 
college  at  the  High  School  and  the  University  Gram- 
mar School  in  Providence.  He  entered  Brown  Univer- 
sity in  1848,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1852. 
On  admittance  to  college  in  1848  he  received  the  First 
Entrance  Prize  in  Latin  and  Second  Entrance  Prize 
for  proficiency  in  Greek  studies.  During  his  collegi- 
ate course  he  was  particularly,  noted  for  fondness  of. 
and  high  standing  in  the  classic  languages  of  an- 
tiquity. He  obtained  prizes  for  compositions  in 
Latin  in  1849, 1850. 1851  and  in  Greek  in  1849  and  1850, 
and  at  the  Junior  Exhibition  in  1851  lie  was  awarded 
the  high  distinction  of  delivering  the  Oratio  Latina. 
He  was  one  of  the  "Commencement  Orators"  on 
graduating  in  1852.  While  in  college  he  became  a 
member  of  the  United  Brothers,  Phi  Beta  Kappa  and 
Psi  Upsilon  Societies.  He  received  the  honorary 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Brown  University  in 
1855.    From  his  earliest  youth  he  had  shown  a  love 


of.  and  an  aptitude  for,  the  profession  of  medicine. 
He  entered  upon  its  study,  immediately  after  gradua- 
tion from  college,  in  the  office  of  the  late  Dr.  A.  H. 
Okie,  of  Providence.  After  attending  medical  lec- 
tures at  the  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
Pennsylvania  Hospital  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  spring 
of  1854  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine. On  his  graduation  in  medicine,  he  was  chosen 
to  deliver  the  annual  address  before  the  Hahneman- 
nian  Medical  Institute  of  Philadelphia,  February  28, 
-1854.  Having  decided  to  select  an  inland  location, 
he  removed,  in  the  spring  of  1854,  to  the  city  of 
Utica,  New  York,  where  he  still  enjoys  an  extensive 
and  influential  practice.  Dr.  Watson  has  held  many 
responsible  offices  and  appointments;  among  them 
several  of  the  highest  that  can  be  conferred  by  any 
association  or  focal  or  State  authority.  The  more 
important  are  named  in  the  following  paragraphs. 
Dr.  Watson  began  practice  when  an  espousal  of  the 
homoeopathic  system  aroused  intense  opposition 
and  involved  entire  social  ostracism  from  old  school 
association  and  fellowship.  The  homoeopathic  sys- 
tem had  acquired  a  distinctive  sectarian  name,  an 
inexcusable  offence  in  the  eyes  of  the  dominant 
school:  one  to  which,  even  to  the  present  time.it 
has  not  become  reconciled.  At  that  early  period 
nearly  all  the  homoeopathic  practitioners  had 
seceded  from  the  old  school.  A  few  informal 
homoeopathic  medical  associations  composed  of 
these,  often  widely  separated,  physicians,  had  been 
formed  and  were  feebly  maintained.  The  homoeo- 
pathic school  was  then  in  its  formative  stage.  No 
concerted  action  had  been  taken  toward  securing  for 
it  distinct  and  influential  organizations.  Dr.  Wat- 
son at  once  perceived  the  necessity  for  a  removal  of 
the  legal  disabilities  to  which  homoeopathists  were 
subjected,  and  the  acquirement,  on  their  part,  of  a 
legal  status,  equal  in  every  respect  with  that  of  the 
old  school.  He  entered  with  alacrity  and  zeal  upon 
the  work  of  securing  these  desirable  results.  He 
gave  to  the  cause  freely  of  his  time  and  means.  And 
to  his  wise  counsels,  his  indefatigable  energy,  his 
steadfastness  of  purpose  and  controlling  influence  is 
largely  due  the  advanced  standing,  the  thorough 
organization  and  scholarly  position  of  the  homoeo- 
pathic school  of  the  present  day.  While  he  main- 
tains that  a  distinctive  name  seems  requisite,  in 
order  to  represent  a  particidar  system  of  therapeu- 
tics, he  holds  that  the  medical  profession  should  not 
be  classified  thereby.  He  is  an  uncompromising 
opponent  of  sectarianism  in  medicine.  He  would 
have  the  terms  of  admission  to  membership  in  all 
homoeopathic  medical  societies  so  broad  as  not  to 
exclude  any  educated  physician  on  account  of  thera- 


56 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


peutic  belief.  Dr.  Watson  was  one  of  the  original 
members  and  founders  of  the  Oneida  County  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Society,  having  united  with  the  so- 
ciety at  its  first  meeting  in  1857.  He  was  elected 
its  President  in  1860.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New 
York  in  1855.  At  the  reorganization  of  the  society 
in  February,  1861,  he  delivered  an  inaugural  address, 
entitled  "The  Past  and  Present  Position  of  Homoeo- 
pathy, and  the  Duties  of  its  Practitioners."  He  was 
elected  a  permanent  member  of  the  society  in  1866. 
He  was  elected  its  President  in  1868,  and  at  the  fol- 
lowing annual  meeting  delivered  an  address,  entitled 
"The  Medical  Profession;  Its  Duties  and  Responsi- 
bilities, and  the  Relation  of  the  Homoeopathic  to  the 
Old  School  Branch  of  the  Medical  Profession."  In 
Februarv,  1872,  he  delivered  another  address  before 
the  New  York  State  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society, 
entitled  "The  Homa'opathic  School,  the  Modern 
School  of  Rational  and  Liberal  Medicine."  This 
address,  while  it  aroused  decided  hostile  criticism, 
by  its  reasonableness  and  catholicity  gained  for  him 
the  cordial  approval  of  the  liberal-minded  members 
of  both  the  new  and  old  schools  of  medicine.  Pie 
became  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Ilomu'opathy  in  1854,  and,  having  completed  twenty- 
five  years  of  continuous  membership  therein  in 
1879,  became  a  Senior  Member  thereof.  At  the 
session  of  the  Institute  held  in  1873  he  introduced, 
and  in  an  elaborate  speech,  supported  the  following  , 
resolutions : 

ResoVoed,  That  homceopathists  should  strenuously 
insist  upon  the  non-violation  of  the  great  fundamen- 
tal American  principle  of  '  no  taxation  without  repre- 
sentation' by  sectarian  monopoly  of  either  National. 
State,  county  or  city  institutions  that  are  supported 
by  legal  assessments,  or  of  those  private  eleemosy- 
nary institutions  which  derive  their  support  from 
individual  contributions. 

Ilisoiad,  That  tin-  recognition  of  this  principle  by 
the  Legislature  of  Michigan  by  its  recent  action,  in 
creating  two  professorships  of  Homoeopathy  in  the 
University  of  thai  State,  meets  the  most  hearty  ap- 
proval of  this  body." 

These  resolutions,  indicating  the  liberal  policy  of 
the  homoeopathic  profession,  were  unanimously 
adopted.  Dr.  Watson  took  a  very  active  part  in  the 
controversy  of  1870  and  1871  regarding  the  unjust 
and  illiberal  action  of  Dr.  H.  Van  Aernam,  United 
Stales  ( 'ounnissioner  of  Pensions.  Dr.  Van  Aernam 
bad  removed  from  the  office  of  Pension  Surgeon  Dr. 
Stillinau  Spooner,  of  Oneida,  Madison  County,  New 
York  also  a  number  of  other  homoeopathic  pension 
surgeons  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  giving  as 
a  reason,  that  "they  did  not  belong  to  the  school  of 
medicine  recognized  by  the  Government."  Dr. 
Van  Aernam  by  this  impolitic  action   sought  to 


commit  the  government  of  the  United  States  to  the 
direct  indorsement  of  the  old  school,  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  homoeopathic,  thereby  practically  estab- 
lishing sectarianism  in  medicine.  Dr.  Watson  entered 
with  earnestness  and  zeal  into  the  contest  carried 
forward  on  the  part  of  honm'opathists  in  several 
Northern  States.  He  instituted  a  very  extensive 
correspondence:  formulated  pointed  and  forcible 
resolutions,  and  published  stirring  and  vigorous  ap- 
peals to  his  associates  throughout  the  country.  By 
means  of  these  well  directed  efforts,  the  author  of 
these  discourtesies  and  acts  of  intolerance  toward 
homceopathists  was  summarily  removed,  and  the 
ejected  homa'opathic  pension  surgeons  were 
restored  to  their  former  positions.  Dr.  Watson  was 
very  active  and  influential  in  originating  and  urging 
to  a  successful  passage  through  the  Legislature  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  the  act  relating  to  the  ex- 
amination of  candidates  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  passed  May  16.  1872.  He  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  Board  of  Examiners  appointed  by 
the  Regents  under  that  law,  at  its  first  organization 
in  1872,  and  remained  in  office  until  his  election  in 
1881,  by  the  Legislature,  to  membership  in  the  Board 
of  Regents.  While  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Examiners  he  held  the  appointment  of  Examiner 
in  Diagnosis  and  Pathology.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  New  York  State  Homa'opathic  Asy- 
lum for  the  Insane,  at  Middletown,  New  York.  In 
bis  introductory  address  before  the  New  York  State 
Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  in  I860,  he  recom- 
mended the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  urge 
upon  the  Legislature  the  necessity  of  taking  appro- 
priate action  for  the  erection  of  a  State  asylum  for 
the  insane,  to  be  located  in  one  of  the  southern  tier 
of  counties  of  the  State,  and  to  be  placed  under  the 
control  of  a  physician  of  good  standing  in  the  homoeo- 
pathic school.  Four  years  after,  in  1873,  when  the 
Middletown  Asylum  bad  been  created  by  legislative 
enactment,  secured  largely  through  his  persistent 
efforts  and  influence.  Dr.  Watson  was  appointed  by 
Governor  John  A.  Dix  a  member  of  its  first  Board 
of  Trustees.  He  resigned  this  office,  after  a  service 
of  three  years,  on  account  of  inability,  by  reason  of 
other  professional  duties,  to  attend  the  meetings  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees.  He  was  appointed  in  March, 
1875,  to  the  office  of  United  States  Pension  Examin- 
ing Surgeon,  and  served  in  that  capacity  six  years. 
He  resigned  the  office  in  1881,  on  account  of  an  in- 
tended visit  to  Europe.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  causa  honoris,  was  conferred  on  him  by 
the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  on  the  nomination  of  the  State  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Society,  in  1878.  Dr.  Watson  was 
appointed  Surgeon-General  of  the  State  of  New  York, 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


57 


with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General,  by  Governor  A. 
B.  Cornell,  in  January,  1880.    He  was  elected  to  the 
Office  of  Regent  of  the  University  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1882,  and  holds  that  position  at  the  present  time. 
In  his  place  as  Regent,  Dr.  Watson  has  ever  sought 
to  elevate  the  standard  of  medical  education.  He 
suggested,  and  a  legal  friend  drew  up,  the  "  Act  to 
provide  for  the  preliminary  education  of  medical  stu- 
dents ;"  which  gives  to  medicine  the  same  statutory 
safeguards  against  illiterate  practitioners  now  given 
to  law  by  the  law  students'  examinations.    This  bill 
was  presented  to  the  Board  of  Regents  by  Dr.  Wat- 
son, and  on  his  motion  it  was  unanimously  approved, 
and  a  resolution  was  adopted  directing  the  commit- 
tee on  legislation  of  the  Board  to  support  its  pas- 
sage.    (.Minutes  of  the  Regents  of  the  University 
for  1889,  p.  532.)    The  bill  was  passed  by  the  Legis- 
lature, and  having  been  approved  by  the  Governor, 
June  13, 1889,  is  now  the  law  of  the  State  (Chap.  468 
of  Laws  of  1889).  He  was  nominated  in  1888,  without 
any  solicitation  or  knowledge  on  his  part,  by  Governor 
Hill,  to  the  office  of  Commissioner  of  the  State  Res- 
ervation at  Niagara;  and  his  nomination  was  unani- 
mously confirmed  by  the  State  Senate.    He,  how- 
ever, felt  impelled  to  decline  the  honor,  so  gracefully 
conferred,  on  account  of  the  pressing  nature  of  other 
private  and  professional  engagements.     He  is  a 
Trustee  of  the  Utica  Female  Seminary:  Trustee  of 
the  New  York  State  Library  and  State  Museum  of 
Natural  History  at  Albany:  member  of  the  Medico- 
Chirnrgic-al  Society  of  New  York  City;  member 
of  the  American  Society  for  Psychical  Research, 
of   Boston;    member  of  the   Oneida  County  His- 
torical   Society;    Corresponding   member   of  the 
Rhode  Island  Historical  Society;  member  of  the  stall' 
of  the  Faxton  Hospital,  at  Utica;  and  is  Senior 
Warden  of  Grace  Church,  at  Utica;  member  of 
the  Fort  Schuyler  Club,  of  Utica,  and  of  the  Uni- 
versity Club  of  New  York  City,    lie  has  not  infre- 
quently represented  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  its  Diocesan  Conventions,  and  was  a  delegate  at 
the  General  Convention  of  the  Church,  held  in 
New  York  in  October,  1889.     Dr.  Watson  passed 
several    years  in  visiting  the  hospitals    in  the 
principal  cities  and  the  most  noted  health  and  pleas- 
ure resorts  of  Europe:  making  also,  at  the  same 
time,  a  critical  examination  of  the  different  systems 
of  medical  education  in  its  various  countries.  Upon 
his  return  he  delivered  an  address  on  "Medical 
Education  and  Medical  Licensure,"  at  the  Twenty- 
third  Convocation  of  the  University  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  held  at  Albany,  July,  1885.    In  this  ad- 
dress he  showed  that  the  scope  and  relation  of  the 
medical  profession  demanded  a  high  standard  of 


education  in  its  candidates,  in  order  to  ensure  the 
greatest  efficiency  in  its  practitioners.  He  demon- 
strated that  the  present  standard  is  so  low  as  to  have 
given  rise  to  an  urgent  demand  for  its  elevation. 
He  strenuously  insisted  that  it  is  the  prerogative  of 
the  State  to  determine  the  educational  qualifications 
of  those  who  are  to  care  for  the  lives  and  health  of 
its  cit  izens,  and  that  there  must  be  an  entire  separa- 
tion of  the  teaching  from  the  licensing  interests. 
He  outlined  the  proper  condition  of  licensure  as  fol- 
lows: (1st)  A  fairly  liberal  preliminary  education. 
(2d;  Four  years  of  professional  study.  (3d)  Examin- 
ation and  licensure  by  an  impartial  court  appointed 
by  the  State.  This  address  received  the  unanimous 
approval  of  the  Convocation,  and,  widely  attracting 
public  attention,  was  most  highly  commended  by 
gentlemen  of  prominence  in  educational  matters  in 
different  portions  of  the  country.  In  1887  he  visited 
California.  Having  had  ample  opportunity  for  per- 
sonal observation,  and  for  instituting  a  just  com- 
parison between  the  famous  watering  places  of  the 
old  world  and  the  health  resorts  of  the  United 
Slates,  lie  published  several  monographs  presenting 
valuable  information  upon  those  subjects.  In  the 
spring  of  1888  he  visited  Florida  in  order  to  become 
better  acquainted  with  its  advantages  as  a  desirable 
health  resort.  Dr.  Watson  has  been  a  frequent  con- 
tributor to  medical  literature.  In  addition  to  the 
essays  and  addresses  previously  referred  to,  the  fol- 
lowing articles  are  the  more  prominent  among  his 
published  papers:  Cereforo-spinal  Meningitis  {Trans- 
actions of  the  New  York  State  Homoeopathic  Medi- 
cal Society,  1864):  Nosological  Classification  of 
Diseases  (Do.  1864);  Allopathic  Bigotry  (186!));  Old 
School  Intolerance  (Do.  1872;  also  Do.  1873);  The 
Advanced  Medical  Act  (Do.  1872);  No  Sectarian 
Tests  as  a  Qualification  for  Office,  and  no  Sectarian 
Monopoly  of  National  Institutions  (Do.  1872);  Hom- 
eopathy (Zell's  Popular  Encyclopaedia  (Do.  1870); 
In  the  early  part  of  his  medical  career  Dr.  Watson 
aspired  to  the  attainment Of  the  highest  standing  in 
the  medical  profession.  That  these  laudable  aspira- 
tions have  been  fully  realized  is  attested  by  the  qual- 
ity and  thoroughness  of  his  medical  accomplish- 
ments. As  a  sound  and  reliable  practitioner  he  has, 
these  many  years,  stood  at  the  forefront  of  the  pro- 
fession. He  has  endeavored  to  represent  that  which 
is  truly  conservative  and  rational  in  the  homoeo- 
pathic school,  in  contradistinction  to  that  which, 
through  Hahnemann's  errors,  is  visionary,  unphil- 
osophical  and  irrational  therein.  He  has  been  emi- 
nently successful  in  carrying  out  this  line  of  prac- 
tice, as  is  evidenced  by  the  high  standing  that  he 
has  attained  in  the  community  where  he  has  so  long 
resided;  as  well  as  by  the  frequency  with  which  his 


5§ 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


advice  is  eagerly  sought  as  a  wise  consultant  in  the 
management  of  difficult  cases,  both  in  the  city  of 
his  adoption,  and,  in  fact,  in  all  the  central  counties 
of  this  State.  By  wisely  endeavoring  to  adhere  to 
homoeopathic  principles  when  applicable,  and  at  the 
same  time  appropriating  all  that  is  of  essential 
value  in  other  systems  of  treatment,  he  has  fairly 
atttained  t lie  enviable  reputation  of  being  a  practi- 
tioner of  rec  ognized  ability  and  of  great  practical 
sagacity.  He  has  been  an  earnest  and  constant  stu- 
dent, not  only  in  the  field  of  his  chosen  profession, 
but  also  in  other  departments  of  science  and  general 
literature.  Having  oratorical  powers  . of  a  high 
order,  Ins  impressive  and  graceful  presentation  of 
any  cause  that  lie  may  espouse  renders  that  object 
or  assoc  iation,  be  it  medical,  political  or  literary, 
exceedingly  fortunate  in  securing  his  interest  and 
influence  in  its  behalf.  Dr.  Watson  was  an  intimate 
persona]  friend  and  political  adherent  of  the  late 
Hon.  Koscoe  Conkling,  and  for  more  than  thirty 
years  Ins  attending  physician.  He  delivered  several 
political  addresses  in  Mr.  Conkling's  interest  before 
the  Conkling  Club,  of  Utica,  when  the  possibility  of 
the  nomination  of  Mr.  Conkling  for  the  Presidency 
seemed  so  promising  in  1876.  Dr.  Watson  married 
Miss  Sarah  'I".  Carlile,  at  Providence,  Rhode  [sland, 
May  1,  1854.  Mrs.  Watson  died  at  Utica,  .Inly  27, 
1881.  He  has  one  son,  William  Livingston  Watson, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  class  of  ls?!>,  at  Harvard 
College,  and  one  daughter,  Lucy  Carlile  Watson, 
both  of  whom  reside  with  their  father  at  Utica, 
New  York.  William  Livingston  Watson  was  mar- 
mied  to  Miss  Alice  G.  Parkinson,  of  Jamaica  Plain, 
Massachusetts,  October  12,  1887. 


f|OCHRAN,  DAVID  HENRY,  PhD..  LL.D., 
President  of  the  Polytechnic  Institute  of 
'  Brooklyn,  and  identified  with  teaching  and 
the  cause  of  education  for  upwards  of  forty  years, 
was  born  at  Springville,  Erie  Count}-,  New  York, 
July  5,  1828.  Samuel  Cochran,  his  father,  was  a 
descendant  of  the  old  Scottish  family  represented 
in  his  day  by  the  late  Admiral  Cochran,  Earl  of 
Dundonald.  He  was  born  at  Three  Rivers,  Ver- 
mont, and  died  at  Springville,  New  York,  October 
19,  1845.  His  wife— the  mother  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch— whose  maiden  name  was  Catherine  Gal- 
lup, was  a  native  of  Coleraine,  Massachusetts.  She 
was  descended  from  a  Huguenot  family  which  es- 
caped from  Frauce  after  the  "Massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew,"  and  settled  in  America.  Samuel 
Cochran  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  in  Erie 
County,  which  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  was  little 


else  than  a  wilderness.  Both  he  and  his  young 
wife  were  typical  New  Englauders,  intelligent,  re- 
fined and  God-fearing:  and  although  their  new  home 
on  the  very  frontier  of  advancing  civilization  was 
at  first  quite  primitive  in  its  furnishings  and  sur- 
roundings, within  it  the  atmosphere  was  intellect, 
ual  and  religious.  Being  industrious  and  energetic 
by  nature,  Samuel  Cochran  possessed  the  elements 
of  success  at  the  outset,  and  in  time  he  became  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  wealth}'  men  in  the 
town  of  Springville.  His  sou  David,  who  was  the 
youngest  of  nine  children,  spent  the  first  fifteen 
years  of  his  life  under  the  eye  of  his  parents,  and 
enjoyed  every  advantage  that  could  fall  to  the  lot 
of  a  boy  brought  up  in  that  section  of  the  State  at 
that  time.  From  the  very  dawn  of  his  faculties  lie 
seems  to  have  been  a  close  observer:  and  in  the 
fields  and  woods,  while  a  mere  boy,  the  seeds  of 
knowledge  were  sowed  in  his  mind  and  the  foun- 
dations of  his  character  deeply  laid.  His  school 
training  was  received  mainly  at  the  Springville 
Academy,  a  most  excellent  institution  of  learning, 
and  still  a  flourishing  one  Natural  science  pos- 
sessed a  charm  for  him  beyond  all  other  studies  and. 
encouraged  by  his  parents,  who  early  perceived  and 
fostered  the  bent  of  his  mind,  he  made  remarkable 
progress  in  this  department  of  learning,  although 
by  no  means  neglecting  others.  To  please  his 
young  son  Mr.  Cochran  fitted  up  an  unoccupied 
building  he  owned  as  a  laboratory,  and  here  the 
embryo  chemist  was  permitted  to  indulge  his  "  boy- 
ish fancy."  It  was  the  design  of  his  parents  that 
he  should  become  a  lawyer,  but  nothing  could 
swerve  him  from  his  "  first  love,"  and  it  was  finally 
decided  to  send  him  to  the  renowned  University  of 
Giessen,  that  he  might  have  the  advantages  afforded 
by  study  under  the  famous  Liebig.  Owing  to  ad- 
verse fortune,  this  intention  could  not  be  carried 
out ;  and  David,  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at 
the  age  of  fifteen,  turned  his  attention  to  teaching 
as  a  means  of  earniug  his  living.  Clever  and  dili- 
gent in  whatever  labor  he  undertook,  he  managed 
to  support  himself  comfortably,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  entered  Hamilton  College,  then 
under  the  Presidency  of  Simeon  North,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  and  attracting  a  great  deal  of  attention  as 
an  educational  center.  His  acquaintance  with 
chemistry  was  so  thorough,  that  from  his  entrance 
to  college  he  was  excused  from  attending  lectures 
on  that  scieuce.  This  gave  him  an  opportunity  to 
accept  the  position  of  lecturer  on  chemistry  in  the 
Clinton  Liberal  Institute,  his  instructions  to  the 
pupils  in  that  school  being  given  during  the  hour 
his  class-mates  in  college  were  devoting  to  the  same 
study.    Several  of  his  college  friends  have  since 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


59 


risen  to  considerable  prominence,  one  in  particular, 
Joseph  B.  Hawley — with  whom  his  relations  were 
and  have  remained  most  agreeable  and  friendly — 
attaining  to  the  dignity  of  Senator  of  the  United 
States.  In  1850,  upon  being  graduated  from  Ham- 
ilton, where,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Presi- 
dent North,  "  he  was  highly  distinguished  for 
scholarship  in  all  departments  of  Study,  but  more 
especially  in  chemistry  and  other  kindred  sciences," 
Mr.  Cochran,  then  in  his  twenty-second  year,  was 
appointed  Professor  of  Natural  Science  in  the  Clin- 
ton Liberal  Institute,  a  position  he  relinquished  in 
the  following  year  to  accept  the  Principalship  of 
Fredonia  Academy.  This  Academy,  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  State,  was  not  in  a  very  flourishing 
condition  when  he  assumed  charge  of  its  affairs, 
but  under  his  vigorous  administration  it  took  new 
life,  increased  its  reputation  and  in  a  brief  period 
doubled  its  attendance.  Following  the  bent  of  his 
genius,  Mr.  Cochran  sought  at  the  outset  of  his 
principalship  to  make  the  study  of  natural  science 
the  predominating  feature,  with  a  view  to  winning 
for  the  school  a  reputation  which  would  lift  it  to  an 
importance  commensurate  with  its  age  and  respec- 
tability. But  the  great  demand  upon  the  resources 
of  the  Academy  seemed  to  be  in  the  direction  of 
Latin  and  Greek,  and.  yielding  to  the  pressure,  the 
Principal  took  up  these  studies  and,  in  a  short 
time,  had  the  largest  class  in  the  preparatory  grades 
of  the  classics  in  the  whole  State.  The  thorough- 
ness of  his  system  and  methods  had  their  natural 
result,  anil  the  Academy  became  distinguished  for 
its  success  in  fitting  its  graduates  for  college.  In 
1854  Mr.  Cochran  was  elected  Professer  of  Chemis- 
try and  Natural  Science  in  the  New  York  State 
Normal  School  at  Albany,  then  the  only  institution 
of  the  kind  under  State  control  and,  in  consequence, 
occupying  a  representative  and  important  position. 
When  the  Principal  of  this  school,  Dr.  S.  B.  Wool- 
worth,  was  chosen  to  the  Secretaryship  of  the 
Board  of  Regents  of  the  State  University,  Professor 
Cochran  was  elected  to  the  vacancy  thus  created, 
"  his  associate  teachers  unhesitatingly  awarding 
him  the  position  and  welcoming  him  to  his  duties," 
although  he  was  the  youngest  member  of  the  faculty. 
To  accept  the  position  he  gave  up  his  professorship 
in  natural  science ;  he  felt  obliged  also  to  relinquish 
the  profession  of  analytical  chemist,  notwithstand- 
ing the  brilliant  opportunities  it  afforded  for  the  ac- 
quisition of  wealth  and  commercial  prominence. 
By  these  successive  steps,  each  apparently  the  nat- 
ural sequence  of  its  predecessor,  Mr.  Cochran,  who 
started  in  life  with  a  well-defined  object  in  view, 
viz.,  that  of  following  the  profession  of  chemistry,  j 
became  absorbed  in  educational  work.    A  man  of 


clear  views  and  decided  convictions,  he  was  ex- 
tremely reluctant  to  quit  the  life  work  he  had 
mapped  out  for  himself,  and  for  the  successful  pros- 
ecution of  which  he  was  admirably  qualified  by 
temperament,  study  aud  experience.  Nevertheless, 
being  assured  that  his  executive  ability  in  educa- 
tional work  was  of  a  superior  order,  and  possessed 
a  high  value,  he  gracefully  yielded  to  the  pressure 
of  circumstances,  and  he  has  since  had  abundant 
cause  to  be  satisfied  with  the  results,  from  whatever 
point  of  view  the  subject  has  been  considered. 
While  Principal  of  the  State  Normal  School,  Dr. 
Cochran  filled  the  chair  of  Theory  and  Practice  of 
Teaching,  and,  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  per- 
taining thereto,  lectured  and  taught  before  teachers' 
institutes  in  various  parts  of  the  State,  and  ac- 
quired an  extended  reputation.  During  the  time 
he  was  thus  engaged,  he  received  attractive  offers 
of  professorships  from  several  prominent  education- 
al institutions,  all  of  which  he  declined.  He  also 
declined  to  permit  his  name  to  be  considered  in 
connection  with  the  Presidency  of  at  least  two 
others,  although  assured  of  his  election.  In  recog- 
nition of  his  high  scholarship  and  of  his  important 
services  to  the  cause  of  education,  the  Board  of 
liegents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York  conferred  upon  him,  March  10,  18G2,  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  Dr.  Carpenter,  the 
distinguished  English  naturalist  and  Dr.  Cochran 
were  the  first  two  persons  who  received  this  degree 
in  America.  In  the  fall  of  1864  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  Brooklyn  Collegiate  and  Polytechnic 
Institute — as  the  Polytechnic  Institute  was  then 
called — requested  Dr.  Cochran  to  accept  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  Faculty  of  that  institution.  This 
flattering  offer  implied  the  highest  c  onfidence  in  his 
learning,  skill,  and  above  all,  executive  ability  ;  and 
when  it  was  strengthened  by  the  Board  expressing 
its  willingness  to  entrust  to  him  the  absolute  control 
of  the  practical,  as  well  as  educational  management 
of  the  institution,  he  saw  at  a  glance  that  the  field 
of  usefulness  presented  was  an  eminently  desirable 
one,  and  accepted  the  position.  In  December  fol- 
lowing he  closed  his  work  with  the  State  Normal 
School,  and  devoted  himself  wholly  to  the  duties  of 
his  new  position,  to  which,  up  to  this  date,  he  had 
been  able  to  give  but  a  part  of  his  time.  The 
Brooklyn  Collegiate  and  Polytechnic  Institute  origi- 
nated early  in  1853.  It  was  the  outcome  of  a  deter- 
mination on  the  part  of  a  number  of  wealthy  and 
prominent  citizens  of  Brooklyn  to  give  to  that  city 
an  institution  for  the  higher  training  of  boys  and 
young  men,  similar  in  scope  and  efficiency  to  the 
Brooklyn  Female  Academy,  which,  founded  in  May, 
1845,  and  destroyed  by  tire  in  January,  1853,  had 


6o 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


been,  in  the  brief  term  of  its  existence,  most  suc- 
cessful in  establishing  a  high  character  and  in  win- 
ning the  favor  of  the  community.  The  gentlemen 
primarily  concerned  in  founding  the  new  institution 
wen-  the  Trustees  of  the  Female  Academy.  When 
the  buildings  of  this  Academy  were  destroyed,  Mrs. 
Wm.  8.  Packer,  the  young  widow  of  one  of  its  first 
Board  of  Trustees,  generously  offered  to  give  to  the 
trustees  the  sum  of  #60, 000  for  the  erection  of  an 
institution  for  the  instruction  of  her  own  sex  in  the 
higher  branches  of  education.  This  munificent 
offer  (subsequently  strengthened  by  another  offer 
of  #20.000  which  it  was  not  found  necessary  to 
claim)  being  gladly  accepted,  a  new  institution  was 
founded  and  appropriately  named  in  honor  of  the 
husband  of  this  generous  benefactor  to  education. 
The  Trustees  Of  the  old  Academy  then  dissolved 
thai  corporation  and  applied  the  stock  to  the  found- 
ing of  the  '•  Polytechnic,"  the  original  Trustees  of 
which  were  Messrs.  L.B.  Wyman,  Geo.  S.  How  land. 
P.  S.  Tucker,  J.  E.  Bouthworth,  Isaac  II.  Frothing- 
ham,  (President),  John  T.  Martin,  (Treasurer).  II. 
K.  Worthington,  D.  S.  London,  C.  S.  Baylis,  J.  C. 
Brevoort.  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan,  S.  B.  Chittenden,  Jas. 
How,  J.  O.  Low.  (Secretary).  II.  B.  Claflin,  J.  L. 
Putnam  and  ('has.  R.  Marvin.  In  September,  1855, 
the  structure  specially  erected  for  the  purpose 
was  completed,  the  faculty  organized  and  the  school 
opened  for  the  reception  of  pupils,  whose  number 
was  largely  in  excess  of  anticipation.  The  first 
President  of  the  faculty  was  John  H.  Raymond, 
I). I).,  LL.D.,  who  remained  at  its  head  until  the 
close  of  the  academic  year,  1803-4.  when  he  resigned 
the  position  to  accept  the  Presidency  of  Yassar 
College.  President  Frothingham  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  in  a  "  Historical  .Sketch"  of  the  '•Poly- 
technic," prepared  for  his  colleagues  on  the  occasion 
of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  (1880)  of  its  founda- 
tion, after  referring  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Raymond's 
resignation,  adds : 

••After  a  considerable  interim,  the  Trustees  se- 
cured the  services  of  the  present  President  of  the 
Faculty.  David  II.  Cochran.  Ph.D.,  LL.D..  who  had 
Ion-  been  at  the  head  of  the  only  school  established 
by  this  stale  for  the  training  of  teachers,  a  school 
from  which  the  Polytechnic  had  already  received 
many  of  its  most  valuable  instructors. 

"At  the  time  of  this  change  in  administration,  the 
Institute  was  reorganized,  and  important  modifica- 
tions were  made  in  its  arrangements  and  classifica- 
tions, and  in  its  methods  of  teaching  and  of  exami- 
nations. 

"The  Trustees  are  fully  persuaded  that  to  these 
changes  in  the  educational  economy  of  the  Institute, 
and  to  the  unremitting  energy,  rare  executive  abil- 
ity and  superior  scholarship' of  President  Cochran, 
is  largely  due  the  high  character  the  Institute  has 
since  attained,  and  as  well  the  impetus  given  to  its 
financial  prosperity." 


The  course  of  study  was  enlarged  in  June,  180!), 
by  the  addition  of  a  chair  of  Applied  Science.  In 
the  same  year  the  Regents  of  the  State  University, 
being  impressed  by  the  high  character  of  the  work 
done  by  the  Institute  under  Dr.  Cochran's  adminis- 
tration, granted  authority  to  the  Board  of  Trustees 
and  Faculty  to  confer  the  collegiate  degrees  of  Bach- 
elor of  Arts  and  Bachelor  of  Science,  the  fact  being 
admitted  that  the  "  work  in  the  scientific  and  liberal 
courses  of  study  was  fully  equal  to  that  of  any  of 
the  colleges  of  the  State."  It  may  be  mentioned 
here  that  the  Brooklyn  Collegiate  and  Polytechnic 
Institute  was  probably  the  only  educational  institu- 
tion in  the  State  not  chartered  as  a  college  to  which 
this  power  was  accorded.  No  honorary  degrees  * 
were  conferred  by  the  Institute,  and  its  graduates 
only  received  the  regular  degrees  after  having  com- 
pleted the  prescribed  course.  After  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  "Polytechnic"  had  become  fully 
acquainted  with  Dr.  Cochran's  ability  as  a  director, 
— with  his  business  tact  and  his  intuitive  knowledge 
j  of  men — the' employment  of  teachers  and  collection 
of  bills  were  also  confided  to  his  care.  Under  the 
system  devised  and  adopted  by  him,  the  losses  in 
unpaid  bills  were  reduced  from  several  hundred 
dollars  per  annum  to  nothing.  It  was  also  notice- 
able that  in  the  selection  of  his  corps  of  assistants 
his  judgment  was  rarely  at  fault.  Instructors  who 
proved  inadequate  to  or  incompetent  for  their  duties 
were  never  retained  after  their  inefficiency  w  as  dis- 
covered. To  enable  him  to  comprehend  at  a  glance 
the  work  of  both  teachers  and  students,  Dr.  Coch- 
ran has  devised  a  system  of  recording  results,  as 
simple  as  it  is  comprehensive,  which  keeps  before 
him  the  standard  of  every  pupil  during  every 
month  of  the  year,  and  also  the  work,  successful  or 
otherwise,  of  every  instructor.  Notwithstanding 
the  rigor  of  this  system,  it  is  so  absolutely  just  to 
all,  that  neither  the  pupils  nor  their  teachers  ques- 
tion its  employment.  Indeed,  so  successful  has  this 
eminent  teacher  always  been  in  establishing  and 
maintaining  harmony  between  himself  and  his  as- 
sistants that  in  his  forty  years  experience — as  he 
has  been  heard  to  say — he  has  never  had  occasion 
to  complain  of  the  loyalty  of  his  subordinates,  nor 
has  he  known  of  factions  or  differences  among 
them.  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  that  every  school 
which  has  been  under  his  charge  has  been  made  to 
pay:  and  this,  too,  notwithstanding  that  he  has 
been  lavish  in  all  expenses  to  increase  their  educa- 
tional efficiency.  The  number  of  students  in  the 
"Polytechnic"  has  more  than  doubled  under  his 
administration,  and  now  aggregates  eight  hundred. 
The  income  of  the  institution,  which,  until  1880. 
was  a  stock  company,  was  derived  wholly  from 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


6l 


tuition  fees,  and  lias  trebled  under  his  management ; 
and  while  for  some  years  previous  to  his  assuming 
Charge  it  had  not  exceeded  expenses,  since  that 
time  it  has  never  failed  to  show  a  surplus.  During 
his  administration  a  debt  of  nearly  twenty  thousand 
dollars  has  been  paid,  and  the  permanent  property 
of  the  institution  in  buildings,  fixtures  and  appara- 
tus has  been  increased  in  value  more  than  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  not  taking  into 
account  the  estimated  rise  in  values.  The  Institute 
buildings  are  centrally  located,  being  on  grounds 
near  the  City  Hall.  They  are  large  and  commodious, 
and  are  abundantly  provided  with  means  and  appli- 
ances for  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  pupils,  and 
for  the  business  of  instruction.  The  Department  of 
Physical  Science  is  furnished  with  valuable  and 
complete  philosophical  apparatus,  well  appointed 
chemical  laboratories,  excellent  cabinets  of  natural 
history,  and  all  appliances  required  for  instruction 
in  civil  engineering  and  astronomy.  To  each  of 
these  large  additions  are  made  annually.  The  li- 
brary numbers  over  three  thousand  volumes.  The 
President  is  the  chief  executive  officer  of  the  Insti- 
tute, upon  whom  the  responsibility  for  its  direction 
and  discipline  rests.  The  pupils,  whose  ages  range 
from  ten  to  twenty  years,  are  distributed  into  eight 
grades,  corresponding  to  successive  yearly  stages  in 
the  course  of  study.  The  four  lower  grades  con- 
stitute the  Academic  Department,  and  the  higher 
grades  the  Collegiate  Department.  By  an  admirable 
system  of  sub-division,  the  pupils  in  the  Academic- 
Department  are  placed  so  as  to  secure  the  highest 
advantages  from  the  teacher's  personal  influence 
and  attention.  Provision  is  made  in  the  Institute, 
to  the  extent  of  its  course,  for  all  the  essentia] 
branches  of  a  classical,  scientific,  liberal  or  com- 
mercial education.  There  are  ten  separate  depart- 
ments of  instruction.  During  the  first  two  years 
the  Academic  studies  are  common  to  all.  In  the 
third  year  there  appear  four  distinct  courses  of  stud}', 
some  one  of  which  the  pupil  is  required  to  select,  and 
to  which  he  is  restricted,  unless  showing  unusual 
capacity.  The  classical  or  preparatory  collegiate 
course  embraces  all  the  studies  required  for  admis- 
sion to  the  most  advanced  American  colleges,  and 
is  completed  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  year.  The  sci- 
entific course  is  sub-divided  at  the  close  of  the 
second  year,  one  branch  having  reference  to  civil 
engineering.  The  Engineering  branch  includes  over 
two  hundred  out-door  or  field  exercises,  besides 
continuous  practice  in  the  field  of  eight  hours  per 
day  for  one  week,  under  the  personal  direction  of 
the  professor  in  charge.  The  other  branch  includes 
systematic  laboratory  work  for  two  years,  and  in- 
struction in  mineralogy,  geology  and  electrical  test- 


ing and  measurements.  It  is  probable  that  there 
art-  more  graduates  of  this  school  engaged  in  elec- 
trical engineering  in  this  country  than  of  all  other 
American  schools  combined.  The  graduates  in  this 
course  receive  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science. 
The  Liberal  course,  intended  to  meet  the  wants  of 
those  who  design  to  complete  their  education  in  the 
Institute,  includes  all  the  branches  of  study  of  the 
regular  full  course  of  the  most  advanced  colleges, 
but  substitutes  for  Latin  and  Greek  a  five  years' 
course  in  French  and  German,  and  a  more  extended 
course  in  the  English  language  and  literature  and 
in  general  history.  Pupils  who  complete  this  course, 
speaking  and  writing  the  languages  taught  with 
readiness  and  accuracy,  receive  the  degree  of  Bache- 
lor of  Arts.  The  commercial  course  is  exceedingly 
thorough,  and  includes  chemistry  and  civil  govern- 
ment. Diplomas  are  granted  to  pupils  completing 
special  terms  and  courses  of  study.  Moral  mean-; 
are  the  sole  reliance  to  ensure  discipline.  Such  is  a 
brief  outline  of  the  work  of  the  Brooklyn  "  Poly- 
technic." The  popularity  of  the  school  with  the 
more  intelligent  class  of  citizens  and  the  high  re- 
pute sustained  by  its  graduates  are  the  best  proofs 
of  its  efficiency.  To  make  it  what  it  is  has  virtually 
been  the  life-work  of  its  esteemed  President,  and 
one  to  which  he  brought  all  the  knowledge,  skill, 
experience  and  earnestness  of  mature  manhood. 
His  great  success  as  a  teacher  has  given  him  a 
National  reputation,  and  it  is  no  secret  in  education- 
al circles  that  his  services  as  President  have  been 
desired  by  the  Trustees  of  at  least  three  leading 
!  American  colleges.  Respectfully  but  firmly  declin- 
ing the  tempting  inducements  held  out  to  him  in 
other  directions,  he  bound  himself  even  more  close- 
ly to  the  "Polytechnic"  by  his  devoted  labors  in 
the  line  of  advancing  it  to  an  educational  institution 
of  the  very  first  grade.  Its  courses  of  study  were 
gradually  extended  and  increased  until,  within  the 
past  few  years,  graduates  holding  its  degrees  have 
been  received  into  the  post  graduate  classes  of  the 
leading  American  universities  upon  an  equal  footing 
with  the  graduates  of  the  most  renowned  colleges. 
As  the  school  was  originally  incorporated  as  a 
stock  company,  it  labored  under  the  great  disadvan- 
tage of  not  being  able  to  receive  endowments  or 
gifts  from  its  friends  and  well  wishers.  Notwith- 
standing this  great  drawback,  it  kept  right  on  in 
its  work  and  paid  for  every  advance  out  of  its  own 
earnings.  As  far  back  as  1869  the  Trustees  formed 
a  plan  looking  to  the  surrender  and  final  exclusion 
of  the  capital  stock  of  the  Institute.  Twenty  years 
later  this  was  successfully  accomplished,  and  under 
the  provisions  of  an  Act  of  the  State  Legislature, 
passed  in  1889,  the  final  dissolution  of  the  old  stock 


62 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


academy  was  effected,  and  a  certificate  was  filed  in 
the  office  of  the  State  Board  of  Regents,  surrender- 
ing the  charter  of  the  Brooklyn  Collegiate  and 
Polytechnic  Institute.  Shortly  before  this  was 
clone,  formal  application  was  made  to  the  Regents 
of  the  University  for  the  incorporation  of  the  Poly- 
technic Institute  of  Brooklyn.  The  Board  of  Re- 
gents, with  whom  the  "  Polytechnic  "  has  always 
been  a  favored  institution,  promptly  granted  the 
application  and  issued  the  desired  charter,  which 
confers  upon  the  re-organized  school  all  the  powers 
and  privileges  appertaining  to  a  college.  The  new 
corporation,  formally  organized  in  September,  1889, 
is  created  without  a  capital  stock,  and  is  empow- 
ered to  receive  and  hold  property,  the  income  of 
which  shall  not  exceed  $250,000.  The  Institute  has 
recently  acquired  by  purchase  the  southerly  half  of 
the  Dutch  Church  property,  immediately  adjoining 
it  on  Livingston  street,  and  having  a  frontage  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  feet  and  a  depth  ot  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet.  Upon  this  site  a  large  and 
handsome  structure  is  to  be  erected,  devoted  exclu- 
sively to  the  higher  departments  of  the  Institute. 
It  is  intended  that  this  building  shall  be  constructed 
and  equipped  after  the  most  modern  and  improved 
plans,  and  that  in  it,  when  completed,  the  youth  of 
Brooklyn  and  elsewhere  shall  have  opportunities 
for  an  extended  course  of  study  in  scientific  and 
other  directions,  rivalling  those  afforded  by  the  best 
established  institutions  of  the  country.  The  friends 
of  the  Institute  who  have  stood  ready  for  years  to 
aid  it  in  its  work  by  endowments  and  gifts,  may 
now  do  so  with  propriety  and  with  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  before  it  became  the  recipient  of  a 
single  gift  it  had  progressed  unaided  to  the  first 
rank  among  the  educational  institutions  of  the  land. 
Dr.  Cochran's  share  in  this  grand  achievement  lias 
been  gratefully  recognized  by  the  press  and  public, 
and  on  all  sides  it  is  gracefully  acknowledged  that 
his  accurate  scholarship  and  high  administrative 
ability,  exercised  for  so  long  a  period  in  the  up- 
building of  the  "  Polytechnic,"  have  been  the  chief 
means  of  placing  it  in  its  present  proud  position. 
Dr.  Cochran's  career  is  a  remarkable  exemplifica- 
tion of  the  way  in  which  the  diligent  cultivation  of 
one  talent  may  lead,  in  conjunction  with  shaping 
circumstances,  to  the  development  of  another  greater 
talent,  which  to  the  possessor  is  at  first  unknown. 
Dr.  Cochran's  early  bent  was  plainly  for  natural 
science,  and  especially  for  chemistry,  and  his  own 
taste  would  have  led  him  to  pass  his  life  in  the  pur- 
suit of  this  noble  science,  enlarging  its  boundaries, 
and  by  new  discoveries  and  applications  adding  to 
its  power  to  cure  or  forestall  disease,  to  embellish 
life  or  render  it  more  comfortable,  and  to  help  on 


their  way  the  arts  and  other  sciences.  But  circum- 
stances made  it  necessary  for  him  to  begin  early  to 
impart  to  others  the  knowledge  he  had  obtained; 
and  while  he  was  proceeding  thus  in  the  course 
which  fortune  dictated  to  him,  it  was  gradually  dis- 
covered that  his  talent  as  a  chemist — although  very 
marked — had  a  formidable  rival  in  his  talent  a-  a 
|  teacher  of  youth;  that  he  had  the  rare  ^ift  of  form- 
ing young  minds  and  characters,  and  winning,  with 
no  lack  of  discipline,  the  respect,  sympathy  and 
affection  of  his  pupils.  This  discovery  determined 
his  career,  for  having  found  the  highest  and  most 
useful  vocation  of  which  he  was  capable,  he  has 
never  since  sought  to  abandon  it  nor  to  escape,  in  any 
degree,  its  demands,  however  exacting.  On  more 
than  one  occasion  tempting  offers  have  been  made 
to  him  to  re-enter  the  scientific  field,  notably  soon 
after  his  settlement  in  Brooklyn,  when  he  was 
urged  to  take  charge  of  some  of  the  richest  mines 
of  Nevada,  upon  pecuniary  considerations  which 
would  have  diverted  most  men  from  the  work  to 
which  he  had  given  his  life.  But  he  resolutely  de- 
clined these  alluring  inducements,  to  continue  in  his 
place  at  the  head  of  the  largest  self-sustaining  school 
in  the  world,  and  the  only  unendowed  one  which 
offers  so  extended  and  thorough  a  course  of  instruc- 
tion ;  working  with  assiduity  and  the  most  con- 
scientious fidelity  in  a  field  of  greater  honor  and 
broader  usefulness,  and  for  which  he  seems 
peculiarly  fitted,  and  reaping  a  reward  far  more 
precious  to  him  than  ordinary  riches.  As  a 
scientist  Doctor  Cochran's  abilities  and  attain- 
ments arc  of  a  high  order.  His  co-workers  gener- 
rally  concur  in  regarding  him  as  learned,  skillful, 
practical  and  thorough,  and  agree  that  he  ranks 
among  the  ablest  professors  of  chemistry  and  the 
natural  sciences  in  the  State.  '•He  has  a  mind," 
says  the  distinguished  mathematician,  Prof.  Charles 
Davies,  "  beautifully  adapted  to  the  acquisition  of 
science.  It  is  clear,  quick,  accurate,  comprehen- 
sive and  eminently  logical.  He  refers  every  princi- 
ple to  its  elementary  basis,  and  to  its  most  extended 
generalization."  In  his  private  laboratory  it  was 
his  custom  for  many  years  to  spend  all  the  time  he 
could  spare  from  professional  duties.  He  is  an  en- 
thusiast in  all  the  natural  sciences,  and  few  who 
have  come  under  his  influence  have  failed  to  be  in- 
spired by  his  ardor  in  their  pursuit.  As  a  teacher 
he  combines  with  this  love  of  science  the  rare  qual- 
ity of  successfully  imparting  his  knowledge.  His 
ability  and  faithfulness  early  impressed  his  associ- 
ates. In  the  practical  details  of  teaching  he  has  few 
superiors.  He  is  an  easy  and  fluent  lecturer,  and 
the  high  compliment  has  been  paid  him  by  a  noted 
man  of  science  of  saying  that  "his  style,  appear- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


63 


ancc,  and  manner  in  the  presence  of  his  class  could 
scarcely  be  improved."  The  circumstances  in 
which  he  lias  been  thrown  have  developed  in  him 
the  most  varied  powers  as  an  instructor.  He  is 
thoroughly  at  home  in  Greek  and  Latin,  having 
taught  these  languages  exclusively  during  three 
years.  He  is  a  horn  chemist  and  has  been  professor 
of  chemistry  and  the  natural  sciences.  He  has 
fought  penmanship,  elocution  and  oratory.  Mathe- 
matics, history,  literature  and  philosophy  are 
among  his  strong  points.  His  loug  and  remarkably 
varied  experience  gives  him  peculiar  qualities  for 
supervising  instruction,  and  not  only  is  he  entirely 
competent  to  make  out  examination  papers  in  every 
subject  taught  in  the  Institute,  but  also  to  conduct 
exercises  in  any  department ;  in  winch  respects  he 
lias  the  reputation  in  educational  circles,  of  having 
but  one  or  two  equals  among  the  Presidents  of 
American  colleges.  In  the  ability  to  judge  of  the 
quality  and  extent  of  the  work  done  by  either 
teachers  or  pupils  under  him  it  is  admitted  by  com- 
petent authority  that  he  has  no  superior.  "  His 
character  and  culture  are  well  balanced.  Along 
with  a  quick  perception  of  whatever  is  true  in  sci- 
ence, he  has  a  tine  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  in 
art  and  literature.  His  standard  of  Christian  char- 
acter is  elevated  and  consistently  maintained,  yet 
with  modesty  and  charity."  Both  as  a  Christian 
and  a  gentleman  his  life  is  irreproachable;  and  his 
influence  as  a  citizen  and  a  teacher  of  youth  is  al- 
ways strongly  exerted  in  behalf  of  religion  and  vir- 
tue. Dr.  Cochran  has  traveled  qxnte  extensively 
for  one  so  steadily  employed.  In  18G2  he  made  a 
tour  of  Europe,  during  which  he  visited,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  State 
Normal  School,  a  number  of  the  more  prominent 
foreign  educational  institutions.  Some  six  years 
later  he  visited  the  Pacific  coast  and  made  a  careful 
examination  of  all  the  productive  mines  of  Califor- 
nia, Nevada,  Utah  and  Montana,  returning  byway 
of  Fort  Benton  and  the  Missouri  River.  In  1881  he 
made  a  second  extensive  European  trip.  Notwith- 
standing the  somewhat  severe  strain  to  which  his 
varied  duties  subject  him,  he  has  managed  to  retain 
a  fair  degree  of  health,  and  is  remarkable  in  looking 
many  years  younger  than  he  really  is.  Outside  of 
his  purely  professional  work  he  exerts  a  decided  in- 
fluence and  accomplishes  a  great  deal,  both  in  a  so- 
cial and  philanthropic  way.  For  the  past  twenty 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Century  Club. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Hamilton  Club, 
which  he  was  active  in  founding,  and  of  which  lie 
was  Vice-President  when  the  present  club  house 
was  built.  He  was  a  corporate  member  of  the 
Yxmug  Men's  Christian  Association,  an  active  mem- 


ber of  the  Board  of  Directors  during  his  entire  con- 
nection with  it,  and  when  ill  health  compelled  his 
resignation,  he  was  its  President.  An  institution 
in  which  he  takes  a  warm  interest  is  the  Hamilton 
College,  of  which  he  is  a  Trustee.  Of  the  Brooklyn 
Home  for  Aged  Men,  conducted  by  ladies,  he  i-; 
now  and  has  been  for  some  years  a  member  of 
the  Advisory  Board:  he  is  also  a  member  of  its 
Building  Committee.  In  the  best  social  circles 
he  is  a  welcome  guest,  admired  for  his  engag- 
ing manners  and  brilliant  conversational  powers, 
and  esteemed  for  his  high  personal  character  and 
solid  acquirements.  In  1851,  while  residing  at 
Clinton,  he  married  Miss  Harriet  Striker  Rawson, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Peletiah  Rawson,  of  Whites- 
town,  Oneida  County.  New  York,  Professor  of 
Mathematics  in  the  Oneida  Institute  and  for  some 
time  engaged  as  an  engineer  in  the  construction  of 
the  Black  River  and  Erie  canals.  From  this  union 
have  been  born  five  children,  of  whom  four  are  now 
living,  as  follows:  1.  Henry  Lord  Cochran.  31. D, 
born  in  Albany,  New  York,  July  7,  1855,  was  grad- 
uated in  the  classical  and  liberal  course  at  his  fa- 
ther's school,  and  took  his  medical  degree  at  the 
Long  Island  Hospital  College,  in  which  he  is  uow 
(1889)  Adjunct  Professor  of  Surgery:  2.  Thomas 
Cochran,  born  in  Albany,  New  York.  May  1,  1861, 
was  graduated  at  the  "  Polytechnic"  in  1878,  studied 
three  years  at  Amherst  College,  subsequently  spent 
several  years  in  the  "  Polytechnic"  as  Instructor  in 
Latin  and  History,  and  i>  now  engaged  in  business; 
3.  Miss  Rose  Johnson  Cochran;  4.  David  Henry 
Cochran,  Jr.,  born  in  Brooklyn,  January  29,  1871, 
and  now  a  student  in  the  '•Polytechnic." 


PLYMPTON,  PROP.  GEORGE  WASHINGTON, 
C.E.,  M.A  ,  M.D.,  Emeritus  Professor  of  Phy- 
sics, Chemistry  and  Toxicology  at  the  Long 
Island  Hospital  College,  Professor  of  Physical  Sci- 
ence and  Engineering  at  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic 
Institute,  and  Professor  of  Physics  and  Engineering 
(and  also  Director  of  the  Night  Schools)  at  Cooper 
Union,  New  York  City,  was  born  at  Waltham, 
Massachusetts,  November  18, 1827.  The  Plymptons 
and  Plimptons  of  America  descend  from  an  English 
family  of  considerable  antiquity  and  prominence, 
and  the  name,  originally  Plumpton,  is  without 
doubt,  derived  from  the  vill  or  manor  of  Plumpton, 
in  Yorkshire.  The  writer  of  "  Historical  Notices  of 
the  Plumpton  Family."  published  in  a  book  called 
"  Plumpton  Correspondence,"  issued  by  the  Camden 
Society,  London,  1839.  refers  to  Nigell  de  Plump- 
ton, who,  as  early  as  1168,  was  recorded  in  the  list 


64 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


of  knights  called  to  do  homage  to  the  king.  Nigell 
de  Plumpton  held  his  lands  from  the  Percy  family, 
and  his  descendants  in  the  third  and  later  genera- 
tions assumed  and  hore  the  Percy  arms,  viz :  on  a 
field  azure  a  fesse  of  six  fusils  or;  but  differenced 
these  arms  by  charging  each  fusil  with  an  escallop 
shell,  gules.    For  centuries  the  family  were  staunch 
Catholics.    Nicholas  de  Plumpton,  son  of  Nigell, 
was  Chaplain  to  Pope  Alexander  IV.  and  Archdea- 
con of  Norfolk.    In  a  letter  from  Pope  Alexander, 
dated  1257,  his  name  is  spelled  Plimton.  Robert 
Plumpton,  Esq.,  the  last  of  his  line  according  to 
English  law,  died  without  issue,  in  174!),  and  the 
ancient  manor  of  Plumpton  passed  by  sale  into  the 
hands  of  the  Lascelles,  and  is  now  owned  by  the 
Earl  of  Harewood,  the  present  head  of  that  family. 
The  Plymptons  and  Plimptons  of  the  United  States 
are  mostly  (if  not  all)  descendants  of  John  Plymp- 
ton  and  Thomas  Plympton,  both  of  whom  came 
from  England  about  1640,  and  settled  in  Eastern 
Massachusetts.    Mr.  Levi  B.  Chase,  the  scholarly 
and  painstaking  compiler  of  "A  Genealogy  and 
Historical  Notices  of  the  Family  of  Plimpton  or 
Plympton  in  America,  and  of  Plumpton  in  Eng- 
land," [Hartford,  Connecticut,  1884]  from  which 
many  of  the  facts  here  given  are  gleaned,  gives  the 
birth  of  John  Plympton  as  "about  1620"  and  of 
Thomas  as  '  1620-24."    Both  were  men  of  superior 
intelligence,  high  integrity,  and  no  little  prominence; 
and  although  they  brought  no  wealth  from  the 
mother  country,  they  were  possessed  of  considera- 
ble means  at  the  time  of  their  death.    John  Plymp- 
ton, who  had  the  rank  of  Sergeant  in  the  Puritan 
troops,  was  captured  by  the  Indians  at  Deerfield,  in 
1675,  and  was  burnt  at  the  stake.    Thomas  Plymp- 
ton, who  may  have  been  his  brother,  was  slain  by 
the  Indians   on   Boon's  Plains,   April   17,  1676. 
Thomas    Plympton    married    "Abigail,  perhaps 
daughter  of  Peter  Noyes,"  and  was  the  founder  of 
the  family  by  that  name  at  Sudbury,  Massachusetts. 
George  Washington  Plympton,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  is  descended  in  the  sixth  generation  from 
Thomas  Plympton  of  Sudbury,  named  above.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Deacon  Ebenezer  Plympton, 
was,  like  many  others  of  his  family,  ' '  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution."    He  is  described  as  a  just  magistrate, 
a  kind  father  and  a  benevolent  neighbor,  and  it  was 
written  of  him  that  "  he  sustained  a  life,  exemplary, 
worthy  of  imitation  by  all  who  value  integrity  more 
than  money,  and  prefer  patriotism  and  a  free  govern- 
ment to  monarchy."   He  was  born  July  4, 1756,  and 
died  December  9,  1834.    B3-  his  first  wife,  Susanna 
Ruggles,  a  native  of  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  he 
was  the  father  of  a  large  family.    Thomas  Ruggles 
Plympton,  his  eldest  son,  born  at  Sudbury,  Massa- 


chusetts, August  20,  1782,  was  a  farmer  and  t  rader 
in  produce  at  Waltham,  a  town  officer  there  for 
many  years,  and  a  man  of  means  and  influence. 
Joseph  Plympton,  a  younger  son,  who  died  June  5, 
1860,  was  a  brave  and  distinguished  American  sol- 
dier, who  served  with  conspicuous  gallantry  in  the 
"War  of  1812-15"  and  in  the  "Mexican  War,"  and 
rose  from  a  Second  Lieutenantcy  in  the  Regular 
Army  to  the  rank  of  Colonel,  commanding  1st  U.  S 
Infantry.    Thomas  Ruggles  Plymptou,  mentioned 
above,  married  Elizabeth  Holden,  whose  ancestors 
for  several  generations  were  residents  of  Middlesex 
County,  Massachusetts,  and  whose  father,  Lewis 
Holden,  who  served  in  the  night  forces  at  Bunker 
Hill,  on  the  eve  of  the  battle,  was  subsequently  com- 
misssoned  Major  by  Governor  John  Hancock,  of 
Massachusetts.    His  sixth  child  and  second  son,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  at  the  District 
and  High  Schools  of  Waltham,  till  he  determined  to 
adopt  the  profession  of  civil  engineering.  Thomas 
Hill,  widely  known  subsequently  as  a  distinguished 
scholar  and  mathematician,  and  who,  in  the  later 
years  of  his  life,  was  President  of  Harvard  College, 
was  his  neighbor  at  Waltham  in  those  early  days, 
and  as  his  friend  and  associate  toiled  with  him  over 
his  mathematical  studies.    A  practical  course  of 
machine  building  and  the  prescribed  course  of  study 
at  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Troy 
were  completed  in  1847,  when  he  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer.    Not  long  after  his 
graduation  he  was  invited  to  return  to  the  Institute 
as  a  teacher,  which  invitation  he  accepted  for  a  sin- 
gle term.    From  1847  to  1851  he  was  engaged  in 
machine  building,  teaching  and  surveying  both  in 
Massachusetts  and  New  York.    In  the  last  men- 
tioned year  he  accepted  the  Professorship  of  En- 
gineering and  Architecture  at  the  .  University  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio.    His  appoiutment  was  terminated 
about  a  year  later  by  the  discontinuance  of  the 
University.    In  1853  Professor  Plympton  was  called 
to  the  chair  of  Mathematics  in  the  New  York  State 
Normal  School  at  Albany.   He  resigned  this  profes- 
sorship about  two  years  later,  but  resumed  it  again 
by  request  in  1858,  and  held  it  until  1860.  About 
the  year  1852  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  building 
of  railroad  bridges,  and  was  thus  engaged  when  the 
great  depression  of  1857  put  a  temporary  stop  to  all 
public  works.    In  1859  he  was  invited  to  become  a 
candidate  for  Director  of  the  Troy  Polytechnic  In- 
stitute, but  declined.    Some  of  his  constructions 
w  ere  iron  bridges  in  the  vicinity  of  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  and,  in  1860,  being  requested  to  accept  an 
appointment  as  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  the 
New  Jersey  State  Normal  School,  he  did  so,  partly 
with  the  view  of  being  near  his  engineering  work. 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


65 


Unable  through  various  causes  to  take  an  active  part 
in  .the  field  in  support  of  the  Union  during  the 
Rebellion,  he  was,  nevertheless,  a  strong  patriot,  and 
in  many  ways  contributed  his  share  to  sustain  the 
National  authorities  and  to  stimulate  others  to  do 
likewise.  For  a  time  he  rendered  most  useful  ser- 
vices in  drilling  squads  and  companies  of  men  at 
Trenton.  In  1862,  when  it  was  proposed  to  estab- 
lish a  department  of  instruction  in  applied  science 
in  the  State  Normal  School  in  California,  Prof. 
Plympton  was  prominently  mentioned  for  the  place, 
and  a  number  of  prominent  educators,  including 
Prof.  Wm.  F.  Phelps,  Prof.  Chas.  Davies,  and  Dr. 
S.  B.  Woolworth,  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Regents 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  warmly  recommended 
his  appointment.  The  first  named,  then  President 
of  the  State  Normal  School  of  New  Jersey,  in  his 
communication  on  the  subject  to  the  Hon.  J.  Frank- 
lin Houghton,  of  California,  said  :  "  I  must  express 
in  advance  the  great  regret  which  I  should 
feel  in  being  compelled  to  part  with  Mr.  Plympton. 
He  is  one  of  the  few  men  whose  loss  to  us  would  be 
quite  irreparable.  *****  As  a  teacher  of 
mathematics  he  has  few  equals  and  no  superiors 
within  the  circle  of  my  acquaintance.  As  a  man 
his  character  is  most  estimable  and  he  would  prove 
a  great  acquisition  to  any  community  where  true 
merit  and  genuine  worth  are  appreciated.  I  need 
not  say  more  although  much  more  might  be  said." 
Prof.  Davies,  the  distinguished  mathematician, wrote 
to  the  same. gentleman  as  follows  :  "  I  have  known 
Mr.  Plympton  for  many  years  and  was  associated 
with  him  in  the  Normal  School  at  Albany.  He  is 
thoroughly  educated  in  all  t lie  branches  of  the  exact 
and  mixed  sciences,  an  admirable  teacher,  a  genial 
gentleman  and  a  model  worthy  of  imitation  by  all 
pupils.  If  he  goes  to  the  Pacific  he  will  be  a  great 
acquisition  to  your  State."  Dr.  Woohvorth's 
recommendation  contained  the  following  Strong  en- 
dorsement: "My  knowledge  of  Prof.  Plympton 
enables  me  to  speak  with  great  confidence  of  his 
qualification  for  such  a  position.  He  was  associated 
with  me  when  I  had  charge  of  the  Normal  School 
of  this  State,  and  was  eminently  successful  as  a 
teacher,  particularly  in  the  application  of  mathe- 
matics to  surveying,  engineering  and  natural  phil- 
osophy. He  possesses  great  facility  of  illustration, 
and  a  strong  power  of  influence  over  his  pupils. 

*  *  *  I  know  of  no  man  whose  services  in  a 
Normal  School  will  be  more  valuable,  and  I  am  sure 
that  the  friends  of  education  in  California  will  have 
reason  to  congratulate  themselves  if  they  secure  the 
services  of  Prof.  Plympton  in  their  Normal  School." 
Prof.  Plympton  remained  in  New  Jersey  until  1863, 
when  he  resigned  the  position  he  held  at  the  Normal 


School  in  order  to  accept  the  Professorship  of 
Physical  Science  at  the  Brooklyn  Collegiate  and 
Polytechnic  Institute,  where  he  again  became  asso- 
ciated in  educational  work  with  his  old  friend  and 
brother  teacher,  Dr.  David  H.  Cochran,  formerly 
President  of  the  New  York  State  Normal  School  but 
now  President  of  the  "  Polytechnic."  The  relations 
thus  renewed  have  been  uninterruptedly  and  har- 
moniously maintained  down  to  the  present  time 
(1889).  In  1865  Prof.  Plympton  was  appointed 
Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Toxicology  in  the  Long- 
Island  Hospital  College  and  lectured  yearly  in  the 
Spring  course  at  that  institution  until  1885,  when  he 
resigned  and  was  honored  with  the  appointment  of 
Emeritus  Professor  of  Physics,  Chemistry  and  Toxi- 
cology, the  first  conferred  in  this  college.  The  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  the  Long  Island  Hospital  College  in 
1880.  He  had  previously  received  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts.  In  1869  he  became  Professor  of 
Physics  and  Engineering  at  Cooper  Union,  and  in 
1879  he  became  Director  of  the  Night  School  of  the 
Union,  both  of  which  positions  he  still  fills.  An  in- 
defatigable worker,  Prof.  Plympton  found  time  dur- 
ing seventeen  years  of  the  period  he  has  held  his 
three  official  positions,  to  serve  as  Editor  of  Y1111, 
■NostrantPs  Engineering  Magazine.  This  periodical 
was  started  in  1869,  by  Alex.  L.  Holly,  a  well  known 
mechanical  engineer,  but  passed  out  of  his  charge 
in  the  following  year.  Prof.  Plympton  was  then 
called  to  its  editorship,  and  conducted  the  work  un- 
assisted down  to  the  discontinuance  of  the  magazine 
at  the  death  of  Mr.  Van  Nostrand  (the  publisher),  in 
1886.  The  magazine  was  a  monthly  eclectic  publi- 
cation and  was  the  standard  one  of  its  class  in 
America.  His  connection  with  it  made  him  well 
known  in  engineering  circles  throughout  the  coun- 
try and  also  abroad.  During  one  year  (1873-4)  he 
!  received  no  less  than  six  propositions  to  become 
I  connected  with  some  college  as  a  Professor  of  En- 
!  gineering,  three  being  invitations  to  accept  the  posi- 
!  tions.  Aside  from  his  labors  in  editing  the  maga- 
zine, which  were  sufficiently  important  ,  comprehen- 
<  sive  and  exacting  to  make  no  small  demands  upon 
his  time,  he  has  done  considerable  literary  work  of 
a  scientific  and  useful  character.  He  revised  and 
rewrote  a  large  portion  of  Davies'  ''Surveying," 
editions  of  1870  and  1874.  He  has  translated  from 
the  French  of  Yannettaz  "A  Treatise  on  the  Deter- 
mination of  Rocks ;  "  and  from  the  same  language 
a  treatise  on  "  Electro-Magnets,"  and  others  entitled 
"Injectors,  their  theoryr  and  use;"  "Ice  Making 
Machines,"  and  "  Linkages."  He  is  also  the  author 
of  a  treatise  entitled  "The  Aneroid  Barometer"  and 
of  the  comprehensive  article  on  "Carpentry"  pub- 


66 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


lished  in  Johnson's  Cyclopedia.  So  much  of  his 
time  has  been  engrossed  by  the  work  of  teaching, 
lecturing,  editing,  and  writing,  that  he  has  been  able 
to  give  but  an  insignificant  portion  of  it  to  practical 
engineering  work.  In  1856-57  he  built  some  iron 
bridges  in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1867-G8  was  Chief 
Engineer  of  Water  Supply  and  Drainage  of  the  city 
of  Bergen,  New  Jersey  (now  a  part  of  Jersey  City). 
Inl88"i  lie  was  named  by  Mayor  Low  and  appointed 
l>v  the  Governor  of  New  York,  a  Commissioner  of 
Electrical  Subways  for  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  and  is 
still  a  member  of  that  Board.  Prof.  Plympton  is  a 
member  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  Kensse. 
laer  Polytechnic  Institute,  and  a  warm  friend  both 
of  the  Institute  and  its  distinguished  President, 
David  M.  Green,  formerly  a  brother  teacher.  For 
twenty-one  years  he  has  been  an  active  and  promi- 
nent member  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers.  He  is  also  a  prominent  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers.  In  1880 
he  was  elected  an  Honorary  Member  of  the  Society 
of  Architects.  He  has  long  been  a  member  of  the 
Century  Club  in  New  York  City,  and  is  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Hamilton  Club  of  Brooklyn. 
Prof.  Plympton  is  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn 
and  is  well  known  and  most  highly  esteemed  in  pro- 
fessional and  educational  circles  both  there  and  in 
the  city  of  New  York.  In  a  series  of  articles  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  St.  Clair  McKelwav,  editor  of  the 
Brooklyn  Eagle,  and  published  in  that  paper  in  1877 
under  the  caption  of  "  Our  Popular  Lecturers,"  the 
accomplished  writer  thus  refers  to  Prof.  Plympton  : 

"He  fulfills  the  best  purposes  of  the  lyceuin,  and 
that  is  instruction,  and  he  fulfills  it  in  the  right  way 
by  mingled  illustration  and  statement.  A  highly 
educated  man,  he  is  also  a  highly  accomplished  one, 
and  w  hat  his  mind  receives  it  can  give  out  through 
a  variety  of  media.  He  can  portray  with  a  pencil, 
or  reproduce  and  epitomize  by  a  model  which  he 
will  make  himself,  or  narrate  and  enforce  his  know- 
ledge, observations  and  discoveries,  through  the 
spoken  word  or  the  printed  page.  Tyndall.  Proctor 
and  Huxley  in  England,  and  Agassiz, Barker,  Marsh, 
Knowles,  Parker,  Doremus  and  Plympton  in  this 
country,  are  proofs  that  science  can  be  popularized 
without  being  cheapened,  and  that  audiences  can 
be  put  on  as  even  terms  with  solid  knowledge  as 
they  can  be  with  the  dogmatism  of  the  lvceuin  de- 
claimers  or  the  folly  of  the  Lyceum  clowns."  There  is 
hardly  one  of  the  practically  scientific  subjects- 
dynamics,  mechanics',  chemistry,  architecture, 
geology,  astronomy,  physiology,  acoustics— which 
Prof.  Plympton's  thorough  knowledge  has  not  de- 
veloped to  public  audiences,  or  to  the^scientifie  con- 
gresses of  the  country.  His  acceptability  as  an 
interpreter  of  the  forms  and  forces  of  nature  is  very 
great.  His  manner  is  as  remote  from  professional  as 
can  be;  it  is  familiar  without  levity;  simple,  with- 
out the  intolerable  affectation  of  plainness:  collo- 
quial, but  dignified  and  animated  w  ithout  the  least 


bustle  or  pretense.  As  the  basis  and  at  the  goal  of 
all  his  discourses  are  facts.  Further  than  they  go  or 
away  from  them  he  will  not  trust  himself.  The  de- 
scriptive powers  of  Mr.  Plympton's  mind  are  of  a 
high  order  of  excellence.  He  can  reproduce  iu 
words  the  scenes  or  the  situations  which  he  wishes 
to  bring  to  the  knowledge  of  an  audience  with  as 
much  vividness,  delicacy  and  vigor  as  almost  any 
person  who  addresses  the  public.  His  methods  are 
w  holly  extempore,  but  his  preparation  by  study  for 
all  public  occasions  is  thorough.  His  manner  is 
animated — that  of  a  gentleman  at  ease — and  as  the 
nature  of  his  topics  makes  him  the  educator  of  his 
audience,  his  arts  are  those  of  the  conversationalist 
and  not  of  the  orator  or  actor." 

Prof.  Plympton  is  endowed  by  nature  with  ex- 
quisite sensibilities,  clear  perceptions  and  vigorous 
intellect,  and  of  these  native  gifts  he  has  made  the 
most  by  assiduous  and  wide  culture.  There  is 
hardly  a  department  of  science  or  art  into  which  he 
has  not  at  least  entered.  His  knowledge  may  be 
termed  encyclopedic  and  his  pupils  often  remark 
that  he  seems  to  have  read  everything  and  forgotten 
nothing.  As  a  scientist  he  ranks  among  the  most 
accomplished  in  America,  but  although  he  is  unusu- 
ally thorough  and  brilliant  in  the  several  depart- 
ments to  which  he  has  given  particular  attention,  he 
can  scarcely  be  styled  a  specialist,  since  he  is  pos- 
sessed of  that  eager  desire  for  knowledge  which 
overleaps  every  limitation  of  study  and  breaks  down 
every  barrier  opposed  to  investigation.  An  eminent 
educator,  the  President  of  a  leading  American  educa- 
ional  institution,  whose  own  attainments  are  of  a  very 
high  order  and  w  hose  active  experience  covers  a  range 
of  four  decades,  said  of  Prof.  Plympton:  "  His  intui- 
tive perception  of  mathematical  relations  exceeds 
that  of  any  other  man  I  ever  knew :  " — a  compli- 
ment which  the  facts  fully  warrant.  In  his  chosen 
department  of  engineering,  Prof.  Plympton  is  an 
authority.  That  he  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  great 
work  of  imparting  knowledge  is  attested  by  his 
distinguished  success  as  a  teacher  and  lecturer  and 
by  the  number,  importance  and  permanence  of  the 
educational  positions  he  so  ably  fills.  Strong  and 
persistent  in  his  attachmcuts,  he  makes  friends  to 
keep  them.  Underlying  the  serious,  earnest  ex- 
terior which  so  well  becomes  the  thinker  and  scholar, 
exists  a  genial,  sunny  nature  and  a  warm  heart.  Of 
sturdy  physique,  solid  acquirements,  broad  views 
and  engaging  manners.  Dr.  Plympton  is  a  fine  type  of 
the  American  scholar:  a  modest  gentleman,  a  thor- 
ough and  earnest  worker,  and  a  sensible,  upright 
man.  He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife, 
whom  he  married  December  17,  1855,  was  Miss 
Delia  M.  Bussey,  daughter  of  Col.  Thomas  Bussey, 
of  Troy,  New  York.  This  lady  died  in  April,  1859, 
leaving  one  son,  Hariy  Plympton,  born  February - 
10, 1857,  who  w  as  graduated  as  a  Doctor  of  Medicine, 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


67 


at  the  Long  Islam!  Hospital  College,  and  is  now  a 
practicing  physician  in  Brooklyn  Prof.  Plymptou 
married  his  second  wife.  Miss  Helen  M.  Bussey,  sis- 
ter of  the  first,  July  3,  1861.  By  this  union  there 
have  been  four  children  :  a  son,  Josiah,  who  died  in 
infancy  and  three  daughters,  viz :  Emma  Louisa, 
Bessie  llolden,  and  Delia. 


SIMMONS,  HON.  JOSEPH  EDWARD,  LL.D.. 
President  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  President  of  the  Fourth 
National  Bank,  and  Past  Grand  Master  of  the 
Grand  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  was  born  at  Troy,  New  York,  September 
9,  1841.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  of  Dutch  desceut. 
His  great  grandfather,  Christian  Simmons,  a  na- 
tive of  Holland,  came  to  xVmerica  early  in  the  last 
century  and  settled  in  Dutchess  County,  New  York. 
Christian  Simmons  had  four  sons  and  the}'  all  set- 
tled in  Rensselaer  County,  New  York,  taking  up 
wilderness  land  under  what  was  called  "  The  Van 
Rensselaer  Grant."  They  were  farmers  by  occupa- 
tion and  were  distinguished  for  their  character, 
intelligence  and  thrift  The  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  Joseph  Ferris  Simmons,  son  of 
Christian  Simmons,  one  of  the  brothers  mentioned 
above.  He  was  born  in  the  old  town  of  Saudlake 
(in  the  portion  now  attached  to  Poestenkill)  in  1817. 
When  but  sixteen  years  old  he  abandoned  farming 
and  removed  to  Troy,  where  he  entered  upon  a 
mercantile  career  which  was  marked  by  industry 
and  ability  and  crowned  with  success  and  for- 
tune. His  active  life  as  a  merchant  covered  a 
period  of  forty-four  years,  during  thirty  of  which 
he  did  an  extensive  business  in  the  store  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Congress  and  Fifth  Streets.  Subsequently, 
for  three  or  four  years,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
tea  importing  house  of  Battershall,  Simmons  &  Co. 
During  the  last  eleven  or  twelve  years  of  his  life 
he  was  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Simmons  &  Darling, 
a  leading  wholesale  grocery  establishment  in  the 
city  of  Troy.  Mr.  Simmons  had  no  desire  for  a 
public  life,  but  his  worth  and  ability  were  so 
highly  appreciated  by  his  fellow-citizens  that 
he  was  practically  compelled  to  regard  to  some 
extent  their  frequently  expressed  wishes.  He  rep- 
resented the  Second  Ward  of  Troy  in  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  iu  1849,  and  in  1852  was  elected  to  the 
Common  Council  of  the  city  from  the  same  ward. 
He  was  a  director  of  the  State  Bank  of  Troy  from 
its  organization  till  his  death,  a  period  of  twenty- 
five  years,  and  discharged  this  as  well  as  all  other 
official  trusts  with  scrupulous  fidelity  and  with  the 


highest  honor  to  himself.  Although  a  sufferer  for 
many  years  from  rheumatic  gout,  he  was  of  a  most 
cheerful  disposition  and,  more  remarkable  still,  un- 
der the  circumstances,  very  fond  of  travel.  Four 
of  the  last  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  foreign 
journeying*,  during  which  he  visited  all  the  princi- 
pal countries  of  Europe,  made  the  tour  of  the  Holy 
Land  and  sailed  up  the  Nile.  He  died  June  6, 
1879,  iu  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age,  at  San 
Francisco,  California,  whither  he  had  gone  shortly 
after  his  return  from  abroad,  having  in  mind  at  the 
time  a  half  formed  project  of  a  tour  of  the  world. 
The  wife  of  Joseph  F.  Simmons,  and  mother  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  Mary  Sophia  Glea- 
son,  a  native  of  Townshend,  New  Hampshire,  spo- 
ken of  by  her  neighbors  as  "  a  lady  of  rare  virtue 
and  intelligence."  She  was  the  eldest  child  of 
Capt.  Samuel  Gleasou,  a  native  of  Townshend,  New 
Hampshire,  but  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life  a 
resident  of  Shaftsbury,  Vermont,  whose  wife — her 
mother — was  a  Miss  Ober  of  French  descent.  They 
were  married  in  1839  and  she  became  the  mother  of 
three  children,  viz.:  Hon.  Charles  E.  Simmons,  M.D. , 
President  of  the  Board  of  Charities  and  Correc- 
tions, New  York  City;  lion.  J.  Edward  Simmons. 
LL.D.,  aud  Emma  Kate  Simmons,  now  Mrs. 
Charles  R.  Flint,  of  New  York.  Her  father  was  a 
veteran  of  the  War  of  1812-15;  and  her  grand- 
father, also  named  Samuel  Gleason,  was  a  resilient 
of  New  Hampshire,  and  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lution. Such  is  the  parentage  and  ancestry  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Reared  iu  a  comfortable 
home,  amid  refined  and  cultured  surroundings,  his 
early  years  were  passed  in  the  city  of  his  birth. 
His  education  began  at  the  old  Troy  Academy,  and 
was  continued  at  a  boarding  school  at  Saudlake, 
where  he  was  prepared  for  college  by  Wm.  H. 
Schram.  In  1858  lie  entered  Williams  College,  then 
under  the  Presidency  of  Mark  Hopkins,  and  grad- 
uated with  honor  in  1802.  After  finishing  his  col- 
legiate course  he  began  the  study  of  law  at  the 
Albany  Law  School,  lie  received  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws  in  18G3,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Albany  at  the  May  term  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  in  the  same  year.  He  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  Troy  until  18G7,  when  he  removed  to  New 
York  City  and  engaged  in  the  banking  and  broker- 
age business.  In  18G8  he  became  a  partner  of 
Benj.  L.  DeForest,  and  two  years  later  was  admit- 
ted to  partnership  iu  the  old  banking  house  of  Grant 
&  Co.  Owing  to  impaired  health  he  retired  from 
that  house  at  the  close  of  1872.  The  winter  of  1873 
he  spent  in  Florida  seeking  recuperation,  but  in 
1874  he  again  engaged  in  business  in  Wall  Street, 
where  he  steadily  continued,  in  one  way  or  another, 


68 


CONTEMPORARY 


BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW 


YORK. 


-until  1884,  when  he  was  chosen  President  of  the 
New  York  Stock  Exchange.  At  the  time  of  his 
nomination  for  this  office  by  the  regularly  appointed 
nominating  committee,  Mr.  Simmons  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  for  thirteen  years,  although 
he  had  not  been  an  active  participant  in  its  affairs 
during  the  larger  part  of  that  period.  The  panic  of 
1884  and  the  suspension  of  the  house  of  A.  S.  Hatch 
&Co.,  the  head  of  which,  though  but  recently  elected 
President  of  the  Exchange,  became  disqualified  for 
the  office  by  his  suspension,  had  brought  the  affairs 
of  the  Exchange  to  such  a  condition  that  it  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  exercise  great  care  and  discrimi- 
nation in  the  selection  of  a  President.  Although  a 
comparatively  young  man.  Mr.  Simmons  was  not 
unknown  or  inexperienced.  He  was  well  educated, 
had  spent  fifteen  years  or  more  in  active  busi- 
ness and  had  retired  with  a  comfortable  fortune. 
His  legal  training — something  exceptional  for  a 
member  of  the  Exchange — was  a  qualification  of 
considerable  value  in  itself.  Besides,  as  Grand  Mas- 
ter of  Masons  in  the  State  of  New  York,  he  was  the 
respected  head  of  more  than  one  hundred  thousand 
members  of  an  orderly  and  prosperous  fraternity, 
and  also  a  Commissioner  of  Education  of  the  City 
of  New  York.  An  editorial  in  the  JV.  }'.  Mail  and 
Express,  Ma}-  2!),  1*84,  referred  to  his  nomination 
in  the  following  words  : 

"  It  is  a  good  sign  of  the  conservative  spirit  now 
beginning  to  reach  even  the  speculative  classes, 
w  hen  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  places  in  nom- 
ination for  its  Presidency  a  gentleman  so  thoroughly 
worthy  of  the  confidence  of  the  financial  world 
as  Mr.  J.  Edward  Simmons.  It  is  all  important  that 
the  confidence  of  the  country  in  its  great  financial 
market  should  be  kept  unimpaired.  And  it  is  un- 
deniable that  the  presl/ge  of  the  Exchange  has 
received  something  of  a  shock  in  the  sudden  and 
unexpected  misfortune  of  its  recent  President.  In 
placing  at  the  helm  at  the  present  juncture  a  man 
who  is  removed  from  all  risk  of  business  failure, 
the  Exchange  takes  a  most  prudent  and  judicious 
step,  and  the  honorable  business  career  and  useful 
public  services  of  Mr.  Simmons  render  him  emi- 
nently a  man  who  will  command  general  confi- 
dence." 

The  AV/r  York  Dai!;/  Graphic,  commenting  on  the 
nomination,  said : 


Committee  have  wisely 
delicate  and  important 


"That  the  Nominatin 
acquitted  themselves  of 

duty,  every  one  who  has  any  knowledge,  personal 
or  otherwise,  of  Mr.  Simmons  will  at  once  admit. 
It  is  no  disparagement  to  the  large  number  of  intelli- 
gent men  composing  the  Exchange  to  say  that  no 
more  judicious  selection  for  this  important  position 
could  have  been  made.  In  the  first  place  Mr.  Sim- 
mons is  a  'solid'  man:  he  is  a  man  of  great  natural 
force,  of  varied  and  extensive  culture  and  practical 
experience  in  the  business  in  which  he  is  engaged. 
A.8  a  presiding  officer  he  happily  combines  the  affa- 


bility of  a  man  of  the  world  with  the  dignity  and 
force  of  a  thorough  parliamentarian.  "The  Ex- 
change will  do  justice  to  itself  by  promptly  electing 
him.  and  Mr.  Simmons  will  assuredly  feel  honored 
by  his  election  to  a  position  of  dignity  and  distinc- 
tion." 

Other  metropolitan  papers  spoke  in  a  similar 
complimentary  strain,  and  the  Albany  Evening  Jour- 
nal declared  that 

"The  New  York  Stock  Exchange  will  be  very- 
fortunate  if  it  secures  as  its  presiding  officer  such  a 
conscientious  and  such  a  capable  gentleman  as  Mr. 
J.  Edward  Simmons." 

At  the  election.  June  2, 1884,  Mr.  Simmons  received 
six  hundred  and  seven  of  the  seven  hundred  and 
thirty-two  votes  cast.  The  membership  of  the 
Exchange  was  at  that  date  one  thousand  and 
ninety-nine,  and  the  vote  polled  was  the  largest  on 
record  up  to  that  time,  Mr.  Simmons  receiving  more 
than  was  ever  received  by  any  previous  candidate 
for  President  in  a  contested  election.  Mr.  Sim- 
mons assumed  his  duties  as  President  on  the  day 
following  his  election.  With  rare  tact  and  judg- 
ment he  speedily  brought  order  out  of  chaos, 
and  in  a  very  brief  period  demonstrated  to  the  en- 
tire satisfaction  of  even  the  most  sceptical  that  he 
was  the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  His  term  of 
office  proved  such  a  brilliant  success  that  he  was 
re-elected  a  second  term  by  a  unanimous  vote — "an 
honor  seldom  conferred,"  but  which -was  bestowed 
"  in  recognition  of  the  able  manner  in  which  he  had 
discharged  its  onerous  duties  the  year  before,  and 
of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Exchange."  The  fact  that  a  seat  in 
the  Exchange  is  valued  at  about  •*2r),000  gives  an 
idea  of  its  importance.  Besides,  a  membership  in- 
cludes a  severe  test  as  to  personal  character  and 
financial  integrity.  To  be  called  a  second  term  to 
preside  over  an  organization  whose  transactions 
are  so  large  and  conducted  on  such  a  gigantic  scale, 
is  a  compliment  to  theincumbent  and  is  an  evidence 
that  he  possesses  executive  ability  of  a  high  order, 
and  a  business  capacity  of  unusual  power.  It 
should  be  mentioned  that  the  office  of  President  of 
the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  is  unsalaried,  and 
that  while  it  brings  no  emolument  to  its  incumbent, 
it  does  bring  weighty  responsibilities  and  duties  of  a 
most  onerous  character.  The  position,  neverthe- 
less, is  deemed  one  of  exceptional  dignity  and 
honor.  At  the  close  of  his  second  term  President 
Simmons  was  requested  to  allow  his  name  to  be 
presented  as  candidate  for  a  third,  but  declined  on 
account  of  his  health.  On  his  retirement  he  re- 
ceived a  marked  evidence  of  the  esteem  in  which 
he  was  held  in  a  series  of  resolutions,  handsomely 
engrossed,  which  read  as  follows  : 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


69 


New  York  Stock  Exchange  to  its  retiring  Presi- 
dent, Mr.  J.  Edward  Simmons. 

New  York,  April  28,  1886. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Governing  Committee  held  on 
April  28,  1886,  the  following  resolutions  were 
unanimously  adopted : 

Bexolved,  that  we  take  pride  and  great  pleasure  in 
conveying  to  our  retiring  President,  Mr.  J.  Edward 
Simmons,  this  expression  of  our  full  appreciation 
of  the  efforts  he  has  made  and  the  success  he  has 
achieved  in  furthering  the  interests  of  this  Ex- 
change by  the  honest  and  faithful  performance  of 
the  high  office  to  which  he  has  twice  been  so  flat- 
teringly elected  bv  his  fellow-members ;  and  that  in 
making  this  record  on  behalf  of  our  constituents  as 
a  body,  we  render  him  only  that  which  he  has  just- 
ly earned  by  his  uniform  exercise  of  superior  ability, 
good  judgment,  deliberate  courtesy  and  tact  in  the 
steady  maintenance  of  the  intimate  relations,  both 
official  and  personal,  established  and  required  by 
his  dignified  and  influential  position  among  us. 

Besotted,  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions,  suitably 
engrossed,  be  presented  to  Mr.  Simmons. 

E.  A.  Drake,  ) 

F.  K.  Sturgis,  •  Committee. 
W.  S.  Nichols,) 

George  W.  Ely, 

Secretary. 

In  further  evidence  of  their  personal  respect  the 
Governing  Committee  presented  Mr.  Simmons  with 
a  beautiful  gold  watch  bearing  the  following  inscrip- 
tion: 

"  Integer  vita;  xcelerixque  purm" 
Presented  by  the  Governing  Committee  of  the 
New  York  Stock  Exchange  to  President 
•'  J.  Edward  Simmons,  1886. 
"  Ilaec  olim  meminisse  juvabit." 
On  retiring  from  the  Presidency  of  the  Exchange 
Mr.  Simmons  took  a  trip  to  Europe  accompanied 
by  his  wife  and  three  children.  Upon  his  return 
home,  after  an  absence  of  several  months,  he  de- 
voted his  attention  closely  to  educational  matters 
and  public  affairs  in  general.  His  connection  with 
the  Board  of  Education  began  early  in  1881,  when 
he  was  appointed  a  Commissioner  by  Mayor  Grace. 
In  1884  he  was  re-appointed  by  Mayor  Franklin 
Edson,  and,  in  1886,  he  was  unanimously  chosen 
President  of  the  Board,  succeeding  the  Hon.  Ste- 
phen A.  Walker,  who  had  resigned  upon  being  ap- 
pointed United  States  District  Attorney  by  President 
Cleveland.  Mr.  Simmons  is  now  serving  his  fourth 
term  as  President  of  the  Board.  The  Department 
of  Education  is  probably  the  largest  and  most  im- 
portant division  of  the  City  Government.  The  pro- 
perty in  its  charge  covers  nearly  forty  acres  of  land, 
and  embraces  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  school 
buildings,  including  a  college  for  girls  and  one  for 
boys.  The  value  of  this  property  together  with  the 
furniture,  books  and  educational  appliances  proba- 


bly exceeds  fifteen  millions  of  dollars.    Under  the 
jurisdiction  of  this  department  is  an  army  com- 
posed of  over  four  thousand  teachers,  and  about 
one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  scholars,  male  and 
female.    From  first  to  last  Mr.  Simmons  has  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  zealous  labors  on  this 
Commission.  Judging  by  the  results  he  has  achiev- 
ed, it  would  appear  as  if  he  had  a  special  call  in 
this  field  of  public  usefulness.    He  is  most  ener- 
getic in  his  labors  for  the  improvement  and  exten- 
sion of  the  public  school  system,  and  he  is  also  a 
strenuous  advocate  of  the  higher  education,  his 
voice  and  vote  being  always  given  in  favor  of  pre- 
serving and  broadening  the  opportunities  for  those 
who  desire  to  avail  themselves  of  this  great  privilege. 
Largely  through  his  personal  labors  and  influence, 
the  Legislature  of  New  York  was  induced  in  1888 
to  bestow  collegiate  rank  and  powers  upon  the 
Normal  College  of  the  city,  previously  a  college  in 
name  only.    His  personal  influence  has  also  been 
exerted  in  various  ways,  with  marked  success,  in 
aiding  and  developing  the  College  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  in  the  welfare  of  which  he  is  warmly 
interested.    In  January,  1888,  Mr.  Simmons  was 
called  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Fourth  Natioual 
Bank,  succeeding  Mr.  O.  D.  Baldwin.     When  in- 
vited to  accept  this  distinguished  position,  he  did 
not  know  a  single  member  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors, owned  no  stock  in  the  corporation,  and  had 
never  been  in  the  bank.    He  was  called  to  the 
J  Presidency  solely  on  the  strength  of  his  public 
record.     The  "Fourth  National"  is  one  of  the 
leading  banks  of  the  United  States.    It  has  a  capi- 
tal of  #3,200,000,  and  its  gross  deposits  are  in  the 
!  neighborhood  of  #30,000,000.    The  chief  direction 
of  this  great  institution  is  a  weighty  matter,  and 
j  calls  for  exceptional  skill  in  financial  affairs,  the 
constant  exercise  of  great  tact,  and  unimpeachable 
honesty.    When  it  is  remembered  that  during  his 
career  of  fully  twenty  years  in  Wall  Street,  Mr. 
Simmons  never  failed  to  meet  a  contract,  had  never 
been  sued,  and  that  in  financial  circles  it  was  said 
that  nothing  whatever  was  known  of  him  save 
what  was  to  his  credit,  it  is  not  surprising  that  a 
committee  of  conservative  bankers  should  have 
j  urged  him  to  accept  the  Presidency  of  the  great  in- 
stitution thej-  represented,  which  had  absolute  need 
at  its  head  of  a  man  of  the  very  highest  character 
and  purest  record.    A  Democrat  in  political  faith, 
Mr.  Simmons  has  on  many  occasions  rendered  im- 
portant services  to  his  party,  although  he  has  never 
been  an  office-seeker  and  is  not  affiliated  with  any 
"  hall  "  or  faction  in  the  party.    He  has  been  active 
in  public  life  for  a  number  of  years,  and  has  taken 
a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs,  but  he  has  never 


7o 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


held  an  office  of  emolument,  always  serving  gra- 
tuitously. In  the  summer  of  1885  he  was  promi- 
nently mentioned  in  connection  with  the  Collector- 
ship  of  the  Port  of  New  York,  and  his  appointment 
was  strongly  urged  upon  President  Cleveland.  The 
late  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  who  was  then  actively  assist- 
ing in  shaping  and  directing  the  financial  policy  of 
the  National  Administration,  interested  himself  par- 
ticularly in  Mr.  Simmons'  behalf  and  strongly  urged 
him  to  accept  the  position,  which  he  (Mr.  Tilden) 
believed  would  be  offered  him.  At  the  request  of 
the  ex-Governor,  Mr.  Simmons  visited  Washington 
and  presented  a  letter  to  Mr.  Cleveland,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  cop}'  : 

New  York,  June  24,  1885. 

Dear  Mr.  Cleveland  : — Mr.  J.  Edward  Simmons 
is  about  to  visit  Washington,  and  I  take  pleasure  in 
giving  him  a  letter  of  introduction  to  you.  Mr. 
Simmons  is  President  of  the  Stock  Exchange  and  a 
thorough  business  man  of  high  capacity  and  unex- 
ceptionable character.  His  name  has  frequently 
been  mentioned  for  the  Collectorship  of  the  Port  of 
New  York,  and  I  have  thought  you  might  like  to 
see  him.  While  lie  has  been  a  uniform  Democrat, 
his  appointment  would  be  very  acceptable  to  the 
Independent  Republicans,  to  the  press,  and  to  the 
general  public.  You  could  rely  upon  his  carrying 
out  the  exact  line  of  policy  which  you  should  indi- 
cate. He  would  give  a  good  administration  of  that 
important  trust  without  undue  influence  by  any 
class  or  by  any  individual. 

Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)  Samtel  J.  Tildex. 

Mr.  Simmons  made  no  effort  in  his  own  behalf,  de- 
claring that  he  was  perfectly  happy  in  his  position 
as  President  of  the  Stock  Exchange,  and  was  de- 
sirous of  serving  out  his  term.  The  press  very  gen- 
erally endorsed  him  for  the  Collector's  office,  and 
his  appointment  was  approved  and  urged  by  hun- 
dreds of  representative  business  men,  who  believed 
that  the  New  York  Custom  House  should  be  con- 
ducted on  business  principles,  and  not  to  serve 
political  ends.  In  the  light  of  subsequent  events, 
it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  through  its  absolute 
indifference  to  the  wishes  of  Mr.  Tilden  in  this 
matter,  the  Administration  forfeited  his  friendship 
and  unwittingly  dealt  itself  a  political  blow  from 
which  it  never  recovered.  Mr.  Simmons  has  been 
urged  repeatedly  to  allow  his  name  to  be  presented 
for  the  office  of  Mayor,  but  always  declined.  While 
in  Europe,  in  1885,  he  was  nominated  for  this  of- 
fice by  the  Business  Men's  Democratic  Association, 
the  opinion  being  freely  expressed  that  his  candida- 
ture would  doubtless  result  in  holding  the  majority 
of  the  Democratic  vote,  and  in  attracting  a  suffi- 
cient number  from  conservative  Republicans  to  en- 
sure his  election  and  the  defeat  of  the  newly  organ- 
ized party  with  its  novel  theories  of  property,  etc. 


Learning,  upon  his  return  home,  of  the  nomination 
of  Mr.  Hewitt  by  the  Democracy,  Mr.  Simmons 
wrote  to  the  Chairman  i  f  the  Business  Men's  Mu- 
nicipal Association,  thanking  that  organization  for 
the  great  honor  conferred,  but  declining  it  in  the 
interests  of  that  certain  success  which  he  predicted 
would  attend  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Hewitt,  to 
whose  support  he  pledged  himself  and  urged  his 
friends.  Mr.  Simmons  became  a  member  of  Mt. 
Zion  Lodge,  No.  311,  F.  and  A.  M.,  at  Troy,  New 
York,  in  1884.  Ten  years  later  he  affiliated  with 
Kane  Lodge,  No.  454,  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
became  its  Master  in  1877,  and  again  in  1S78,  and, 
in  1883,  was  chosen  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York  by  unanimous 
vote  and  served  in  that  exalted  office  one  year.  His 
rise  to  this  dignity  after  sitting  only  five  years  in  the 
Grand  Lodge  was  unprecedented,  and  indicated  the 
general  appreciation  of  his  worth  and  influence  as  a 
Mason,  as  well  as  his  great  personal  popularity. 
He  is  a  member  of  Jerusalem  Chapter,  No.  8,  Royal 
Arch  Masons,  and  of  Ca-ur  de  Lion  Commandery, 
No.  23,  Knights  Templar,  and  was  Eminent  Com- 
mander of  the  latter  in  1881.  He  has  also  filled  the 
offices  of  District  Deputy  Grand  Master  of  the 
Sixth  Masonic  District,  and  Grand  Marshal.  In 
September,  1885,  having  previously  takeu  all  the 
lower  grades  and  degrees  in  the  Masonic  Order,  he 
received  the  Thirty-third  Degree,  the  highest  that 
can  be  conferred.  Mr.  Simmons'  experiences  in 
Masonry  have  been  as  pleasant  as  they  have  been 
notable.  Upon  his  retirement  as  Master  of  Kane 
Lodge  he  was  presented  with  a  magnificent  jewel 
of  office  and  an  exquisite  bronze  image  of  the  God 
of  Love,  the  latter,  a  free-wdl  offering,  being  de- 
signed to  typify  the  harmony  and  good-feeling 
which  prevailed  during  his  administration  of  the 
affairs  of  this  Lodge,  which  ranks  as  "the  silk- 
stocking  Lodge  "  of  the  city,  and  as  one  of  the 
largest,  wealthiest  and  most  influential  in  the  Or- 
der. As  Grand  Master  of  the  State,  Mr.  Simmons 
laid  the  corner-stone  of  Eastman's  Business  College 
at  Poughkeepsie,  and  also  that  of  the  Armory  of  the 
Forty-seventh  Regiment  of  Brooklyn.  Both  occa- 
sions were  marked  by  imposing  ceremonies.  He 
also  assisted  in  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  Obe- 
lisk in  Central  Park.  While  holding  the  office  of 
Grand  Master  he  visited  Europe,  and  during  his 
sojourn  in  the  United  Kingdom  was  entertained  by 
the  Prince  of  "Wales — whom  he  ranks  as  a  Mason — 
and  banqueted  by  the  Faculty  of  Trinity  College, 
Dublin.  Throughout  his  stay  in  Europe  he  was 
kindly  received  everywhere,  and  met  a  number  of 
distinguished  men,  including  Gladstone,  Parnell, 
the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  and  others.    Mr.  Simmons 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


7  1 


possesses  a  large  number  of  valuable  and  treasured 
souvenirs  and  tokens  of  esteem,  including  auto- 
graphs and  photographs  of  many  distinguished  per- 
sons, silver  trowels  and  rich  jewels  of  the  Masonic 
Order,  jewelry,  bronzes,  books,  and  beautifully  en- 
grossed and  elegantly  framed  resolutions,  diplomas, 
certificates,  etc.  In  June,  1885,  he  received  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Norwich,  Vermont,  in  recognition  of  his 
distinguished  services  in  the  cause  of  education. 
In  every  position  of  trust  that  Mr.  Simmons  hns 
held,  his  executive  ability  and  his  diligent  attention 
to  his  duties  have  gained  for  him  the  reputation  of 
an  admirable  officer.  His  ample  means  make  him 
entirely  independent  of  salar}-,  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  his  bank  Presidency,  all  his  official  positions 
are  and  have  been  those  in  which  the  honor  has 
been  the  only  emolument.  He  lives  in  a  style  be- 
fitting his  fortune  and  position  in  society,  having  a 
fine  city  mansion  and  a  pretty  country  home — 
•  Stag's  Head,"  at  Lake  George.  He  is  a  skillful 
angler  and  has  whipped  the  streams  of  the  Adiron- 
dacks,  Maine  and  Pennsylvania  for  trout  and  other 
finny  game.  His  accomplishments  are  many  and 
varied,  and  he  is  especially  fond  of  music  and  is  a 
skillful  performer  on  the  piano.  He  has  traveled 
extensively  in  Europe  and  America,  and  besides 
being  widely  known,  has  an  army  of  friends  drawn 
to  him  by  those  personal  qualities  which  in  every 
age  and  country,  by  whoever  possessed,  have  been 
powerful  in  moving  human' affection.  Mr.  Simmons 
is  a  member  of  the  University,  Manhattan  and  New 
York  Athletic  Clubs,  and  of  the  St.  Nicholas  and 
New  England  Societies.  He  takes  an  active  interest 
in  benevolent  matters,  and  for  man}-  years  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  New 
York  Infant  Asylum.  He  is  also  a  member  of  St. 
Thomas'  Episcopal  Church.  For  a  number  of  years 
preceding  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Samuel  J.  Tilden, 
he  was  a  close  personal  friend  of  that  distinguished 
sta  ?sman.  whose  brother  married  a  sister  of  Mrs. 
Charles  E.  Simmons.  On  April  12,  1866,  Mr.  Sim- 
mons married  Miss  Julia  Greer,  daughter  of  George 
Greer,  Esq.,  of  the  city  of  New  York.  Of  the  five 
children  born  to  this  marriage  three  survive,  viz.: 
a  son,  Joseph  Ferris  Simmons,  now  a  student  in 
New  York  City,  and  two  daughters,  Julia  Greer 
and  Mabel.  Regarded  from  almost  any  point  of 
view,  Mr.  Simmons'  career  is  a  most  successful 
one.  His  popularity  is  bounded  by  no  business  or 
social  lines,  and  is  greatest  where  he  is  best  known. 
Mr.  Simmons  is  a  born  orator.  His  ideas  and  views 
upon  any  subject,  when  given  utterance,  are  framed 
in  exquisite  and  appropriate  language,  and  spoken 
in  a  manly  yet  musical  tone.    He  has  a  wonderful 


power  in  holding  the  attention  of  his  auditors  and 
invariably  wins  their  generous  applause.  Press 
notices  of  his  numerous  speeches  and  addresses  on 
public,  educational  and  Masonic  topics  are  invari- 
ably laudatory.  Many  of  his  addresses  have  been 
published  in  the  newspapers  and  also  in  pamphlet 
form,  and  if  collected  woidd  make  a  large  and  in- 
structive volume.  His  style  as  a  writer  is  scholarly, 
terse  and  vigorous,  powerful  in  logic  and  convinc- 
ing in  argument.  Several  of  Ins  addresses  on  edu- 
cational matters  have  been  given  a  wide  circulation 
by  the  Department  of  Education.  Among  these 
the  more  recent  are,  an  "Address  delivered  at  the 
Commencement  of  the  Normal  College  of  the  City 
of  New  York,"  June  30,  1887  ;  "Address  on  the 
Present  Condition  and  Progress  of  Popular  Educa- 
tion in  the  City  of  New  York,"  January  11, 1888, 
and  an  address  entitled,  "  The  Higher  Education  a 
Public  Duty."  Mr.  Simmons  was  chosen  Treasurer 
of  the  fund  raised  in  New  York  City  for  the  relief 
of  the  sufferers  by  the  Conemaugh  Valley  floods  in 
1889,  and  in  this  capacity  took  charge  of  and  trans- 
mittedto  the  proper  authorities  in  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania upwards  of  a  million  dollars.  When  the 
World's  Fair  project  for  18!)2  took  shape,  Mr.  Sim- 
mons was  appointed  a  member  of  the  General  Com- 
mittee and  by  that  body  was  made  a  member  of 
the  Finance  Committee,  of  which  lie  was  subsequent- 
ly elected  Treasurer. 


ROCHESTER,  THOMAS  FORTESCUE,  A.M., 
M.D.,  LL.D.,  a  distinguished  citizen  and  phy- 
sician of  Wrestern  New  York,  was  born  at 
Rochester,  New  York,  October  8,  1823,  and  died  at 
Buffalo,  New  York,  May  24,  1887.  During  the  last 
thirty-five  years  of  his  life  he  was  a  resident  of  the 
city  of  Buffalo,  and  one  of  its  most  esteemed  physi- 
cians. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  practiced 
his  profession  continuously  for  forty  years.  Dr. 
Rochester  was  descended  from  the  colonial  English 
settlers  of  Virginia.  His  ancestor,  Nicholas  Roches- 
ter, a  member  of  the  Rochester  family  of  Essex 
County,  England,  came  to  this  country  soon  after 
the  settlement  of  Jamestown,  and  became  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  plantation  in  Westmoreland  County, 
Virginia,  which  was  greatly  enlarged  subsequently 
by  additions  purchased  by  his  sons  and  grandsons. 
The  descendants  of  Nicholas  Rochester  were  numer- 
ous, and  were  found  not  only  in  Virginia  but  also  in 
North  Carolina.  One  of  them,  named  Nathaniel,  a 
great-grandson  of  the  founder  of  the  family,  and  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  very 
remarkable  man,  and  as  the  founder  of  the  New 


72 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


York  branch  of  the  family,  one  of  the  earliest  and 
most  active  promoters  of  the  development  of  wes- 
tern New  York,  and  the  virtual  founder  of  the  city 
of  Rochester,  merits  special  mention  in  this  place. 
Born  in  Cople  Parish,  Westmoreland  County,  Vir- 
ginia, February  21,  1752,  he  removed  to  Orange 
County,  North  Carolina,  previous  to  the  Revolution, 
engaged  in  mercantile  affairs,  and  was  prominent 
there  among  those  who  opposed  the  arbitrary  and 
tyrannical  course  of  the  British  Government  in  its 
dealings  with  the  American  Colonies  In  1775,  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  he  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  local  Committee  of  Safety,  the  duties 
of  which,  as  outlined  at  the  time,  were  "  to  promote 
the  revolutionary  spirit  among  the  people,  procure 
arms  and  ammunition,  make  collections  fur  the  citi- 
zens of  Boston,  whose  harbor  was  blockaded  by  a 
J i i- i t  i  —  1 1  licet,  and  to  prevent  the  sale  and  use  of  Hast 
India  tea."  The  confidence  of  his  neighbors  was 
further  shown  by  his  election  in  the  same  year  to 
the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  to  membership 
in  the  first  Provincial  Convention  in  North  Carolina. 
Immediately  upon  the  raising  of  troops  he  was  com- 
missioned paymaster  with  the  rank  of  Major.  He 
took  the  field  with  the  ardor  of  a  true  patriot  and 
signalized  himself  at  the  outset  of  his  military 
career  by  suddenly  pouncing  upon  and  capturing  a 
body  of  one  thousand  Scotchmen  who  had  been 
secretly  recruited  in  Cumberland  County  and  were 
on  their  way  to  join  the  British  forces  in  New  York. 
Within  a  year  he  had  risen  to  the  rank  of  Deputy 
Commissary -General  of  the  Military  Forces  of  North 
Carolina.  Forced  by  ill  health  to  resign  from  the 
army,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  North 
Carolina  and  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
Militia.  In  1777  he  was  commissioned  Colonel,  be- 
ing then  but  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Notwith- 
standing the  disturbed  state  of  the  country  he  pushed 
his  business  enterprises  with  great  activity,  and 
while  the  war  progressed  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
transactions  at  Ilillsboro,  North  Carolina,  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  at  Elizabethtown  (Hagerstown),  Mary- 
land. In  1783  he  became  a  resident  of  the  last 
named  place.  Popular,  energetic  and  wonderfully 
versatile,  he  soon  came  to  the  front  in  his  new  home 
and  was  chosen  to  numerous  positions  of  honor, 
trust  and  responsibility.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
.Maryland  House  of  Delegates,  au  Associate  Judge 
of  Washington  County,  Postmaster,  Sheriff,  and,  in 
1808,  Presidential  Elector,  casting  his  vote  for  James 
Madison.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  the  first 
President  of  the  Hagerstown  Bank,  and  was  active 
in  church  affairs  and  a  vestryman  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  He  married  Miss  Sophia  Beatty,  daughter 
of  Col.  William  Beatty,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Fred- 


erick, Maryland,  and  a  lineal  descendant  of  John 
Beatty,  whom  religious  persecution  drove  from 
Scotland  in  the  time  of  the  Stuarts,  and  who 
settled  in  America  about  1700.  Col.  Nathaniel 
Rochester  first  became  interested  in  New  York 
while  passing  through  the  western  portion  of  the 
State,  on  a  journey  to  Kentucky,  in  1800.  The  land 
he  purchased  at  that  time  was  in  what  was  then 
called  the  Genesee  country.  Not  liking  the  locality, 
he  sold  out  a  little  later  and  bought  two  tracts  in 
Livingston  County,  one  of  which,  located  at  Dans- 
ville,  possessed  valuable  water  power.  About  1802, 
in  company  with  Major  (afterwards  Judge)  Charles 
Carrol  and  Col.  William  Fitzhugh,  lie  purchased  the 
one  hundred  acre  tract  at  Fallstown,  near  the  Gene- 
see Falls,  the  price  paid  therefor  being  seventeen 
and  a  half  dollars  per  acre.  In  1810  he  closed  his 
business  affairs  at  Hagerstown  and  removed  to 
Dansville.  He  brought  with  him  his  entire  family 
and  household  effects,  making  the  long  journey 
through  hundreds  of  miles  of  wilderness  in  carriages 
and  wagons  of  his  own.  This  difficult  and  perilous 
undertaking  was  fortunately  accomplished  without 
accident.  One  of  his  first  enterprises  in  the  Gene- 
see country  was  the  erection  of  a  large  paper  mill. 
His  knowledge  of  engineering  was  afforded  practi- 
cal exercise  in  the  work  of  surveying  and  laying  out 
the  Fallstown  or  one  hundred  acre  tract  into  vil- 
lage lots,  which  was  completed  in  1811.  The  War 
of  1812  15  interfered  with  the  growth  of  the  settle- 
ment, but  after  its  close  more  interest  was  manifested 
and  its  future  became  fully  apparent.  When  the 
route  of  the  Erie  Canal  became  a  certainty  Col. 
Rochester  was  an  active  promoter  of  the  canal  pro- 
ject and  was  Secretary  of  the  Convention  held  at 
Cauandaigua,  in  1817,  for  the  purpose  of  pushing 
this  great  enterprise.  In  that  same  j'ear  the  village 
at  the  Genesee  Falls  was  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  Rochesterville,  in  honor  of  its  founder,  Col. 
Rochester,  who  was  then  residing  at  Bloomficld, 
Ontario  County,  New  York,  wdiither  he  had  re- 
moved in  1815.  In  the  political  campaign  of  1810 
Col.  Rochester  took  an  active  part  and  was  a  Presi- 
dential Elector  on  the  Monroe  ticket,  in  the  State  of 
New  York.  In  1818  he  went  to  Rochesterville  to 
reside  and  was  instrumental  in  organizing  Monroe 
County.  He  was  chosen  the  first  Clerk  of  the  county 
and  also  the  first  representative  from  it  to  the  State 
Legislature.  In  every  public  movement  in  the 
county  he  was  a  prominent  factor.  He  organized 
and  was  the  first  President  of  the  Bank  of  Rochester, 
and  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  St.  Luke's 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  became 
a  Warden.  His  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine- 
years,  was  mourned  as  a  public  calamity.  His 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


73 


widow  and  ten  of  his  twelve  children  survived  hiin. 
Thomas  Hart  Rochester,  the  fifth  in  age  of  the  sur- 
viving children  and  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  at  Hagerstowu,  Maryland,  in  1797. 
He  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  memorable  journey  through  the 
wilderness  to  western  New  York,  and  was  just  en- 
tering man's  estate  when  the  village  of  Rochester,  of 
which  he  then  became  a  permanent  resident,  was 
founded.  He  early  shared  in  the  various  enterprises 
set  on  foot  by  his  father  and  in  mature  life  was  one 
of  the  leading  men  of  the  thriving  city  of  Rochester 
and  actively  identified  with  its  principal  institutions. 
He  married  Miss  Phoebe  Elizabeth  Gumming, 
daughter  of  Captain  Fortescue  dimming,  who  set- 
tled in  Connecticut  in  1785  and  who  removed  to  New 
Orleans  in  1800.  He  died  at  Rochester  in  1874. 
Thomas  Fortescue  Rochester,  his  son,  was  educated 
at  Geneva  College  and  was  graduated  from  that  in- 
stitution in  the  class  of  1845.  His  preceptor  in 
medical  studies  was  Dr.  H.  F.  Montgomery,  then  a 
skillful  practitioner  of  Rochester.  With  ample 
means  at  his  command  he  pursued  his  professional 
studies  with  every  advantage,  and  in  1848,  having 
taken  the  prescribed  course  of  medical  instruction  at 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  then  ranking  as  the 
foremost  in  the  land,  he  received  from  that  institu- 
tion the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Following 
his  graduation  he  spent  a  year  or  more  as  assistant 
physician  at  Bellevue  Hospital,  New  York.  He 
went  to  Europe  in  1850  and  devoted  a  year  and  a 
half  to  study  and  travel,  returning  before  the  close 
of  1851  to  America  and  establishing  himself  in  prac- 
tice in  New  York  City,  becoming  also  one  of  the 
physicians  to  the  Demilt  Dispensary.  His  marked 
proficiency  in  his  chosen  calling  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  his  superiors  and  colleagues,  and  led  to  his 
being  invited,  in  1853,  to  the  chair  of  Principles  and 
Practice  of  Medicine  in  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  Buffalo.  Accepting  this  Battering 
invitation  he  removed  at  once  to  Buffalo,  and  en- 
tered upon  his  new  duties  with  great  ardor.  Shortly 
afterwards  he  was  chosen  Dean  of  the  Faculty. 
Both  of  these  positions  he  held  during  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  His  ability  and  learning  added 
greatly  to  the  reputation  of  the  College,  which,  dur- 
ing his  connection  with  it,  rose  to  the  front  rank  of 
American  schools  of  medicine.  His  interest  and 
pride  in  this  institution  never  failed,  and  his  labors 
in  its  behalf  were  prosecuted  with  a  degree  of  zeal 
and  intelligence  which  left  nothing  to  be  desired. 
Dr.  Rochester's  grasp  of  medical  science  was  most 
comprehensive.  He  had  been  a  careful  student  and 
had  known  how  to  use  his  splendid  opportunities. 
He  gave  special  attention  to  the  diseases  of  the 


I  heart  and  lungs,  it  may  be  said  making  them  a 
specialty,  but  never  to  the  exclusion  of  general 
practice.  Capable  and  thorough,  he  rose  rapidly  to 
prominence  in  the  profession,  and  his  reputation  ex- 

!  tended  far  beyond  the  limits  of  his  practice.  He 
became  widely  noted  as  an  authority  on  all  affec- 
tions of  the  lungs  and  heart,  a  specialty  in  which  his 
friend  and  colleague  of  early  days  in  Buffalo — the  late 
Dr.  Austin  Flint— likewise  achieved  high  distinction. 
One  of  his  first  appointments  upon  settling  in  Buf- 
falo was  that  of  Consulting  Physician  to  the  Sisters 
of  Charity  Hospital,  which  he  held  for  thirty  years, 
from  1853  to  1883.  He  was  one  of  the  founders, 
and  also  one  of  the  medical  staff  of  the  Buffalo  Gen- 
eral Hospital  from  its  inception,  and  retained  his 
connection  with  it  until  his  death,  serving  for  some 
years  also  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
While  the  Civil  War  was  in  progress  Dr.  Rochester 
never  relaxed  his  clforts  in  behalf  of  the  sick  and 
wounded  of  the  Union  Army.  President  Lincoln 
appointed  him  to  the  arduous  duty  of  inspecting  the 
Union  Field  Hospitals.  In  this  work,  which  he 
performed  in  a  most  thorough  manner  and  to  which 

i  he  devoted  a  great  deal  of  time,  he  was  associated 

!  with  the  late  Dr.  James  P.  White.  The  labors  of 
the  Sanitary  Commission,  with  which  he  was  for  a 
time  connected,  received  his  enthusiastic  support 
and  closest  attention.  In  1848  Dr.  Rochester  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  New  York  Pathological 
Society.  Upon  settling  in  Buffalo  he  was  elected 
to  membership  in  the  Erie  County  Medical  Society 
and  also  in  the  Medical  Association  of  Buffalo.  In 
1800  he  became  President  of  the  latter,  and  in  18G4 
of  the  former.  In  1870  he  became  a  Permanent 
Member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society, 
and  was  President  of  that  distinguished  body  from 
January,  1875,  until  June,  1876.  In  the  latter  year 
he  was  the  accredited  delegate  of  the  State  Society 
to  the  International  Medical  Congress  at  Philadel- 
phia. For  many  years  previous  to  his  death  he 
was  an  honored  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association.  In  connection  witli  all  these  societies, 
he  performed  important  work  in  committee.  He 
wrote  a  series  of  very  interesting  articles  for  the 
Buffalo  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  on  the  "  His- 
tory of  the  Medical  Societies  of  Buffalo."  Other 
productions  from  his  pen  are  entitled,  "  The  Winter 
Climate  of  Malaga,"  "The  Army  Surgeon,"  "The 
Modern  Ilygeia,"  and  "  Medical  Men  and  Medical 
Matters  in  1770."  He  was  a  frequent  contributor  to 
periodical  medical  literature,  and  his  writings  cover 
a  wide  range  of  topics.  His  style  as  a  writer  was 
graceful,  and,  whatever  the  theme,  lent  it  a  high 
degree  of  interest.  Dr.  Rochester  was  a  man  of 
varied  abilities  and  ripe  scholarship.    His  profes- 


74 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


sional  duties  called  for  incessant  application,  yet  lie 
never  became  narrowed  by  his  devotion  to  them. 
He  had  a  wide  range  of  information,  and  was  both 
public  spirited  and  progressive.  He  was  a  warm 
friend  of  education,  and  took  great  pleasure  in  ex- 
ercising his  functions  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  State  Normal  School,  upon  which 
lie  served  from  its  foundation  until  his  death.  He 
was  also  a  warm  friend,  and  to  some  extent  a  patron 
of  art,  and  was  a  life  member  of  the  Buffalo  Acad- 
emy of  Fine  Arts,  and  at  one  time  its  President. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Buffalo  Club,  the  leading  social  organization  of  the 
city.  His  activities,  as  well  as  his  sympathies,  ex- 
tended far  beyond  the  professional  horizon,  and 
brought  him  in  contact  with  nearly  all  the  leading 
movements  of  the  time.  In  Christian  work  lie  took 
a  deep  interest.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
Trinity  Church  (Episcopal),  and  a  sustaining  mem- 
ber of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of 
Buffalo,  and  was  extremely  liberal  in  his  support  of 
both.  In  personal  appearance  lb-.  Rochester  was  a 
man  who  would  be  noticeable  in  any  assemblage. 
He  was  of  commanding  stature  and  his  face  wore  a 
kindly  smile  which  was  the  index  of  a  warm  and 
generous  heart.  Genial  and  interesting  as  a  com- 
panion, generous  and  faithful  as  a  friend,  and 
learned  and  diligent  in  the  walks  of  professional 
life,  he  made  many  warm  friends.  He  possessed  in 
a  remarkable  degree  many  of  the  excellent  quali- 
ties which  characterized  both  his  father  and  grand- 
father, and  although  these  qualities  were  exercised 
in  a  different  sphere  of  action,  they  led  to  the  same 
result,  viz.:  great  personal  popularity  and  general 
esteem.  Dr.  Rochester  married,  May  0.  1852,  Miss 
Margaret  Munro,  daughter  of  the  Bight  Rev.  W.  H. 
DeLancey,  D.D.,  D.C.L.  Oxon..  first  Bishop  of  the 
Diocese  of  Western  New  York.  Six  children  born 
to  this  union,  together  with  their  accomplished 
Christian  mother,  survive  Dr.  Rochester.  Two  of 
these  children  are  sons  :  Mr.  Nathaniel  Rochester, 
now  Cashier  of  the  Third  National  Bank  of  Buffalo, 
and  Dr.  DeLancey  Rochester,  prominent  among  the 
younger  members  of  the  medical  profession :  and 
four  daughters,  viz.:  Mrs.  C.  B.  Wheeler,  Miss 
Elizabeth  C,  Miss  Margaret  F.  and  Miss  Emily  N. 
Rochester.  Dr.  Rochester's  death  was  occasioned 
by  Bright's  disease,  from  which  he  had  suffered  for 
a  year  or  more,  and  took  place  on  the  morning  of 
Tuesday,  May  24,  1887.  His  death  was  regarded  as 
a  public  loss.  The  press  of  Western  New  York 
was  unstinted  in  its  praise  and  commendation  of 
the  pure  life  and  noble  example  of  the  deceased— 
a  priceless  legacy  to  his  family  and  worthy  alike  of 
emulation  and  perpetuation. 


HILL,  JOHN  DAVIDSON,  M.D.,  physician  and 
surgeon  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  was  born  at 
Manchester,  Ontario  County,  New  York,  on 
the  39th  day  of  April,  1822,  the  second  son  of  John 
Hill  and  Clarissa  Fitzgerald.  His  grandparents  on 
both  his  paternal  and  maternal  side  settled  on  ad- 
joining tracts  of  land  on  the  Gorham  and  Phelps 
patent  in  the  early  part  of  this  century,  his  father's 
family  removing  thither  from  Westchester  County, 
New  York,  and  his  mother's  family  from  Maryland, 
near  Baltimore.  In  1826  his  father  died,  leaving  his 
widow  and  five  children,  (two  daughters  and  three 
sons.)  and  at  his  father's  request,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  became  a  member  of  the  family  of  his 
mother's  brother,  Reuben  Fitzgerald,  with  whom 
he  resided  until  his  eighteenth  year.  Shortly  after 
his  father's  death,  his  uncle  removed  to  Michigan, 
and  was  the  first  white  settler  of  Eaton  County 
in  that  State.  At  fifteen  years  of  age  the  practical 
management  of  five  hundred  acres  of  farming  land 
devolved  upon  him,  and  he  then  displayed  execu- 
tive ability  of  high  order,  which  has  characterized 
his  whole  life.  But  the  opportunities  for  education 
which  Michigan  then  afforded  were  very  limited,  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  returned  to  Ontario 
County.  New  York.  For  a  short  time  he  attended 
the  smaller  academies  of  that  vicinity,  and  then  en- 
tered the  Lima  Seminary,  where  he  remained  nearly 
four  years.  Before  completing  his  academical 
course  he  had  chosen  his  profession  and  entered 
upon  the  study  of  medicine  and  surgery  in  the  of- 
fice of  Dr.  Dayton  of  Lima.  At  this  time  the  Ge- 
neva Medical  College  was  one  of  the  foremost  medi- 
cal institutions  in  this  State,  and  at  this  institution 
he  matriculated  in  1847.  In  the  spring  of  184!)  he 
was  graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Buffalo,  with  which  institution  many 
of  the  Geneva  College  professors  were  then  con- 
nected. Buffalo  contained  no  hospital  at  that  time, 
and  ambitious  students  desirous  of  clinical  experi- 
ence strove  earnestly  for  the  appointment  of  interne 
at  the  county  alms-house.  In  the  last  year  of  his 
collegiate  course  this  appointment  was  given  to  him. 
It  was  especially  desirable  that  year,  as  a  large  num- 
ber of  immigrants  at  Buffalo  were  suffering  from 
typhoid  fever,  or,  as  it  was  then  called,  ship  fever, 
and  the  county  had  erected  temporary  hospitals  at 
the  county  farm,  to  which  all  such  patients  were 
sent,  whether  paupers  or  not.  There  was  then  no 
resident  physician  at  the  alms-house,  and  the  duties 
that  now  devolve  upon  that  officer  devolved  upon 
the  interne.  The  skill  and  medical  knowledge 
which  he  exhibited  in  this  position  gave  him  at 
once  a  standing  in  his  profession,  and  his  experience 
with  typhoid  fever  did  much  to  revolutionize  its 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


75 


treatment.  Fevers  were  then  generally  and  nearly 
universally  treated  by  bleeding  and  purgatives. 
His  observation  of  the  effects  of  these  remedies  led 
him  to  obtain  permission  from  the  visiting  physi- 
cians to  reverse  the  treatment  :  to  stimulate  rather 
than  deplete  the  fever  patients;  to  administer  to 
them  brandy,  opium  and  quinine.  The  effects  of 
this  treatment  were  highly  gratifying.  The  rate  of 
mortality  was  largely  diminished.  The  visiting 
physicians  adopted  his  treatment  in  their  private 
practice.  In  his  graduating  thesis  he  gave  the  re- 
sults of  his  observation  and  experience  with  this 
class  of  fevers  :  and  the  treatment  which  he  had  sug- 
gested and  adopted  is  now  almost  universally  em- 
ployed. Immediately  upon  his  graduation  from  the 
Medical  College.  Drs.  Winne  and  Pratt,  the  two 
visiting  physicians  at  the  alms-house  while  he  was 
interne,  gave  marked  exhibitions  of  their  confidence 
in  his  medical  skill  and  knowledge.  Dr.  Winne, 
one  of  the  most  cultured  and  educated  men  in  his 
profession,  offered  him  a  partnership  in  his  prac- 
tice ;  and  Dr.  Pratt,  then  one  of  the  oldest  and 
largest  practitioners  in  that  city,  intrusted  to  him 
his  practice  during  an  absence  of  several  months  in 
Europe.  The  year  after  his  graduation  Dr.  Hill 
was  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  Physi- 
cian to  the  Erie  County  Penitentiary,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  four  successive  terms.  In  1852 
cholera  visited  Buffalo  for  the  second  time,  and 
small-pox  was  epidemic.  The  city  was  just  recov- 
ering from  that  terrible  Asiatic  scourge  which  had 
visited  it  in  184!).  The  Common  Council  elected 
Dr.  Hill  Health  Physican.  and  during  that  year  he 
treated  for  the  city  ninety-nine  cases  of  small-pox 
and  varioloid  with  but  one  death,  and  more  than 
one  thousand  cases  of  cholera  with  a  low  rate  of 
mortality.  Two  years  later  the  Superintendents  of 
the  alms-house  urged  upon  him  to  become  its  visit- 
ing physician,  and  based  their  request  upon  the 
high  rate  of  mortality  that  then  existed  there.  No 
compensation  was  agreed  upon  other  than  that  it 
should  not  be  less  than  the  highest  ever  o;iven  b\- 
the  same  institution  for  similar  services.  His  accep- 
tance of  this  position  caused  an  unpleasant  incident 
in  his  professional  life,  and  one  which  brought  him 
into  direct  antagonism  with  certain  members  of 
the  Faculty  of  the  Medical  College,  who  were  then 
also  the  officers  of  the  Erie  County  Medical  Society. 
Having  accepted  the  position,  he  was  expelled  from 
that  society  for  violating  a  regulation  passed  at  a 
special  meeting  a  few  weeks  before,  which  prohib- 
ited any  of  its  members  accepting  that  position  up- 
on other  than  a  fixed  salary.  No  notice  was  given 
to  him  either  that  such  a  regulation  had  been  passed  | 
or  that  he  was  to  be  tried  for  its  violation.    He  took  j 


the  matter  to  the  courts,  and  the  action  of  the  society 
was  set  aside,  the  Supreme  Court  in  its  written 
opinion  declaring  that  the  persons  instrumental  in 
bringing  about  the  action  of  the  society  were  liable 
to  indictment  for  their  action  in  this  matter.  Three 
years  later  Dr.  Dill  resigned  his  position  as  such 
Visiting  Physician  ;  the  rate  of  mortality  at  the  alms- 
house, as  shown  by  the  official  reports,  having  in 
the  meantime  diminished  more  than  fifty  per  cent. 
After  practicing  his  profession  for  ten  years,  Dr. 
Hill  spent  several  months  in  Europe  attending  the 
lectures  and  clinics  of  the  eminent  men  of  Paris  and 
London.  In  the  latter  city  he  was  among  the  first 
to  study  the  use  of  the  ophthalmoscope  under 
Baeder,  the  pupil  of  the  celebrated  German  oculist 
Yon  Graffe,  whom  the  London  surgeons  had  secured 
to  instruct  them  in  the  use  of  that  instrument  and 
in  the  internal  diseases  of  the  eye.  Upon  his  re- 
turn to  Buffalo  he  was  for  many  years  the  only  phy- 
sician who  either  possessed  an  ophthalmoscope  or 
understood  its  use.  He  performed  successfully  the 
first  operation  in  cataract  by  extraction  that  was 
ever  performed  in  Buffalo,  and  in  many  instances 
has  been  a  pioneer  in  various  branches  of  surgery. 
While  eminently  conservative  in  surgery,  he  has, 
nevertheless,  never  hesitated  to  follow  his  deliberate 
judgment,  and  in  one  instance  after  the  patient  had 
been  abandoned  by  an  expert  in  ovariotomy,  he  re- 
moved successfully  the  largest  ovarian  tumor  that 
had  ever  been  .successfully  removed  in  that  city. 
Dr.  Hill  has  always  occupied  a  high  position  as  a 
physician  and  surgeon,  and  has  kept  in  the  front 
rank  of  bis  profession  as  shown  by  the  following 
extract  from  an  address  to  the  Erie  County  Medical 
Society,  January  8,  1889,  upon  his  retiring  from  its 
Presidency  : 

"Allow  me  to  mention  one  or  two  cases  in  my 
own  practice  simply  as  illustrating  the  great  prog- 
ress that  has  been  made  during  the  period  under 
discussion.  In  ISoO,  before  antiseptics  were  known, 
as  such,  either  in  medicine  or  surgery,  I  was  called 
to  attend  a  patient  who  had  received  a  compound 
comminuted  fracture  of  the  tibia  and  fibula  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  lower  third  of  the  leg.  Amputa- 
i  tion  was  then  the  only  recognized  method  of  treat- 
J  ment  in  such  injuries.  The  patient  refused  to  allow 
amputation,  but  consented  to  any  other  treatment, 
which  I  might  advise.  Without  'the  least  expecta- 
tion of  saving  the  limb,  I  made  a  vertical  incision 
above  and  below  the  wound  made  by  the  protrud- 
ing bones;  dissected  out  the  numerous  specula3  of 
crushed  bones,  sawed  off  the  splintered  ends  of  the 
tibia  and  fibula,  leaving  a  space  of  one  and  seven- 
eights  inch  without  bone.  The  limb  was  placed 
in  a  box  with  foot-rest,  and  instead  of  the  then 
usual  water  dressing,  equal  parts  of  alcohol  and 
water  were  applied.  The  wound  healed  without 
suppuration,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  we 
had  a  good  and  useful  limb. 


76 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


"This  antedates  by  several  years  the  publications  | 
of  Pa<ret  and  Malgaigne  on  the  successful  exsection 
of  entire  portions  of  the  shaft  of  long  bones.  The 
ca-c  excited  much  interest,  and  was  frequently 
visited  bv  members  of  the  profession.  Drs.  Whine 
and  Loofnis  quite  insisted  that  the  ease  should  be 
reported  for  the  American  Journal  of  Medical  Science*  I 
as  being  the  first  of  the  kind  known  to  the  profes- 
sion. In  this  case  as  in  some  others,  I  was  averse 
to  advertising  myself  as  an  unwilling  innovator 
upon  the  established  and  authentic  practice  of  the 
profession.  In  this  ease  was  not  alcohol  the  anti- 
septic which  gave  us  union  without  suppuration  :" 
Some  months  later  I  was  called  to  treat  a  very  severe 
injury  of  the  foot  and  ankle,  with  fracture  of  the 
bones  of  the  leg.  The  injury  was  produced  by  the 
fall  of  the  platform  of  a  large  weigh  scale.  Some 
of  the  bones  of  the  foot  were  dislocated  and  others 
fractured  and  protruding.  It  was  the  severest  in- 
jury of  the  kind  I  had  ever  seen.  Having  in  mind 
the  result  of  the  above  mentioned  case,  while  I 
frankly  stated  to  my  patient  that  he  would  prob- 
ably have  to  lose  his  limb.  I  expressed  the  desire  to 
make  the  effort  to  save  it.  After  putting  the  bones 
in  place  as  well  as  I  could,  the  limb  and  the  foot 
were  supported  with  pillows,  and  the  applications 
of  alcohol  and  water  were  constantly  applied.  After 
a  few  days  the  friends  of  the  patient  desired  coun- 
sel, and  the  most  eminent  surgeon  of  Western  New 
York  was  called.  He  advised  amputation  at  once. 
'No  time  to  lose.'  I  asked  for  delay  to  continue 
my  efforts  to  save  the  limb,  but  was  unable  to 
change  the  counsel's  mind.  Our  opinions  were  re- 
ferred to  the  patient  and  his  friends,  and  they  re- 
quested me  to  continue  in  attendance.  This  patient 
is  now  a  prominent  business  man  in  Buffalo,  with  a 
good  and  nearly  perfect  limb  :  and  I  lost  the  friend- 
ship for  years  of  an  excellent  man  and  a  brilliant 
surgeon.  Still,  after  these  years.  I  believe  it  better 
surgery  to  save  than  to  sacrifice  a  limb." 

"  One  more  instance  without  a  known  predeces- 
sor, and  with  the  responsibility  of  human  life  rest- 
ing upon  me  alone.  During  the  winter  of  1864  I 
had  a  patient,  an  engineer  of  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral Railroad,  who  was  apparently  very  ill  without 
the  symptoms  specially  indicating  his  disease  or  it* 
location.  After  days  of  study  and  frequent  exami- 
nation, I  concluded  that  there  was  an  accumulation 
of  pus  in  the  right  kidney  or  suprarenal  capsule. 
But  how  could  this  be  evacuated  with  safety'/  After 
searching  all  the  systematic  works  on  surgery  in  my 
library  I  found  no  instruction.  I  examined  the 
medical  journals  at  my  hand  with  no  better  results. 
The  patient  had  the  appearance  of  impending  death, 
and  my  convictions  were  decided  that  an  abscess  of 
the  right  kidney  was  the  disease,  and  if  that  could 
be  evacuated  safely  the  patient  might  recover.  This 
feeling  of  personal  responsibility  determined  me  to 
carry  a  good  sized  trochar  and  canula  through  the 
lumbar  muscles  into  the  kidney.  This  was  followed 
by  a  rapid  How  of  pus  through  the  canula  as  soon 
a-  the  trochar  was  withdrawn,  which  was  appar- 
ently quite  as  great  a  relief  to  my  medical  friend 
who  was  present  as  it  was  satisfactory  to  the  opera- 
tor. About  a  half  pint  of  pus  was  discharged 
through  the  canula.  The  wound  was  closed  by 
compress  and  adhesive  straps.  The  canula  was 
used  several  times  subsequent  to  the  operation  and 
until  its  further  use  was  unnecessary.  Convalesence 


was  rapid,  and  the  patient  soon  returned  to  his  en- 
gine. This  diagnosis  and  operation  was  prior  to 
the  exploring  aspirator,  and  as  far  as  I  have  learned 
the  first  operation  of  its  kind  made  in  the  United 
States. 

•■  In  the  present  state  of  medical  and  surgical 
knowledge,  the  success  attending  the  treatment  of 
the  above  mentioned  cases  would  be  no  novelty: 
but  the  surprise  which  they  occasioned  when  treated 
shows  somewhat  the  advance  which  has  been  made 
in  medicine  and  surgery  (hiring  the  forty  years  un- 
der discussion." 

As  a  physician,  Dr.  Hill  has  always  been  an  acute 
observer  of  the  effect  of  remedies  upon  diseases ; 
and  was  among  the  first  to  adopt  the  use  of  calomel 
and  opium  in  the  treatment  of  Asiatic  cholera,  the 
beneficial  results  of  which  treatment  were  subse- 
quently demonstrated  during  the  epidemic  of  that 
disease  in  1H.V2.  The  germ  theory  of  cholera  had  not 
then  been  suggested,  but  from  observation  of  its  ef- 
fects he  employed  what  is  now  recognized  as  the 
best  germicide.  Dr.  Hill  early  acquired  a  very 
large  practice,  and  numbers  among  his  patrons  the 
most  respected  and  substantial  citizens  of  Buffalo. 
But.  however  exacting  the  demands  of  his  profes- 
sion have  been  upon  him.  he  has  neither  forgotten 
nor  neglected  his  civic  obligations.  When  called 
upon  by  the  people  of  his  city  or  his  State  to  accept 
a  trust,  he  has  brought  to  his  office  the  energy  and 
executive  ability  with  which  he  is  bountifully  en- 
dowed. In  1861  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  twelve 
original  members  of  the  United  States  Christian 
Commission,  and  retained  his  position  until  its  work 
was  completed.  The  object  of  this  Commission  was 
to  take  active  measures  to  promote  the  spiritual 
and  temporal  welfare  of  the  soldiers  in  the  army  and 
the  sailors  and  marines  in  the  navy.  The  Annals  of 
this  Commission,  edited  by  Rev.  Lemuel  Moss,  give 
some  idea  of  the  work  which  it  performed.  It  col- 
lected and  disbursed  money  and  stores  to  the  value 
of  $5,478,280.31.  and  sent  to  the  front  to  assist  the 
wounded  in  hospitals  and  in  the  field  4,886  dele- 
sates.  The  suffering  relieved,  the  delicacies  sup- 
plied, the  dying  words  preserved  and  sent  to  the 
loved  ones  at  home,  the  religious  consolations  of- 
fered, these  and  other  noble  works  of  this  Commis- 
sion can  never  be  told.  "  but,"  in  the  language  of 
Chief  Justice  Chase,  "  they  will  never  be  forgotten. 
No  history  of  the  American  Civil  War — let  us  pray 
God  it  may  be  the  last — will  ever  be  written  without 
affectionate  mention  of  the  Christian  Commission. 
Nor  alone  in  histories  of  this  earth  will  its  record 
be  preserved.  Its  work  reached  beyond  time,  and 
'  its  record  is  on  high.'  "  He  was  also  President  of 
the  branch  of  the  Christian  Commission  established 
for  western  New  York  and  northwestern  Pennsylva- 
nia.   This  branch  alone  collected  and  distributed 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


77 


money  and  supplies  to  the  value  of  nearly  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars,  and  sent  to 
the  front  for  service  in  field  and  hospitals  one  hun- 
dred and  six  delegates.  For  twenty-five  years  he 
was  a  Trustee  of  the  Buffalo  Orphan  Asylum  and 
for  six  years  its  President.  During  his  term  as  Presi- 
dent, the  endowment  of  that  institution  was  in- 
creased from  twenty-five  thousand  to  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars;  the  buildings  were  practically 
re-constructed,  their  capacity  doubled  and  an  in- 
fants' ward  added.  The  money  for  these  alterations 
and  additions  was  raised  by  him  alone  and  the  im- 
provements were  made  under  his  superintendence. 
Upon  the  re-organization  of  the  New  York  State  In- 
stitution  for  the  Blind  at  Batavia,  in  April,  1880,  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Cornell  one  of  itsTrustees, 
which  office  he  held  until  he  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Cornell  Manager  of  the  Buffalo  State  Asylum  for 
the  Insane,  vice  Hon.  AsherP.  Nichols,  deceased.  In 
1884  he  was  re-appointed  to  that  position  by  Gov- 
ernor Cleveland.  For  several  years  he  has  been 
one  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Board  of 
Managers,  and  for  the  past  two  years  has  been  its 
President.  He  is  also  Vice-President,  and  one  of 
the  Directors  of  the  Third  National  Bank  of  Buf- 
falo, a  Director  of  the  Manufacturers  and  Traders 
Bank  of  that  city,  and  for  more  than  fifteen  years 
has  been  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Buffalo  Savings 
Bank,  the  oldest  and  most  conservative  savings 
bank  in  Buffalo,  and  one  of  the  best  managed  sav- 
ings institutions  in  the  State.  Since  his  youth,  Dr. 
Hill  has  been  a  communicant  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  has  devoted  much  time  to 
Christian  and  charitable  work.  For  many  years  he 
■was  President  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation. In  his  library  was  organized  the  Delaware 
Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  whose  hand- 
some edifice  is  one  of  the  beautiful  church  buildings 
of  that  city,  and  he  has  been  continuously  one  of  its 
Trustees.  In  May,  1850,  Dr.  Hill  was  married  to 
Esther  A.,  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Lapham,  of 
Macedon,  Wayne  County,  New  York.  Six  of  the 
seven  children  born  to  them  died  in  infamy.  Their 
only  daughter  is  married  to  Mr.  William  B.  Hoyt  of 
the  Buffalo  bar. 


TIFFT,  GEORGE  W.,  one  of  the  most  influential 
business  men  of  Buffalo,  was  born  at  Nassau, 
Rensselaer  County,  New  York,  January  31, 
1805,  and  died  at  Buffalo,  where  he  had  resided 
continuously  for  forty  years,  June,  1882.  His  an- 
cestors were  of  French  origin,  those  on  the  paternal 
side  coming  from  Alsace.    His  parents,  John  Tifft 


and  his  wife,  Annie  Yallette,  were  both  natives  of 
Rhode  Island,  and  were  residents  of  that  State  at 
the  time  of  their  marriage.  Their  family  consisted 
of  twelve  children  :  eight  sons  and  four  daughters, 
Of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest. 
After  the  birth  of  their  eighth  child  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tifft  removed  from  Rhode  Island  to  Nassaxi.  Mr. 
Tifft  was  a  man  of  sterling  qualities,  great  decision 
of  character,  strong  in  his  convictions  and  positive 
in  their  avowal.  He  was  raised  upon  a  farm,  and 
continued  the  occupation  of  a  farmer  through  life, 
and  therefore  did  not  have  the  opportunities  that 
are  afforded  by  the  broader  field  of  commercial, 
manufacturing  and  mercantile  pursuits.  While  he 
was  not  rich,  he  was  always  what  is  called  in  the 
country  "a  well-to-do  farmer."  Notwithstanding  he 
had  a  large  family  to  support,  his  foresight  and 
prudent  management  alwaj-s  enabled  him  to  con- 
tinually lay  up  a  little  for  the  needs  of  the  future. 
He  was  prompt  to  all  engagements  and  required  the 
same  fidelity  from  others.  It  used  to  be  said  that 
he  was  the  only  person  in  the  town  where  he  lived 
who  never  had  to  be  called  upon  the  second  time 
for  the  payment  of  his  taxes.  He  always  kept  a  little 
surplus  on  hand  in  the  old  money  chest, — an  artice  of 
household  furniture  that  was  common  in  those  days, 
in  the  absence  of  convenient  banks, — for  use  in  any 
emergency,  and  was  never  out  of  funds,  as  is  too 
often  the  case  with  careless  and  thriftless  farmers. 
Mrs.  Tifft  was  in  every  respect  a  worthy  help-meet 
to  her  husband,  to  whose  interests  and  those  of  her 
children  she  gave  assiduous  attention.  Industrious 
and  frugal,  she  aided  him  in  saving  a  competence, 
and  instilled  into  the  minds  of  her  offspring  those 
wise  principles  of  economy,  sobriety  and  thrift 
which  in  every  country  and  clime  are  the  necessary 
stepping-stones  to  improved  social  position  and 
respected  old  age.  Mr.  John  Tifft  died  in  1813,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-six.  His  farm  remained  in  the 
possession  of  his  widow  and  family  for  eight  years, 
when  it  was  sold.  During  that  period,  George,  who 
was  a  child  of  eight  when  his  father  died,  did  his 
share  of  the  work  upon  it,  attending  the  district 
school  about  two  months  in  the  year.  When  his 
older  brothers  purchased  the  farm,  he  was  engaged 
by  them  to  work  upon  it  until  he  became  of  age,  the 
compensation  named  being  four  dollars  yearly  for 
his  current  expenses,  and  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  horse 
at  the  end  of  the  term.  It  was  also  stipulated  that 
he  should  be  permitted  to  attend  school  three  months 
each  year.  This  rather  one-sided  contract  was  can- 
celled at  the  close  of  the  first  year  and  George  found 
employment  with  another  brother,  who  paid  him  ten 
dollars  a  month  for  his  services  on  his  farm.  De- 
spite the  marked  difference  between  these  two  con- 


78 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


tracts,  George  was  not  satisfied  with  his  condition. 
He  had  within  hint  the  unrest  winch  is  the  child  of 
ambition  and  the  parent  of  progress.  He  felt  that 
he  was  as  competent  to  manage  affairs  as  were 
others,  and  he  burned  to  make  the  trial.  An  oppor- 
tunity soon  presented  of  which  he  speedily  availed 
himself.  In  connection  with  another  brother  he 
took  a  contract  to  clear  a  certain  tract  of  land  of  its 
timber.  From  the  sale  of  the  wood  the  two  young 
men  reaped  a  handsome  profit.  Shortly  after  this 
transaction  George  went  to  New  Lebanon,  Columbia 
County,  and  spent  four  months  there  attending 
school.  At  the  close  of  this  course,  which  completed 
his  educational  training,  he  returned  to  Nassau  and 
with  the  money  still  in  his  possession,  purchased  a 
few  acres  of  wild  land  which  he  cleared,  realizing  a 
considerable  profit  from  the  sale  of  the  wood.  At 
first  he  took  a  hand  in  the  manual  part  of  the  work, 
but  he  soon  learned  that  there  was  ample  for  him  to 
do  in  the  business  of  directing  the  labor  of  others, 
and  thereafter  while  thus  engaged  he  devoted  him- 
self to  the  superintendence  of  his  workmen.  By 
duplicating  his  purchases  as  often  as  possible  and 
following  up  the  same  course  with  each,  he  found 
himself  when  twenty-one  years  old,  the  possessor  of 
twelve  hundred  dollars,  all  earned  by  his  own  enter- 
prise and  industry,  to  which  was  added  the  sum  of 
one  thousand  dollars,  his  share  of  his  father's  estate, 
paid  to  him  on  his  coming  of  age.  With  this  re- 
spectable amount  as  a  basis  for  operations,  .Mr.  Tifft 
was  not  long  in  making  investments  on  speculation. 
A  hasty  tour  of  observation  resulted  in  his  purchas- 
ing an  unimproved  farm  in  the  town  of  Murray, 
Orleans  County.  The  remainder  of  his  capital  he 
embarked  in  the  wood-cutting  business  and  in  land 
speculation  in  Rensselaer  County.  His  energy  and 
shrewdness  were  remarkable  and  resulted  in  most 
satisfactory  profits.  About  the  year  1880  he  removed 
from  Nassau  to  the  farm  in  Orleans  County,  which 
he  carried  on  for  two  years.  He  then  hired  men  to 
work  it  under  his  direction  and  gave  his  attention 
more  fully  to  enterprises  of  various  natures,  includ- 
ing the  purchase  and  sale  of  grain  and  the  milling 
business.  In  all  these  he  was  successful.  In  1841 
he  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  his  fortune  lay  still 
further  west  and  he  removed  from  Orleans  County 
to  .Michigan  City,  Indiana,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, and  engaged  in  the  business  of  buying  and 
shipping  grain,  in  which  he  was  now  an  expert. 
Railroad  facilities  had  not  yet  extended  far  beyond 
the  original  lines  laid  down,  and  the  bulk  of  the  traffic 
eastward  from  Michigan  City  was  carried  on  by 
means  of  boats  plying  the  lakes.  Using  these  con- 
veyances freely  Mr.  Tifft  built  up  an  extensive  and 
remunerative  business.   No  small  share  of  his  profit 


arose  from  his  capital  being  in  eastern  money,  which 
was  then  worth  a  premium  in  the  West.  Believing 
that  his  opportunities  would  be  still  greater  were  he 
located  further  west,  Mr.  Tifft  disposed  of  his  busi- 
ness in  Indiana  after  he  had  carried  it  on  most  suc- 
cessfully for  about  a  year,  and  made  a  prospecting 
tour  in  the  northwest,  in  the  course  of  which  he  paid 
a  visit  to  Chicago,  then  a  mere  village,  and  also 
penetrated  into  the  wilds  of  Wisconsin.  His  shrewd 
observations  satisfied  him  that  it  would  be  advan- 
tageous to  invest  in  real  estate  along  the  lake  shore, 
a  region  upon  which  settlers  had  already  begun  to 
enter.  With  this  object  in  view  he  examined  the 
land  in  the  vicinity  of  Southport,  now  called  Keno- 
sha, and  concluded  to  make  a  purchase.  He  went 
to  the  land  office  at  Milwaukee  and  called  for  a 
map  of  the  district.  The  agent  patronizingly  in- 
quired whether  he  wanted  a  forty  or  an  eighty  acre 
farm.  After  examining  the  plat  Mr.  Tifft  deliber- 
ately indicated  by  cheeking,  with  his  pencil,  the 
several  parcels  that  he  would  like,  which  aggregated 
nearly  eleven  hundred  acres.  The  agent  stood 
aghast,  and  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  sort  of  a  cus- 
tomer he  had  encountered.  It  was  a  rare  thing  to 
sell  more  than  eighty  acres  to  a  man,  and  forty  was 
oftener  taken  than  more.  Mr.  Tifft  paid  the  Gov- 
ernment price,  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per 
acre,  using  in  payment  the  profit  he  had  made  in 
exchange  between  eastern  and  western  money, 
which  he  had  carefully  kept  separate  from  other 
funds.  The  land  was  situated  about  four  miles  west 
of  Kenosha,  in  a  fine  agricultural  region.  He  made 
a  contract  with  a  gentleman  to  cultivate  it  and  plant 
a  crop  of  winter  wheat.  He  was  laughed  at  for  his 
attempt  to  grow  winter  wheat  in  that  region,  but 
this  did  not  dissuade  him  from  his  purpose.  Only  a 
portion  of  the  tract  w  as  broken,  according  to  thecon- 
tract.  but  upon  this  a  fine  crop  of  grain  was  raised. 
A  heavy  body  of  snow  having  fallen  and  remained 
on  the  ground  all  winter,  protected  the  crop  from  the 
injuries  it  usually  receives  in  that  latitude.  An  aver- 
age of  twenty  bushels  an  acre  was  harvested,  which 
enabled  Mr.  Tifft  to  sell  the  tract  the  next  season  at 
a  profit  of  six  thousand  dollars.  The  growing  im- 
portance of  Buffalo  as  a  business  centre  had  attracted 
the  attention  of  Mr.  Tifft,  while  he  was  in  the  ship- 
ping trade  at  Michigan  City,  and  through  his  rela- 
tions with  merchants  and  shippers  in  the  former 
place,  he  wTas  led,  in  1842,  to  remove  thither.  His 
first  venture  there  was  in  the  milling  business,  in  co- 
partnership with  the  late  Dean  Richmond,  one  of  the 
shrewdest  and  most  successful  business  men  of 
Western.  New  York.  In  1843,  by  special  arrange- 
ment with  Gordon  Grant  of  Troy — the  owner  of  a 
transportation  line  known  as  the  "Troy  &  Michigan 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


79 


Six  Day  Line"  (no  Sunday  work) — he  opened  a 
branch  house  in  Buffalo,  under  the  name  of  George 
W.  Tiff t  &  Co.  This,  like  all  his  former  enterprises, 
proved  an  immediate  success,  and  from  it  a  hand- 
some sum  of  money  was  realized.  The  sale  of  the 
line  by  Mr.  Grant,  in  the  following  year,  terminated 
the  arrangement,  and  Mr.  Tifft  then  formed  a  part- 
nership with  the  late  Henry  II.  Si/.er,  in  the  produce 
and  commission  business.  Selling  out  to  his  partner 
at  the  end  of  a  year,  Mr.  Tifft  again  went  into  the 
milling  business  with  Mr.  Richmond.  The  firm 
purchased  the  Erie  Mills  at  Buffalo,  which  they 
operated  in  connection  with  three  others  at  Black 
Rock,  and  soon  built  up  a  very  large  and  profitable 
business,  to  which,  for  the  ensuing  nine  or  ten  years, 
Mr.  Tifft  gave  his  attention  almost  exclusively.  Mr. 
Tifft  had  now  risen  to  a  place  among  the  most 
prominent  and  active  business  men  of  Buffalo.  His 
means  were  already  large  and  in  undertakings  re- 
quiring capita]  he  was  among  those  first  called  upon 
to  lend  assistance.  Largely  through  his  influence 
and  support  the  International  Bank  of  Buffalo  was 
organized  in  1844,  and  he  was  its  President  from 
that  date  until  the  great  financial  crash  of  1857, 
when  the  institution  succumbed.  There  were  few 
business  men  who  were  not  affected  by  the  panic  of 
that  eventful  year,  and  failure  was  the  rule  rather 
than  the  exception.  Mr.  Tifft  was  a  heavy  endorser 
for  the  Buffalo  Steam  Engine  Company,  for  which 
lie  had  to  pay  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
and  therefore  he  was  compelled  like  many  others  to 
suspend.  The  creditors  of  the  concern  for  which  he 
was  an  endorser  gave  him  an  extension  of  four 
years,  and  he  took  charge  of  its  affairs,  and  under 
his  management  and  superior  financiering  skill,  the 
whole  indebtedness  was  paid  off  in  two  years. 
About  this  time  also  there  came  into  Mr.  Tint's 
hands  some  coal  land  property  in  Mercer  County, 
Pennsylvania,  upon  which  he  had  made  heavy  ad- 
vances. This  property  he  proceeded  to  develop, 
building  upon  it  two  blast  furnaces,  which,  together 
with  the  one  already  built,  were  put  in  operation. 
Mr.  Tifft  had  an  idea  that  Lake  Superior  ore  might 
be  smelted  with  mineral  coal  and  he  made  experi- 
ments to  test  this  theory.  They  proved  successful 
"and  to  him.  belongs  the  credit  of  having 
demonstrated  the  practicability  of  using  mineral 
coal  in  treating  this  ore."  By  his  neglect  to  patent 
this  process  he  lost  an  opportunity  of  adding  im- 
mensely to  his  fortune.  He  pushed  the  smelting 
operations  vigorously  and  successfully  for  a  number 
of  years,  the  ore  being  brought  from  Lake  Superior 
to  Erie  in  a  fleet  of  vessels  purchased  by  him 
specially  for  the  purpose,  and  being  sent  thence  to 
the  blast  furnaces  in  Mercer  County.    Mr.  Tifft's 


great  energy  and  business  ability  speedily  lifted 
him  out  of  the  troubles  consequent  upon  the  panic 
of  1857.  Within  a  j'ear  he  was  again  on  his  feet,  so 
to  speak,  and  actively  at  work  rebuilding  his  fortune. 
In  1858  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Buffalo, 
New  York  and  Erie  Railroad,  an  extension  of  the 
Erie  road  from  Corning  to  Buffalo,  via  Bath,  Avon, 
Batavia  and  Attica,  which  is  still  a  distinct  corpora- 
tion and  is  leased  to  the  New  York,  Lake  Erie  and 
Western  Railroad.  Always  a  believer  in  real  estate 
investments,  he  purchased  largely  of  property  in 
Buffalo  and  expended  thousands  of  dollars  in  im- 
proving it.  In  one  year,  18G3,  he  built  seventy-three 
houses,  besides  the  Tifft  House,  which  for  many  years 
was  the  principal  hotel  of  the  city.  He  also  built 
an  elevator  which  he  afterwards  disposed  of  to  the 
Erie  Railroad.  Later  he  constructed  the  magnifi- 
cent brick  fire-proof  Tifft  Elevator  at  a  cost  of 
#700,000.  This  elevator  was  subsequently  sold  to 
the  Central  Railroad  for  less  than  half  this  sum.  A 
source  of  considerable  profit  to  Mr.  Tifft  was  the 
tract  of  six  hundred  acres  of  land  near  Buffalo 
known  as  the  "Tifft  farm,"  which  was  finally  dis- 
posed of  to  Pennsylvania  capitalists  and  afterwards 
leased  to  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  for  terminal 
facilities.  Another  source  of  large  profits  was  his 
farm  of  rive  thousand  acres  in  Shelby  County,  Iowa, 
from  which  an  annual  harvest  of  fifty  thousand 
bushels  of  grain  was  gathered.  Nearly  every  enter- 
prise to  which  he  put  his  hand  prospered,  although 
now  and  again,  as  if  to  show  that  the  exception 
proved  the  rule,  losses  were  encountered.  One  of  the 
most  unfortunate  of  his  ventures  was  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  furniture  in  connection  with  the  firm  of 
Albert  Best  &  Co.,  in  which  a  loss  of  #150,000  was 
sustained.  But  notwithstanding  this  and  other 
losses  Mr.  Tifft  always  maintained  his  credit  unim- 
paired. His  excellent  judgment,  business  tact  and 
unimpeachable  integrity  were  universally  recog- 
nized and  any  venture  in  which  he  was  interested 
was  sure  of  financial  backing.  Success  was  the 
rule,  as  every  effort  was  based  on  sound  sense  and 
was  prosecuted  with  energy  and  on  strictly  honest 
principles.  During  the  later  years  of  his  life  Mr. 
Tifft  gave  his  special  attention  to  the  management 
of  the  Buffalo  Engine  Works,  a  private  stock  com- 
pany, the  shares  of  which  were  held  by  members  of 
his  family  and  the  business  done  under  the  name  of 
George  W.  Tifft,  Sons  &  Co.  It  was  and  is  now  one 
of  the  most  extensive  concerns  in  its  line  in  the 
country,  giving  employment  to  four  hundred  opera- 
tives and  support  to  more  than  a  thousand  persons. 
Space  does  not  admit  of  anything  like  a  detailed 
account  of  the  various  enterprises  with  which  Mr. 
Tifft  was  identified  or  in  which  his  capital  played  a 


So 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


prominent  part.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he- 
was  one  of  the  most  enterprising  men  of  his  time, 
and  certainly  lie  had  no  superior  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State.  He  operated  widely,  but  always  with 
good  judgment :  and  in  the  few  instances  in  which 
di-uster  overtook  him,  other  circumstances  than  his 
judgment  were  to  blame.  He  showed  a  wonderful 
strength  of  resource  in  recovering  from  financial 
pressure,  and  from  his  earliest  to  his  latest  business 
venture  displayed  great  activity.  Once  having  en- 
tered upon  an  undertaking  he  prosecuted  it  with 
vigor  and  nearly  always  to  a  successful  issue  despite 
the  greatest  obstacles.  He  was  liberal  in  his  ideas 
and  views,  and  broad  and  generous  in  carrying 
them  into  execution.  His  will  power  was  remarka- 
ble yet  lie  seemed  to  labor  smoothly  and  without 
effort  even  when  his  whole  mind  and  energies  were 
concentrated  on  the  success  of  an  enterprise.  He 
held  every  business  obligation  sacred  and  in  conse- 
quence his  credit  was  never  impugned.  Although 
absorbed  in  business  undertakings,  vast  and  varied 
in  their  nature,  he  never  failed  to  take  the  keenest 
interest  in  public  affairs.  Once,  when  a  young  man 
of  twenty-two,  he  held  office,  being  constable  and 
collector  in  Nassau,  his  native  town:  but  with  this 
exception  he  neither  held  nor  desired  to  hold  public 
office.  His  field  was  that  of  business  enterprise,  and 
to  it  he  gave  his  magnificent  energies,  mental  and 
bodily,  and  in  it  he  was  a  king.  His  usefulness  to 
the  State  would  doubtless  have  been  very  great  in 
political  life,  but  he  followed  his  natural  inclinations 
and  the  results  confirm  the  excellence  of  his  judg- 
ment. During  the  Civil  War  he  lent  his  active  sup- 
port to  the  Union  cause.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of 
President  Lincoln,  and  a  sincere  believer  in  the 
plans  and  policy  he  advocated.  He  gave  freely  of 
his  princely  fortune  towards  the  conduct  of  the  war, 
the  work  of  recruiting  and  the  sustenance  of  the 
families  of  soldiers  in  the  field,  or  who  died  in  the 
struggle.  His  donations  and  subscriptions  to  all 
charitable  and  benevolent  objects  were  always  freely 
granted  and  liberal,  and  never  ostentatious.  A 
charity  in  which  he  became  deeply  interested  was 
the  Ingleside  Home,  to  which  he  made  an  unquali- 
fied gift  of  property  worth  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
Hundreds  of  persons  were  privately  helped  by  him 
at  crises  in  their  lives  or  fortunes,  and  in  this  re- 
spect no  man  in  Buffalo  was  more  highly  praised. 
In  the  Presbyterian  faith,  with  which  he  was  identi- 
fied fifty  years  or  more,  he  was  respected  as  an  up- 
right, God-fearing,  temperate  man,  faithful  in  the 
discharge  of  his  Christian  duties,  and  just  in  his 
dealings  with  all  men.  Personally  he  recognized 
his  obligations  to  society  and  never  wearied  of 
good  deeds.    He  was  a  man  of  portly  physique,  tall 


and  erect,  and  with  a  constitution  of  iron.  He  died 
after  completing  his  seventy-seventh  year.  For  a 
period  of  sixty  years  he  was  an  active  factor  in  the 
business  world  and  during  the  last  forty  (which 
were  spent  in  Buffalo)  prominent  in  every  movement 
requiring  moral,  social  or  financial  support.  He 
filled  a  large  place  in  the  public  heart  and  bis  worth 
and  virtues  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  Mr.  Tifi't 
married,  March  14,  1827,  Lucy  linos,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Thankful  Enos,  who  died  in  1871.  Of 
their  seven  children  only  two  are  now  living,  viz : 
Mrs.  Dr.  Charles  C.  F.  Gay,  and  Mrs.  George  D. 
Plympton. 


GAY.  CHARLES  CURTIS  FENN,  M.D.,  an  emi- 
nent physician  of  Western  New  York,  was 
born  January  7,  1821,  at  Pittsfield,  Berkshire 
County.  Massachusetts,  and  died  March  27,  188(5.  in 
the  city  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  which  had  been  his 
home  and  the  scene  of  his  labors  for  more  than  a 
generation.  He  was  descended  from  John  Gay, 
who  was  one  of  the  passengers  on  board  of  the 
i  good  ship  "Mary  and  .John,"  which  reached  Massa- 
chusetts, May  80,  1030.  John  Gay  was  from  the 
west  of  England  and  was  accompanied  to  America 
by  his  wife.  The  couple  settled  first  at  Watertown, 
Massachusetts,  but  after  a  brief  stay  there  removed 
to  Dedham — then  called  Contentment— where,  in 
1088,  John  Gay  died,  having  attained  to  a  ripe  old 
age.  Of  the  descendants  of  John  Gay,  a  number 
entered  the  learned  professions.  At  least  three  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  one  of 
these  being  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ebenezer  Gayr,  for  many 
years  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Hing- 
ham,  Massachusetts,  who  was  eminent  for  both 
piety  and  learning.  Another  descendant,  who  bore 
the  name  of  John,  who  was  the  great-grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  held  the  commission  of 
Captain  in  the  American  army  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. The  father  of  Dr.  Gay  was  William  Gay,  Jr., 
a  grandson  of  the  foregoing.  He  was  born  at 
Worcester.  Massachusetts,  and  became  a  merchant. 
He  married  Miss  Maria  Stanton,  a  native  of  Rich- 
mond, Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts,  and  a 
granddaughter  of  Augustus  Stanton,  who  moved  to 
that  place  from  Rhode  Island  in  1700.  The  late 
Hon.  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War  in  the 
Cabinet  of  President  Lincoln,  was  a  distant  cousin 
of  this  lady,  who  died  October  12,  1887,  aged  ninety- 
two  years  and  six  months,  in  Buffalo,  where  she 
was  held  in  high  esteem  for  her  many  good  works 
and  noble  character.  Dr.  Gay's  parents  removed 
to  Lebanon  Springs,  Columbia  County,  New  York, 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


8l 


a  few  years  after  his  birth,  and  there  he  began  his 
education,  attending  among  others  the  classical 
school  of  Prof.  John  Hunter,  at  New  Lebanon.  In 
1843  he  attended  the  Collegiate  Institute  at  Brock- 
port,  Monroe  County,  New  York.  In  the  following 
year  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine  as  a 
pupil  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Joseph  Bates  of  Lebanon 
Springs.  He  also  studied  under  Dr.  II.  II.  Childs, 
of  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  and  took  one  full 
course  of  instruction  at  the  Berkshire  Medical  Col- 
lege, and  a  second  at  the  Medical  School  in  Wood- 
stock, Vermont.  The  third  and  finishing  course 
was  taken  at  the  former  institution,  from  which,  in 
the  fall  of  1840,  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
was  received.  Post-gradutate  studies  were  pursued 
during  the  following  winter  in  Philadelphia,  at  Jef- 
ferson Medical  College,  then  the  leading  medical 
institution  in  the  United  States.  Here  under  the 
ablest  professors,  and  in  the  large  hospitals  of  the 
city,  at  which  the  clinics  were  given,  the  young 
physician  labored  to  qualify  himself  for  practice. 
In  1847  he  opened  an  office  at  Bennington,  Ver- 
mont. After  practicing  there  a  few  years  he  re- 
moved to  Byron,  Genesee  County,  New  York,  and 
from  there  to  Buffalo.  In  the  larger  sphere  offered 
in  the  last  named  place  he  found  the  opportunity 
for  which  he  was  so  well  prepared.  His  practice 
grew  with  great  rapidity  and  he  soon  found  himself 
occupying  a  prominent  place  in  the  profession. 
Possessing  a  natural  aptitude  for  his  work  and  hav- 
ing received  the  best  instruction  in  it  procurable  in 
America,  he  had  little  difficulty  in  meeting  its  most 
exacting  demands.  In  the  department  of  surgery 
he  manifested  uncommon  skill  and  rare  judg- 
ment. On  the  organization  of  the  Buffalo  General 
Hospital,  in  1855,  he  w-as  chosen  consulting  surgeon. 
In  1858  he  was  appointed  attending  surgeon.  This 
latter  position  seemed  to  be  peculiarly  congenial  to 
him  and  he  remained  in  it  until  1884.  The  Buffalo 
General  Hospital  came  into  corporate  existence 
largely  through  the  personal  efforts  of  Dr.  Gay. 
He  was  quick  to  perceive  the  needs  of  the  city  in 
that  direction,  and,  calling  a  meeting  at  his  of- 
fice, which  a  number  of  wealthy  and  influential 
friends  attended  at  his  request,  he  urged  the  found- 
ing of  the  institution  named.  At  subsequent  meet- 
ings the  project  took  definite  form  and  through  the 
princely  liberality  of  his  father-in-law,  the  late 
George  Washington  Tifft,  and  other  public-spirited 
and  philanthropic  men,  Buffalo  became  the  fortu- 
nate possessor  of  this  splendid  institution.  As  yet 
no  tablet  commemorates  Dr.  Gay's  services  in  this 
work  ;  but  it  is  due  to  his  memory  to  record  that 
contemporaneous  opinion  is  to  the  effect  that 
"  Buffalo  owes  to  no  one  more  than  to  Dr.  Gay  in 


the  foundation  of  this  great  public  charity."  In 
1861  Dr.  Gay  was  appointed  by  the  Union  Defence 
Committee  of  Buffalo,  Surgeon-in-charge  at  Fort 
Porter.  While  at  this  point  he  examined  and  had 
under  his  medical  jurisdiction  the  Forty-ninth  Reg- 
iment New  York  Volunteers.  During  the  War  he 
was  active  in  the  support  of  every  movement  hav- 
ing for  its  object  the  strengthening  of  the  hands  of 
the  Government,  and  in  this,  as  in  other  directions, 
his  influence  was  marked.  Dr.  Gay  was  a  man  of 
broad  attainments  in  natural  science  and  through  a 
desire  to  further  the  interest  of  this  department  of 
learning  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  movement 
which  gave  birth  to  the  Society  of  Natural  Sciences 
of  Buffalo,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  founders  and 
original  Directors.  He  was  also  Curator  of  Botany 
in  the  institution  at  an  early  period  in  its  history. 
In  1876  he  was  chosen  Surgeon-in-chief  of  the  Buf- 
falo Surgical  Infirmary,  then  newly  organized.  lie 
took  a  warm  interest  in  the  Niagara  University,  and 
upon  the  establishment  of  its  Medical  Department, 
accepted  the  Professorship  of  Clinical  Surgery. 
When  ill-health  obliged  him  to  retire  from  this 
chair  he  was  appointed  Emeritus  Professor.  For 
more  than  twenty-five  years  Dr.  Gay  was  an  active 
contributor  to  medical  literature.  Many  other  sub- 
jects drew  upon  his  time  and  attention,  but  to  med- 
icine and  surgery  his  life  was  devoted,  and  he  la- 
bored with  no  ordinar}'  zeal  to  promote  and  advance 
their  interests.  The  results  of  his  deep  study  and 
extended  observation  were  embodied  from  time  to 
time  in  essays  and  reports,  many  of  which  attracted 
wide  attention  in  medical  circles.  Regarded  from 
a  purely  literary  point  of  view  his  writings  were 
finished  productions,  clear  in  expression  and  felici- 
tous in  style,  and  as  records  of  the  observation  and 
practice  of  a  highly  educated  and  skillful  physician 
and  surgeon  they  possessed  a  practical  value  which 
gave  them  an  extended  circulation.  Among  his 
best  known  writings  are  the  following:  Erysipelas, 
its  Constitution,  Origin  and  Treatment,— 185!) ;  Medi- 
cal Progress— 1862 ;  Hints  Regarding  the  Manage- 
ment of  Fractured  Bones.— 1867  ;  Placenta  Previa, 
—1868  :  Uterine  Surgery,— 1868  :  Uterine  Displace- 
ments and  their  Surgical  Treatment,— 1868;  Vesico- 
vaginal Fistula,— 1868;  Unavoidable  Hemorrhage, 
—1869:  Puerperal  Eclampsia,— 1869;  Two  cases  of 
Labor,  Complicated  by  Presence  of  Uterine  Tu- 
mors,—1869;  Protoxide  of  Azote  as  an  Anaesthetic 
Agent  (Translated  from  the  French) ;  Phymosis, 
with  Impermeable  Meatus  Urinarius:  Intestinal  In- 
vagination, etc.  ;  Retroversion  of  the  Impregnated 
Uterus  and  Spontaneous  Reposition;  Encephaloid 
Tumor,  etc. ;  Hernia,  Sudden  Death  from  Supposed 
Heart  Disease  ;  Laceration  of  the  Female  Perineum, 


82 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


etc. :  on  Retention  of  Urine  from  Traumatic  Stric- 
ture ;  Varicose  Veins ;  Radical  Cure  of  Hydrocele ; 
Operation    for    Procedentia    Uteri  ;  Aneurismal 
Tumor  Following  Penetrating  Wound  of  the  Tho- 
rax ;  Varicose  Ulcers:   Femoral  Aneurism,  etc; 
Injuries  of  the  Skull,  etc.;  Auxiliary  Aneurism; 
Phlegmonoid  Erysipelas  ;  Radical  Cure  of  Inguinal 
Hernia:  and  Case  of  Ligation  of  the  left  Sub-Clav- 
ian  Artery.    During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he 
paid  special  attention  to  surgery  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  engaged  in  preparing  a  work  on  that 
branch  of  medical  science.    In  1801  Dr.  Gay  be- 
came a  permanent  member  of  the  State  Medical  So- 
ciety :  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Erie  County 
Medical  Society  during  the  whole  period  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Buffalo,  and  at  one  time  its  President.  He 
was  a  delegate  on  several  occasions  to  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association,  and  made  a  number  of  in- 
teresting verbal  reports  on  operations  before  that 
distinguished  body.    In  1885  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the  British  Medical  Convention  and  spent  the  sum- 
mer of  that  year  in  visiting  England.  France,  Ger- 
many and  Switzerland.    While  on  this  tour  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  number  of  the  leading 
medical  men  of  the  world,  with  some  <>f  whom  he 
afterwards  maintained  a  pleasant  correspondence. 
Dr.  Gay  was  pre-eminently  a  medical  man  and  so 
thoroughly  devoted  to  his  chosen  life  work  that  lie 
would  never  permit  anything  whatever  to  interfere 
with  its  duties  or  its  claims  upon  his  attention  and 
service.    To  his  profession  he  freely  gave  the  best 
that  was  in  him.  and  always  with  the  unselfishness 
which  characterizes  the  true  scientist.    He  won  not 
only  success  but  fame,  and  for  many  years  preced- 
ing his  death  he  was  one  of  the  acknowledged  lead- 
ers in  the  medical  profession  of  Western  New  York. 
But  although  so  wrapped  up  in  professional  work 
lie  was  not  neglectful  of  his  plain  duty  in  other  re- 
gards.   He  loved  the  city  of  his  adoption  and  took 
a  pride  in  serving  its  interests  and  promoting  its 
welfare.    He  held  a  high  social  position  and  his  op- 
portunities were  frequent  for  helping  his  fellow- 
citizens.    His  influence  was  a  power  and  was  al- 
ways wielded  for  good.    His  interest  in  the  cause 
of  higher  education  was  marked  and  he  sought  to 
promote  it  on  all  occasions.    In  church  work  he 
was  prominent  as  a  member  of  the  Central  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Buffalo,  and  to  every  movement 
having  for  its  object  the  advancement  of  the  moral 
welfare  of  the  city  of  Buffalo  he  gave  careful  atten- 
tion, earnest  support  and  liberal  assistance.  Dr. 
Gay  married  in  January,  1854,  Miss  Sarah  A.  Tifft, 
daughter  of  the  late  George  Washington  Tifft,  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  respected  among  the  citizens 
of  Buffalo.    Their  married  life  was  of  a  happy 


character,  and  together  they  accomplished  in  good 
deeds  enough  to  have  made  them  famous  could  but 
a  portion  of  it  be  told.  For  more  than  a  year  pre- 
ceding his  death  Dr.  Gay  was  in  poor  health,  which 
had  its  origin  in  a  sickness  contracted  while  in  the 
discharge  of  Ids  duty  at  the  General  Hospital.  For 
several  months  he  was  quite  ill  at  home.  Being  ad- 
vised to  take  a  trip  to  Europe  he  did  so,  returning 
in  the  fall  comparatively  well.  On  his  return  he 
was  given  a  reception  and  banquet  by  the  faculty  of 
the  Niagara  Medical  School.  Soon  after  his  return 
he  became  again  seriously  ill,  and  after  a  painful  ill- 
ness of  several  weeks,  he  died  as  previously  stated. 
Though  impressed  with  the  hopelessness  of  his  re- 
covery he  maintained  throughout  his  illness  a  cheer- 
ful mood,  "and  frequently  proclaimed  his  faith  in 
God  and  his  adherence  to  the  Christian  principles 
which  had  been  his  guide  for  many  years."  His  es- 
teemed wife  and  an  adopted  sou  survive  him.  In 
the  professional  and  social  circles  which  he  had 
graced  so  many  years  his  death  was  felt  as  a  deep 
personal  loss.  The  people  of  the  city  of  Buffalo 
mourned  him  as  one  of  their  most  eminent  fellow- 
citizens.  On  all  sides  tribute  was  paid  to  his  great 
worth  as  a  physician,  a  citizen  and  a  man.  "  Kind- 
ness and  charity  " — said  one  Buffalo  journal — 
•■  were  the  marked  characteristics  of  Dr.  Gay,  and 
through  all  his  dealings  with  his f ellow-practitioners 
and  patients,  they  shone  as  a  bright  light  illumina- 
ting his  path.  In  the  defence  of  right,  the  doctor 
has  struck  many  a  powerful  blow.  Not  a  few  un- 
scrupulous persons  in  this  city  can  testify  to  the 
weight  of  that  strong  right  arm  of  his  when  wielded 
to  defend  the  right  and  to  uphold  a  true  principle. 
His  charity  and  power  of  forgiving  were  not  less 
than  his  strength  in  the  defence  of  right."  The 
several  societies  to  which  he  belonged  formally  ex- 
pressed their  grief  at  his  loss.  The  language  in 
which  the  virtues  and  merits  of  the  deceased  were 
set  forth  was  superlatively  warm  and  indicated  the 
depth  of  feeling  of  those  employing  it.  Esteem,  af- 
fection and  regret  were  the  keynotes  of  each  me- 
morial, and  in  view  of  the  high  character  of  Dr. 
Gay,  his  devotion  to  science,  his  love  for  his  fellow- 
creatures,  and  his  pure  and  helpful  life,  no  tribute 
paid  seemed  too  strong.  He  was  above  all  things  a 
physician,  and  the  estimate  of  his  medical  life  and 
personal  character  contained  in  the  memorial 
adopted  by  his  associates  of  the  Erie  County  Medi- 
cal Society,  may  be  deemed  the  most  appropriate  to 
close  this  imperfect  sketch.    It  is  as  follows  : 

"  Dr.  Gay  was  not  of  the  ordinary  stamp  of  med- 
ical men.  He  had  far  more  than  the  average  cul- 
ture of  those  aspiring  to  the  honors  of  the  profes- 
sion, and  far  higher  ideas  of  the  mission  of  medicine 
to  mankind  than  is  common  with  us.    The  ideal  for 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


33 


which  he  earnestly  strove  was  to  achieve  all  that  is 
possible  as  to  the  knowledge  of  disease  and  injuries, 
and  then  to  bring  to  bear  the  best  resources  already 
known  or  possible  to  be  known  for  their  abatement 
or  amelioration  ;  this  beiug  the  ultimate  end  of  the 
healing  art,  so  far  as  suffering  humanity  is  con- 
cerned. 

"Our  deceased  friend  could  abide  a  severer  test 
— the  only  test  and  adequate  estimate  and  test  of 
the  medical  man,  viz  :  that  of  his  fellows  and  asso- 
ciates in  the  same  field,  and  with  whom  he  came  in 
daily  contact  in  professional  work.  Weighed  in  this 
balance — the  only  one  which  commanded  his  re- 
spect, or  for  which  he  cared — our  departed  friend 
was  not  found  wanting.  His  exceptional  ability  as 
a  surgeon  was  recognized  far  and  near  by  his  co- 
laborers,  who  could  appreciate  bis  merits.  '  His  del- 
icate sense  of  honor  towards  his  professional  asso- 
ciates ;  his  scrupulous  regard  for  the  feelings  and 
interests  of  those  who,  in  the  vicissitudes  and  anxi- 
eties of  professional  life,  came  in  contact  with  him, 
in  consultation  and  otherwise,  won  their  perpetual 
regard  and  esteem. 

"  We  have  yet  to  hear,  after  an  association  with 
him  extending  over  a  third  of  a  century,  of  the  first 
lisp  of  dissent  to  this  professional  universal  acclaim 
in  his  behalf. 

"  Your  committee  can  but  consider  this  as  the 
only  crucial  test  of  the  practitioner  of  medicine  and 
surgery.  Our  deceased  brother  grandly  stood  this 
test,  and  upon  this  rock  his  fame  rests.  No  roots 
nor  seeds  of  bitterness  or  of  unpleasantness  can 
ever  find  place  in  our  memories  of  him.  We  un- 
feignedly  deplore  his  loss  as  a  brother  beloved  and 
gone  before  to  the  reward  of  the  just." 


ITTILLIAMS,  GIBSON  T.,  a  prominent  citizen  and 
Uy  leading  financier  of  Buffalo,  President  of  the 
II  Erie  County  Savings  Bank,  and  actively  con- 
nected with  varied  business  interests  in  that  count}' 
for  more  than  half  a  century,  was  born  in  Charles- 
town,  New  Hampshire,  January  15.  1813.  He  is 
descended  from  patriotic  ancestors,  who,  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  took  an  active  part  in  repelling 
British  power  and  founding  the  Republic.  Benja- 
min W  illiams,  his  grandfather,  a  sturdy  son  of  New 
Hampshire.  "  was  Orderly-Sergeant  in  Captain 
Town's  company  in  the  Second  New  Hampshire 
Regiment,  of  which  Reed  was  Colonel;  and  he  did 
valiant  duty  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  where  his 
company  had  the  post  of  honor."  Isaiah  Williams, 
son  of  this  brave  New  Hampshire  patriot,  and  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  himself  a  native 
of  the  '•  Granite  State,"  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
When  his  boy  Gibson  was  about  eleven  years  old  he 
moved  from  Charlestown  into  Franklin  County,  Ver- 
mont, and  there  the  young  lad  took  his  initial  les- 
sons in  farming.  Nothing  of  special  moment  varied 
the  monotony  of  his  labors  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  was  accorded  the  high  and 


valued  privilege  of  attending  one  term  at  the  St. 
Albans'  Academy.  This  term  covered  the  greater 
portion  of  one  year,  and  was  the  means  of  laying 
broad  and  deep  the  foundations  of  his  excellent 
education.  The  change  from  the  farm  to  the  Acad- 
emy was  a  great  one,  but  the  return  lo  the  plough 
after  becoming  possessed  of  all  that  could  be  ac- 
quired at  the  Academy  by  a  diligent  student — even 
in  the  brief  space  of  one  term  —  a  much  greater  and 
scarcely  to  be  thought  of.  His  fitness  for  mercan- 
tile life  was  so  apparent  that  his  desire  to  enter  it 
was  encourged  rather  than  opposed,  and  at  ^even- 
teen  years  of  age  he  found  a  position  in  a  store  at 
St.  Albans',  where  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty. 
The  limited  possibilities  of  the  place,  so  far  as  he 
was  concerned,  being  now  exhausted,  he  deter- 
mined to  push  out  into  other  fields.  Universal  re- 
port indicated  the  West  as  the  proper  place  for  am- 
bitious young  men  to  try  their  mettle.  Young  Wil- 
liams was  now  perfectly  familiar  with  the  methods 
of  business  and  he  had  saved  a  little  money  from  his 
earnings.  With  hope  in  his  heart  he  set  out  for 
Buffalo,  making  the  journey  by  lake,  rail  and  stage 
to  Schenectady,  where  he  found  the  Erie  canal  open 
to  the  traveling  public,  and  then  the  only  means  of 
reaching  his  destination.  The  journey  from  this 
point  occupied  seven  days.  On  reaching  Buffalo, 
then  regarded  as  beiug  in  the  "far  west,"  the 
young  traveler  put  up  at  the  Eagle  tavern,  then  the 
principal  hotel  in  the  place,  and  without  delay  sal- 
lied out  in  search  of  employment.  His  appearance 
was  decidedly  in  his  favor,  and  the  task  did  not 
prove  difficult.  A  hardware  merchant  engaged  his 
services,  and  with  him  he  remained  until  the  fol- 
lowing April.  At  this  time  (1834)  Messrs.  Kimberly 
&  Waters  kept  a  famous  ship-chandlery  and  grocery 
on  the  dock,  and,  appreciating  young  Williams' 
business  qualities,  offered  him  a  situation,  which  he 
accepted.  With  the  prudence  and  prevision  which 
have  always  been  among  his  chief  characteristics, 
he  laid  away  a  goodly  portion  of  his  earnings  every 
month,  wisely  resolving  to  be  prepared,  so  far  as 
capital  was  concerned,  for  any  opportunity  which 
might  arise.  In  February,  1837,  this  opportunity 
came  through  the  reorganization  of  the  firm,  one  of 
the  principals  retiring.  Mr.  Williams  was  now  ad- 
mitted to  the  concern,  which  took  the  style  of  H.  C. 
Atwater  &  Co.  A  little  later  another  change  oc- 
curred, and  Mr.  Williams  rose  to  the  second  place  in 
the  firm,  which  then  became  Atwater  &  Williams. 
The  business  of  the  firm  had  now  grown  very  large 
and  profitable,  greater  in  amount  than  that  of  all  the 
other  ship-chandlers  put  together ;  and  not  only 
were  ships  and  vessels  of  every  description  fur- 
nished with  the  ordinary  supplies,  but  they  were  also 


84 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


fitted  out  with  rigging,  anchors  and  chains.  In 
January,  1841,  Mr.  Rufus  L.  Howard,  previously  a 
trusted  clerk,  was  taken  into  partnership.  In  1845 
Mr.  Atwater  died,  and  Messrs.  Williams  »fe  Howard, 
who  continued  the  business,  took  in  as  partner  Mr. 
George  L.  Newman.  After  this  arrangement  had 
been  in  force  five  years  Mr.  Williams  retired.  He 
devoted  a  good  part  of  the  year  1 85 ")  to  settle  up  the 
old  business  affairs,  and  in  the  spring  of  1851  en- 
tered into  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Henry  Hoop,  and. 
purchasing  land  at  the  corner  of  Delaware  Avenue 
and  Virginia  Street,  built  the  lead  works  which  are 
still  in  active  operation  on  that  site.  In  1852  the 
firm  of  Roop  and  Williams  admitted  Mr.  Peter  C. 
Cornell,  of  Brooklyn,  to  partnership,  and  was  at 
once  chartered  as  a  corporation  under  the  title  of 
the  Niagara  White  Lead  Company.  Before  the  ex- 
piration  of  the  year  Mr.  Roop  retired  from  the  busi- 
ness. The  remaining  partners  conducted  the  busi- 
ness profitably  until  1861,  when  Mr.  Williams  dis- 
posed of  his  interest  to  Mr.  Cornell.  At  this  date 
the  whole  country  was  in  a  terrible  state  of  agita- 
tion. The  Civil  War  hail  broken  out  and  the  busi- 
ness community  was  about  equally  divided  between 
hopes  and  fears.  Owners  of  capital,  not  recognizing 
at  first  the  great  chances  for  enterprise  afforded  by 
its  exigencies,  became  strangely  conservative.  Fi- 
nances were  in  consequence  so  greatly  affected  that 
the  depositors  in  banks  took  alarm,  and  in  many  in- 
stances withdrew  their  money  so  as  to  have  it  safe 
in  the  event  of  any  commercial  catyclysm.  The 
Clinton  Bank  of  Buffalo,  one  of  the  soundest  in  t lie 
city,  and  of  which  Mr.  Williams  was  President,  was 
one  of  the  first  to  suffer  from  this  disturbed  state  of 
the  public  mind:  and  by  a  vote  its  stockholders  re- 
solved to  close  up  its  affairs.  All  depositors  and 
shareholders  were  paid  in  full,  but  the  sequel 
proved  that  although  they  saved  the  value  of  their 
shares  and  deposits  they  lost  a  great  opportunity 
for  making  money.  In  1862  Mr.  Williams,  in  asso- 
ciation with  the  late  Dean  Richmond  and  others,  or- 
ganized the  Western  Insurance  Company  of  Buffalo. 
TJpon  its  incorporation  Mr.  Richmond  became  Presi- 
dent and  Mr.  Williams  Vice  President.  On  the  death 
of  the  former,  in  1866,  Mr.  Williams  was  chosen  Presi- 
dent. This  company  was  managed  with  great  energy 
and  judgment,  and  did  an  immense  business,  reach- 
ing out  over  the  great  lakes,  and  to  all  parts  of  the 
country.  But  the  Chicago  fire  of  1871  swept  it  out 
of  existence.  It  was  a  loss  that  no  business  judg- 
ment could  have  provided  against,  and  Mr.  Wil- 
liams suffered  proportionately  with  all  others  affec- 
ted. Mr.  Williams'  high  standing  in  mercantile  and 
financial  circles  had  drawn  him  into  a  number  of 
corporations,  all  of  which  have  derived  marked  ad- 


vantages from  his  counsel  and  assistance.  He  was 
a  director  in  the  old  Mutual  Insurance  Company  of 
Buffalo,  and  also  in  the  City  Insurance  Company 
and  the  Buffalo  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Com- 
pany. He  was  for  some  years  a  Director  in  the  Buf- 
falo and  Erie  Railroad  Company,  and  in  the  Erie 
and  Pittsburgh  Railroad  Company,  and  at  the  time 
of  the  consolidation  of  the  lines  now  forming  the 
Lake  Shore  Road  held  nearly  every  proxy  for  the 
Buffalo  ami  Erie  division  and  cast  the  vote  which 
accomplished  the  purpose.  As  a  financier  Mr.  Wil- 
liams has  a  reputation  second  to  that  of  no  other 
business  man  in  Buffalo.  His  experience  in  mone- 
tary affairs  may  be  said  to  have  begun  in  1854  when 
he  was  chosen  First  Vice-President  of  the  Erie  Coun- 
ty Savings  Bank,  then  just  organized,  and  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  founders  and  incorporators.  Mr. 
Williams  is  now  the  President  of  this  institution, 
which  has  thirty-five  thousand  depositors  and  near- 
ly sixteen  million  dollars  of  assets,  a  larger  sum  than 
any  bank  in  the  State  of  New  York  west  of  the  Hud- 
son River.  Its  surplus,  which  now  (1800)  exceeds 
two  and  a  half  million  dollars,  is  larger  than  that  of 
any  bank  outside  of  the  cities  of  New  York  and 
Brooklyn;  while  its  securities  are  almost  absolutely 
perfect  in  their  character.  To  achieve  this  brilliant 
success  Mr.  Williams  has  labored  with  unflagging 
zeal.  Beginning  at  the  very  inception  of  the  institu- 
tion he,  with  another,  personally  became  responsible 
for  the  salary  of  the  capable  treasurer  then  employed 
— Mr.  Cyrus  P.  Lee.  By  every  honorable  means  at  his 
command  he  has  built  up  and  strengthened  it ;  and 
believing  that  family  and  individual  thrift  is  at  the 
foundation  of  sound  prosperity  and  national  great- 
ness, he  takes  the  greatest  pride  in  his  magnificent 
achievement.  The  noble  institution,  of  which  he  is 
the  capable  and  honored  head,  is  peacefully  and 
silently  accomplishing  more  for  the  community  and 
for  the  nation  at  large  than  hundreds  of  so-called 
philanthropies  which  foster  dependence  rather  than 
that  independence  which  is  at  the  bottom  of  all  prog- 
ress. Other  financial  institutions  in  which  Mr. 
Williams  has  long  been  interested,  and  in  which  he 
is  a  Director,  are  the  Bank  of  Buffalo,  the  Manu- 
facturers' and  Traders'  Bank,  and  the  Bank  of  Ni- 
agara. He  was  at  one  time  a  Director  in  Wliite's 
Bank,  when  Mr.  George  C.  White  was  its  President. 
He  is  also  a  Director  in  the  Buffalo  Gas  Company, 
and  in  the  Mutual  Gas  Company.  When  the  Buf- 
falo Board  of  Trade  was  organized  in  1844  he  was 
one  of  the  incorporators,  and  for  many  years  served 
in  the  Board  of  Directors.  He  has  always  been  an 
investor  in  real  estate,  and  is  now  a  large  owner  of 
valuable  city  property  and  considered  one  of  the 
highest  authorities  on  its  value.     Wild  schemes 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


85 


framed  purely  for  speculative  purposes  have  never  I 
engaged  his  attention,  his  methods  being  grounded 
in  conservatism  and  almost  invariably  profitable  as 
well  as  safe.  No  better  proof  of  his  ability  and  hon- 
esty in  the  discharge  of  a  public  trust  could  be  af- 
forded than  his  just  appraisement  of  the  land  taken 
for  the  Buffalo  Park,  a  labor  in  which  he  had  as 
colleagues  two  gentlemen  of  equally  high  character 
and  scarcely  inferior  judgment,  Colonel  Bird  and 
Mr.  Albert  Haller  Tracy.  The  awards  made  by 
this  board  were  alike  satisfactory  to  those  whose 
lands  were  taken  and  to  those— the  citizens  of  Buf- 
falo— who  paid  for  them.  To  enumerate  all  the  en- 
terprises in  which  Mr.  "Williams  has  taken  a  per- 
sonal part,  or  in  which  he  has  co-operated  by  money 
contributions  or  subscriptions,  would  be  to  recall 
nearly  every  laudable  and  important  project  under- 
taken in  Buffalo  during  the  last  fort}-  years.  His 
connection  with  the  business  development  of  the 
city  is  not  second  in  its  importance  to  that  of  any 
man  living,  and  is  as  varied  and  useful  almost  as  it 
is  possible  to  imagine.  He  has  employed  his  wealth 
liberally  and  beneficially  in  fostering  all  improve-  | 
ments,  and  in  encouraging  and  building  up  useful 
industries.  He  has  built  many  buildings,  and  is 
now  the  owner  of  manyr  of  thorn  and  of  fine  stores 
as  well.  In  1851  he  was  associated  with  Mr.  Rufus 
L.  Howard  in  building  the  Howard  Iron  Works. 
Years  ago  he  was  the  owner  of  many  vessels,  both 
sailing  and  steam,  in  some  of  which  he  is  still  inter- 
ested. His  name  is  known  over  a  wide  expanse  of 
territory  as  that  of  one  of  Buffalo's  most  energetic 
business  men  and  most  honorable  citizens.  But  his 
achievements  have  not  been  limited  to  the  field  of 
business.  The  Buffalo  Library,  one  of  the  institu- 
tions in  which  the  whole  people  take  a  just  pride, 
is  largely  indebted  to  him  for  its  very  existence.  As 
far  hack  as  1845  he  was  President  of  the  Young 
Men's  Association,  out  of  which  the  institution  de- 
veloped, and  it  was  his  vigorous  efforts  which  then  i 
raised  from  it  a  burden  of  debt,  which  was  slowly- 
but  surely  crushing  out  its  life.  After  putting  it  on 
a  paying  basis  he  carefully  watched  and  aided  it  un- 
til its  prosperity  and  future  were  assured.  In  works 
of  true  philanthropy  Mr.  Williams  has  not  been  be- 
hind any  of  his  compeers.  To  the  Charity  Organi- 
zation he  has  been  a  frequent  and  liberal  contribu- 
tor :  also  to  the  Orphan  Asylum  and  to  the  General 
Hospital.  He  contributed  liberally  to  the  funds  of 
the  Young  Men's  Association  when  it  purchased  its 
Main  Street  property,  and  his  aid  has  been  freely 
given  to  assist  a  number  of  other  worthy  institu- 
tions and  charities.  Mr.  Williams  gratified  his  de- 
sire for  foreign  travel  and  at  the  same  time  gave 
himself  a  much-needed  relaxation  by  visiting  Eu- 


rope in  1867-68,  spending  eight  months  on  the  trip, 
and  seeing  the  greater  part  if  not  all  of  what  inter- 
ests the  traveling  public.  He  returned  from  this 
sojourn  abroad  greatly  invigorated  in  health,  and 
with  many  pleasing  recollections  of  his  foreign  ex- 
periences, but  with  an  undiminished  appreciation 
of  his  own  country,  and  with  a  firmly  settled  con- 
viction that  whatever  conclusion  others  might  ar- 
rive at,  his  was  that,  for  him  at  least,  there  was  no 
place  like  his  cherished  city  of  Buffalo.  A  man  of 
the  strictest  integrity,  whose  life  has  been  devoted 
to  useful  labors,  whose  whole  heart  is  engaged  in 
working  for  the  welfare  of  the  community  no  less 
than  his  own,  Mr.  Williams  occupies  a  most  envia- 
ble place  in  the  public  esteem.  His  friends  are 
limited  to  no  circle,  and  both  acquaintances  and 
friends  unite  in  wishing  him  every  joy  and  happi- 
ness. He  married,  in  1841,  Miss  Harriet  C.  How- 
ard, of  Herkimer  County,  New  York,  and  in  the 
following  year  took  up  his  abode  in  a  house  on  the 
very  site  occupied  by  his  present  elegant  home, 
which  was  built  in  1861.  Of  the  children  born  to 
this  marriage,  there  are  now  living  Mr.  Charles 
H.  Williams,  Mr.  -  George  L.  Williams,  and  Miss 
Martha  T.  Williams. 


RAMSDELL.  ORRIN  P..  one  of  the  oldesl  and 
most  respected  business  men  of  Buffalo,  and 
prominent  in  mercantile  and  financial  circles  in 
that  city  for  more  than  half  a  century,  was  born  at 
Mansfield,  Connect4cut,  July  19,  1811,  and  died  at 
his  home  on  Delaware  Ave.,  Buffalo,  July  16,  1889. 
His  parents  were  of  Scotch  descent  and  from  them 
he  inherited  the  qualities  so  characteristic  of  that 
nationality.  From  his  earliest  days  he  was  brought 
up  in  the  principles  of  frugality,  industry  and  hon- 
esty, and  his  regard  for  them  opened  the  way  to  for- 
tune when  he  became  an  independent  agent.  His 
youth  was  >pent  under  his  parents'  roof  amid  the  best 
and  most  helpful  influences.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  village  school  of  Mansfield,  which  he 
left  at  sixteen  and  entered  business  life  in  a  subordin- 
ate capacity  in  a  large  dry  goods  store  in  New  York 
City.  After  a  few  months'  experience  he  became 
convinced  that  success  in  mercantile  life  was  not  to 
be  attained  by  working  for  other  men,  and  having  a 
good  reputation  and  good  connections  he  found  no 
difficulty  in  borrowing  a  thousand  dollars,  with 
which  he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account, 
opening  a  retail  boot  and  shoe  store  in  New  London, 
Connecticut.  To  the  older  and  more  conservative 
business  men  in  that  locality  the  venture  seemed  a 
most  unwarranted  one.    Its  Tailure  was  openly  pre- 


86 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


dieted.  But  a  shrewd  and  energetic  young  man  was 
pushing  the  new  enterprise  and  within  a  year  after 
it  had  been  launched  the  general  store  keepers  in 
New  Loudon  concluded  it  was  unnecessary  to  carry 
boots  and  shoes  in  their  stock,  as  the  public  seemed 
to  prefer  purchasing  this  line  of  goods  at  Mr.  Rams- 
dell's  store,  where  the  variety  was  greater  and  the  j 
prices  lower.  Influenced  by  the  spirit  of  unrest  j 
which  then  prevailed  so  largely  among  the  young 
men  of  New  England  and  which  was  so  powerful  a  | 
factor  in  the  development  of  the  new  West,  Mr. 
Ramsdell  sold  out  his  business  in  New  London  about 
1835,  and  selecting  Buffalo  as  the  seat  of  his  future  j 
operations,  removed  to  that  almost  frontier  settle- 
ment  and  opened  there  a  tine  boot  and  shoe  store, 
the  first  in  the  place.  The  business  prospered  from 
the  start,  and  its  enterprising  founder  soon  branched 
out  into  the  wholesale  trade  which  also,  under  his 
able  management,  proved  a  perfect  success.  With 
increasing  prosperity  and  largely  augmented  capi- 
tal— the  latter  the  natural  outcome  and  increment  of 
bold  but  shrewd  endeavor — the  young  merchant 
looked  about  him  for  other  fields  of  enterprise. 
Railroads  were  then  in  their  infancy,  but  in  them 
Mr.  Ramsdell  discerned  glorious  opportunities.  His 
investments  in  this  direction  were  large  for  that  early 
day,  and  were  most  fortunate.  They  had  in  them 
also  a  degree  of  boldness,  for  this  class  of  property 
had  not  then  acquired  anything  like  tike  importance 
and  popularity  it  enjoys  at  the  present  day.  In  the 
remarkable  development  of  Buffalo  as  a  railroad  j 
centre  he  took  a  prominent  part  and  as  his  wealth 
increased  he  invested  it  liberally  in  new  lines  both 
east  and  west.  He  lived  to  see  his  native  land  the 
possessor  of  nearly  as  great  a  railroad  mileage  as 
that  of  all  the  rest  of  the  world  put  together  (about  j 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  miles  in  the 
United  States  as  against  oneMiundred  and  seventy-five 
thousand  miles  elsewhere),  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  interested  in  several  prosperous  roads  and  was 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Buffalo 
and  Southwestern  Railroad.  Mr.  Ramsdell  also  I 
made  extensive  investments  in  real  estate  on  the 
water-front,  and  in  connection  with  others  (he  being 
the  prime  mover)  built  the  Erie  basin  elevator. 
This  was  a  most  profitable  venture,  and  the  property 
after  having  been  in  successful  operation  for  several 
years  was  sold  at  a  large  advance  on  its  cost.  These 
and  many  other  interests  in  which  he  invested  largely 
were  managed  by  him  with  that  unfailing  sagacity 
which  was,  perhaps,  his  strongest  business  charac- 
teristic. In  fact  it  is  not  known  that  he  ever  made 
an  investment  which  was  not  wise  and  did  not  prove  I 
remunerative.  When  the  growth  of  the  mercantile 
interests  of  Buffalo  rendered  necessary  greater  bank- 


ing facilities  he  was  quick  to  perceive  the  need  and 
prompt  in  taking  steps  to  meet  it,  aiding  in  found- 
ing the  Manufacturers' and  Traders'  Bank  of  Buffalo, 
of  which  he  became  a  large  stockholder.  He  also 
held  stock  in  several  other  local  banks.  Always  an 
enterprising  and  public  spirited  business  man,  his 
activity  was  helpful  in  a  great  variety  of  ways  in 
promoting  the  material  welfare  of  the  city;  and  the 
general  public,  appreciating  his  worth,  always  held 
him  in  high  esteem.  He  outlived  nearly  all  of  his 
early  compeers,  being  at  the  time  of  his  death  one  of 
a  very  small  number  of  the  surviving  business  men 
of  half  a  century  ago.  Among  his  most  intimate 
friends  were  the  late  Silas  H.  Fish,  of  excellent 
memory,  and  also  Richard  J.  Sherman,  recently 
deceased.  Mr.  Ramsdell  took  a  hearty  interest  in 
the  work  of  the  charitable  institutions  of  Buffalo, 
and  in  his  modest  and  unassuming  way  aided  it 
liberally.  He  was  strongly  opposed  to  having  his 
good  deeds  made  public  and  in  many  instances  his 
gifts  were  bestowed  even  without  the  knowledge  of 
his  closest  friends.  His  desire  was  to  do  good,  not 
to  gain  notoriety.  One  of  his  favorite  institutions 
was  the  Buffalo  General  Hospital,  of  which  he  was 
a  trustee  for  many  years,  and  to  which  at  his  death 
he  left  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars.  The 
Buffalo  Orphan  Asylum  also  received  much  assist- 
ance from  him  while  he  lived,  and  a  bequest  of  one 
thousand  dollars  by  his  will.  Mr.  Ramsdell  was  a 
regular  attendant  for  many  years  of  the  North 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Buffalo,  of  which  he  was  a 
trustee,  and  to  the  benevolent  and  religious  work  of 
which  lie  was  a  constant  and  liberal  contributor. 
For  a  long  time  he  served  on  the  music  committee  of 
this  congregation,  and  his  personal  efforts  and  con- 
tributions did  a  great  deal  to  promote  the  cause  of 
good  church  music.  In  whatever  he  did  outside  of 
his  business,  whether  for  public  enterprise  or  private 
charities,  religious,  benevolent  or  educational  work, 
he  was  earnest,  generous  and  modest,  having  no 
other  desire  than  that  of  doing  his  full  duty  as  a 
good  citizen  and  a  conscientious  Christian.  He  con- 
tinued in  his  various  activities  with  unabated  inter- 
est and  vigor  down  to  within  two  years  of  his  death, 
an  event  which  occurred  a  few  days  preceding  the 
close  of  his  seventv-eiirhth  year.  Personally  he  was 
a  modest  and  unassuming  gentleman.  He  was  fond 
of  books  and  a  diligent  reader.  He  delighted  in 
music  and  was  an  intelligent  and  competent  musical 
critic.  In  all  the  relations  of  life  he  acquitted  him- 
self well,  commanding  universal  esteem.  In  his 
home  life  he  found  his  chief  pleasure ;  and  the 
memory  of  his  unwearied  affection  and  devotion  will 
be  cherished  by  his  family  as  their  choicest  treasure. 
Mr.  Ramsdell  married,  in  1851,  Miss  Anna  C.  Titus, 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


87 


of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Nine  children  blessed  this 
union,  five  of  whom,  together  with  his  esteemed 
widow,  survive  him.  The  children  are  Mr.  Thomas 
T.  Ramsdell — one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
younger  generation  of  merchants  in  Buffalo,  and 
a  member  of  the  great  wholesale  and  manufacturing 
house  of  O.  P.  Ramsdell,  Sweet  &  Co. — Belle  C. 
(Mrs.  E.  A.  Bell),  AnnaK.  (Mrs.  W.  S.  Allen. )  Clara 
C.  and  Evelyn. 


DOBBINS,  CAPTAIN  DANIEL,  U.  S.N..  most 
prominently  and  actively  identified  with  the 
early  history  of  the  Great  Lakes,  a  leading  pio- 
neer in  the  important  business  of  lake  navigation 
and  transportation,  and  distinguished  for  his  con- 
spicuous, heroic  and  intrepid  services  in  the  War  of 
1812-15,  was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  "blue  Juni- 
ata," at  Lewistown,  Mifflin  County.  Pennsylvania, 
on  the  da}-  following  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence— July  5,  1776.  In  his  nature  were  combined 
the  physical  hardiness  and  strong  mental  integrity 
which  characterized  the  founders  of  the  Republic, 
and  throughout  his  long,  active  and  useful  life, 
which  terminated  in  1856,  he  remained  a  brilliant 
and  inspiring  example  of  the  sturdy  patriotism  of  its 
early  days.  In  1800,  after  having  borne  during  five 
years  an  active  part  in  the  labor  of  establishing  a 
settlement  at  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  he  proceeded  to 
the  Southern  part  of  the  State  and  married  Miss 
Mary  West,  of  Carlisle,  whom  he  brought  mi  horse- 
back through  the  unbroken  wilderness  from  Wash- 
ington County  to  his  home  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania. 
In  the  same  year  he  began  his  lake  service  as  captain 
and  part  owner  of  the  schooner  Harlequin  and  con- 
tinued in  this  career  with  decided  success  until  the 
opening  of  the  War  of  1812-15,  owning  and  success- 
fully commanding  at  different  times  the  "Good  In- 
tent," "Ranger,"  "Wilkinson"  and  "Salina."  The 
last  named  vessel  under  his  command  was  actively 
engaged  in  transporting  salt  from  Schlosser,  at  the 
head  of  the  "Niagara  Falls  portage"  on  the  upper 
Niagara  River  to  Dunkirk,  Erie,  Cleveland,  San- 
dusky and  other  upper  lake  ports  for  distribution 
1>\  means  of  wagon  portage  to  the  rivers  in  the 
South.  Its  return  cargoes  were  of  skins,  furs,  etc., 
for  the  Hudson  Bay  and  Northwest  Companies,  in 
transit  for  an  eastern  market.  On  July  17,  1812, 
while  lying  at  anchor  at  Mackinaw,  loaded  with 
furs  valued  at  over  two  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
the  "Salina"  was  surprised  and  captured  by  a 
Britisli  fleet  of  gunboats.  At  the  same  time  the  fort 
■on  the  island  surrendered  to  a  superior  force  of 
British  and  Indians.    As  news  of  the  declaration  of 


war  by  Great  Britian  had  not  then  reached  this  sec- 
tion, the  Americans  were  taken  by  surprise  and  un- 
prepared. Captain  Dobbins  refusing  to  accept  parole, 
his  vessel  was  made  a  cartel — her  cargo  having  been 
removed  by  the  British— and  with  the  schooner 
I  "Mary,"  was  despatched  under  his  command  for 
the  Canadian  port  of  Maiden.  In  the  Detroit  River 
both  vessels  were  captured  by  General  Hull,  then  in 
command  of  the  forces  at  Detroit.  When  Hull  sur- 
rendered, August  16,  1812,  they  fell  again  into  the 
hands  of  the  British,  but  during  the  capitulation  and 
aided  by  the  "  mystic  tie  of  Masonry"  Captain  Dob- 
bins managed  to  make  his  escape  in  disguise  to  the 
Canada  side  of  the  river.  After  a  series  of  trying 
adventures — a  price  being  set  upon  his  head  and  the 
Indians  upon  his  trail — he  succeeded  in  making  his 
way  across  the  country  to  the  head  of  Lake  Erie, 
which  he  crossed  in  an  Indian  canoe  to  Sandusky 
Bay.  Proceeding  thence  on  horseback  through  the 
wilderness  to  Cleveland,  he  took  an  open  sail-boat 
and  finally  reached  Erie  in  safety,  where  he  reported 
the  loss  of  Mackinaw  and  Detroit  to  General  Mead, 
by  whom  he  was  at  once  sent  on  horseback  as  bearer 
of  dispatches  to  the  National  Government  at  Wash- 
ington. President  Madison  received  the  intrepid 
messenger  most  cordially,  invited  him  to  join  a  cabi- 
net meeting  at  which  the  question  of  lake  defense 
and  protection  was  discussed,  and  Captain  Dobbins' 
views  and  suggestions  were  requested  and  were  re- 
ceived with  attention.  When  he  left  Washington 
he  bore  with  him  a  commission  as  master  in  the  U. 
8.  Navy  and  was  furnished  with  means  and  charged 
with  the  task  of  beginning  the  construction  of  a  fleet 
for  the  defence  of  the  lakes.  With  the  celerity  of 
movement  which  was  always  one  of  his  leading 
characteristics,  he  returned  to  Erie,  and  began  the 
work  of  felling  with  his  own  hands  the  first  tree  of 
standing  timber  for  building  t lie  fleet.  Securing  the 
services  of  an  old  and  skilled  shipwright,  named 
Ebcnezer  Crosby,  and  engaging  for  the  work  all  the 
wood  and  iron  workers  he  could  find,  he  proceeded 
with  the  task  in  hand  and  had  actually  laid  the  keels 
and  got  in  frame  two  fine  gunboats— the  "Porcu- 
pine "and  "Tigress" — before  relieved  by  the  force 
of  ship  carpenters  from  New  York  and  the  ranking 
naval  officers  sent  to  continue  the  work.  Lieu- 
tenant-Commander (afterwards  Commodore)  Perry 
had  then  arrived  and  was  in  command  at  Erie,  and, 
joining  him,  Captain  Dobbins  took  a  prominent  part 
in  all  the  subsequent  naval  operations  in  that  region, 
rendering  his  gallant  superior  invaluable  services  in 
the  famed  fleet  with  which  he  won  the  battle  of  Lake 
Erie.  In  this  fleet  Captain  Dobbins  had  command 
of  the  fast  sailing  schooner  gunboat  "Ohio."  and 
being  familiar  with  the  navigation  of  the  whole 


88 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


chain  of  lakes,  was  kept  constantly  employed  by 
Perry  in  reconnoitering,  scout,  supply  and  other 
perilous  duty.  While  he  was  away  on  one  of  these 
expeditions,  although  not  beyond  sound  of  the  can- 
nonading, the  memorable  battle  of  Lake  Erie  was 
fought,  September  10,  1813.  In  the  naval  operations 
for  the  reduction  of  Fort  Mackinaw  and  the  British 
Naval  Depot  at  Penetangueshein  in  1814,  prosecuted 
under  Sinclair,  who  succeeded  Perry  in  command  of 
the  American  Meet.  Captain  Dobbins  took  a  promi- 
nent part,  a  portion  of  his  duty  being  the  guidance 
and  piloting  of  the  American  fleet.  During  all  his 
service  Captain  Dobbins  was  distinguished  for  his 
high  sense  of  duty  and  moral  as  well  as  physical 
courage.  His  intrepidity  was  only  equalled  by  his 
patriotism,  which  burned  like  a  pure  name  in  his 
breast,  and  seemed  to  render  him  at  all  times  and 
under  all  circumstances  insensible  to  hardships,  ex- 
posure and  dangers.  When  peace  was  declared  he 
was  permitted  to  hold  his  commission  in  the  D.  S. 
Navy,  and  as  there  was  nothing  left  to  do  in  the 
way  of  public  service  he  re-entered  the  merchant 
marine,  taking  command  of  the  schooner  "  Wash- 
ington "  with  which  he  engaged  in  the  transporta- 
tion of  troops  and  supplies  for  the  armies  of  the 
Western  frontier.  In  181G  he  entered  Green  Bay 
with  his  vessel,  transporting  troops,  arms  and  sup- 
plies for  the  fort  at  the  head  of  the  bay.  His  vessel 
was  the  first  craft  larger  than  an  open  boat  that  had 
ever  entered  the  bay,  and  the  channel  had  to  be 
buoyed  out  in  advance.  The  harbors  and  islands 
found  in  the  bay  were  named  after  the  vessel  and 
offcers  of  the  expedition— "  Washington  Harbor," 
"  Boyer's  Bluff."  "Chambers'  Island,"  "Green 
Island"  and  "Dobbins'  Group,"  the  latter  now 
known  as  Strawberry  Islands.  In  1826  he  resigned 
from  the  navy  and  entered  the  engineer  service  in 
the  construction  of  the  harbor  pier  improvements 
at  Erie.  Pennsylvania,  and  Ashtabula.  Ohio.  In 
1829  President  Jackson  appointed  him  a  captain  in 
the  Revenue  Marine  Service.  For  some  years  he 
commanded  the  Revenue  Cutter  "  Richard  Rush" 
and  later  the  Revenue  Cutter  "Erie"  on  the  Great 
Lakes,  and  "Taney"  on  the  seacoast.  He  retired 
from  active  service  in  1849  and  died  at  Erie,  in  1850. 
aged  eighty-one.  His  widow  survived  him  twenty- 
three  years,  dying  at  Erie,  in  1879,  at  the  ripe  old 
age  of  one  hundred  years.  They  had  ten  children — 
viz:  Elizabeth,  Mary  Anne.  William  West,  Susan 
Jane,  Elenor  Matilda,  Eliza  Matilda,  Stephen  Deca- 
tur, David  Porter,  Leander  and  Marcus  Daniel — of 
whom  Eliza  Matilda  (widow  of  Captain  John  Flee- 
harty)  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  David  Porter,  of  Buf- 
falo, New  York,  and  Leander,  of  Erie,  Pennsylva- 
nia, are  the  only  survivors. 


DOBBINS,  CAPTAIN  DAVID  PORTER,  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Buffalo,  actively  connected  for 
many  years  with  the  Merchant  Marine,  United 
States  Revenue  Marine  and  also  with  the  marine 
insurance  business  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and,  since 
1876.  Superintendent  of  the  Ninth  District  of  the 
United  States  Life-Saving  Service,  and  widely 
known  as  the  inventor  of  the  Dobbins  Life  Boat, 
was  born  at  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  October  29,  1817. 
He  inherited  his  predilection  for  maritime  pursuits 
from  his  father.  Captain  Daniel  Dobbins,  U.S.N, 
whose  biography  precedes  this.  He  was  the  third 
son  of  this  worthy  sire  and  was  educated  at  the 
Erie  Academy.  More  to  please  his  parents  than 
himself  he  engaged  as  an  apprentice  in  the  cabinet 
making  trade,  but,  as  it  soon  became  evident  that 
he  had  no  taste  for  this  calling  and  that  all  his 
youthful  feelings  and  desires  pointed  to  a  career  on 
the  water,  he  was  wisely  permitted  to  enter  his  true 
vocation.  He  received  his  first  lesson  on  ship- 
board on  the  steamer  William  Penn,  commanded 
by  Captain  Wight,  in  1833:  following  on  the 
schooner  T.  W.  Maurice,  the  United  States  revenue 
cutter  "Erie,"  the  schooner  "  Buffalo," commanded 
by  Captain  Asa  E.  Hart,  and  the  brig  "Indiana." 
under  Captain  "Buck"  Burnett.  In  1837  he 
bought  the  schooner  Marie  Antoinette,  built  by  Au- 
gusta Jones  at  Sandusky,  hauled  her  out  at  Erie, 
rebuilt  her  and  changed  her  name  to  "  Nick  Biddle," 
in  honor  of  the  famous  banker  of  Philadelphia.  He 
kept  her  in  active  service  for  several  years,  and 
rinaily  sold  her  in  1840  to  H.  M.  Kinne,  Esq.,  of 
Buffalo.  In  1842,  after  a  year's  absence  from  the 
lakes,  he  took  command  of  the  schooner  Henry 
Norton  at  Cleveland.  In  1843  and  '44  he  com- 
manded the  William  Woodbridge.  In  1845,  '0  and 
'7  he  commanded  the  schooner  Emily,  of  which  he 
was  the  owner  :  and  in  1848  the  steamer  Lexington. 
In  1849  he  was  associated  with  several  others  in 
building  the  steam-propellor  Troy,  and  on  comple- 
tion took  command  and  sailed  her  in  the  Chicago 
trade  until  1851.  Selling  out  his  interest  in  lake 
craft  he  engaged  in  the  marine  insurance  business 
in  Buffalo  in  1852.  and  in  May  in  the  following  year 
moved  his  family  to  that  city,  which  has  re- 
mained his  home  since  that  date.  Besides  his  ex- 
perience on  the  lakes  Captain  Dobbins  has  had 
considerable  experience  at  sea.  it  being  his  custom 
for  several  years  to  ship  for  winter  cruises  to  the 
Gulf  ports  and  the  West  Indies.  From  his  earliest 
years  upon  the  lakes,  Captain  Dobbins  had  not 
only  taken  great  interest  in  rescue  work  and  life- 
saving,  but  had  himself  been  instrumental  in  saving 
many  lives  and  a  vast  amount  of  property  from 
shipwreck,  and  in  connection  with  these  deeds,  as 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


89 


well  as  his  calling,  was  known  from  one  cud  of  the 
lakes  to  the  other.  He  had  been  living  in  Buffalo 
but  a  few  months  when  an  incident  occurred  which 
not  only  proved  the  stuff  he  was  made  of  but  was 
happily  the  means  of  directing  public  attention  to 
the  necessity  for  founding  a  government  life  saving 
service  upon  the  Great  Lakes.  On  the  stormy 
night  of  the  third  of  October,  1853,  the  schooner 
Oneida  was  sunk  off  Point  Abiuo,  Canada.  Vessels 
coming  into  the  port  of  Buffalo  next  morning  re- 
ported that  a  vessel  lay  sunk  to  the  bottom  with  a 
dozen  feet  or  so  of  her  mastheads  out  of  water  off 
Point  Abino,  and  several  men  lashed  thereto.  A  lit- 
tle later  another  vessel  arrived  and  reported  that  but 
three  survivors  were  clinging  to  the  masts.  Later 
still,  another  vessel  came  in  with  the  news  that  only 
one  man  was  clinging  to  the  wreck.  The  incoming 
vessels  had  been  unable  to  go  to  their  relief.  There 
was  great  excitement  in  Buffalo.  In  vain  were 
steamers'  captains  urged  to  put  out  to  the  wreck. 
Finally  Captain  Dobbins  organized  a  volunteer 
crew,  including  Captain  Eugene  Newman,  Cap- 
tain Gunning,  Captain  Glass,  and  other  masters  of 
vessels.  They  loaded  a  "Francis  metallic"  life-boat 
on  wheels,  and  with  four  horses  hauled  it  to  the 
Black  Rock  Ferry,  crossed  the  Niagara,  and  then 
landed  on  the  Canada  side,  when  a  rough  and  fa- 
tiguing twelve  mile  tramp  was  made  along  the 
shore  to  Point  Abino.  The  wreck  was  some  miles 
off  shore,  the  weather  exceeding]}-  boisterous  and 
surf  and  sea  fearfully  heavy.  The  boat  was 
launched,  with  great  difficulty,  and  after  a  hard 
pull  reached  the  sunken  wreck  through  great  peril, 
and  rescued  and  returned  to  shore  again  with  one 
half-dead  survivor.  A  night  was  spent  at  Point 
Abino  for  rest.  So  heavy  was  the  work  of  hauling 
the  boat  along  shore  that  two  horses  were  killed. 
The  citizens  of  Buffalo  presented  to  Captain  Dob- 
bins and  each  of  his  comrades  a  valuable  gold 
watch,  suitably  engraved.  In  I860  Captain  Dobbins 
again  distinguished  himself  by  the  rescue  of  the 
crew  of  the  schooner  Comet,  ashore  near  Buffalo. 
He  saved  the  crew,  but  the  Government  Francis' 
metallic  life-boat  which  he  was  bondsman  for  and 
used  for  the  first  time  was  dashed  to  pieces.  The 
American  life  saving  service,  which  had  its  origin 
in  the  labors  of  the  Massachusetts  Humane  Society, 
founded  in  1T8G,  made  but  slow  progress  until  1848. 
when  the  Hon.  William  A.  Newell,  of  New  Jersey, 
secured  an  appropriation  of  #10,000  from  Congress 
"  for  providing  surf  boats  and  other  appliances  for 
the  protection  of  life  and  property  from  shipwreck 
ou  the  coast  between  Sandy  Hook  and  Little  Egg 
Harbor,  New  Jersey."  At  the  next  session  of  Con- 
gress a  still  larger  appropriation  was  obtained,  and 


from  time  to  time  subsequently,  additional  appro- 
priations, including  those  for  forty-eight  Francis 
metallic  life-boats  furnished  to  bonded  volunteer 
crews  on  the  Great  Lakes  in  1854  and  1855,  but  not 
until  1871  was  any  attempt  made  to  organize  a  paid 
service  with  well-drilled  and  disciplined  crews.  In 
187G,  the  regular  service  having  been  extended  to 
the  lakes,  Captain  Dobbins  was  commissioned 
Superintendent  of  the  Ninth  District  of  the  United 
States  Life  Saving  Service,  comprising  the  coasts  of 
Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario,  and  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio 
River  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  along  which  have 
been  established  ten  first  class  life  saving  stations. 
To  this  most  congenial  service  the  Captain  has  ever 
since  devoted  himself  heart  and  soul.  From  first 
to  last  his  experiences  on  the  water  have  been  truly 
remarkable,  and  include  the  most  thrilling  and  dan- 
gerous situations  in  which  a  boat  or  crew  could 
possibly  be  placed,  both  in  storm  and  calm.  On 
more  than  one  occasion  his  boat  has  been  swamped, 
capsized  or  suffered  other  disaster,  and  he  picked  up 
for  dead.  While  in  the  marine  insurance  business 
Captain  Dobbins  competed  on  the  Erie  Canal  for  the 
one  hundred  thousand  dollar  prize  offered  by  the 
State  of  New  York  in  1875  for  the  best  steam  canal 
boat.  The  steamer  "  William  Newman"  entered  by 
him,  lost  the  first  prize  in  the  contest  "through  the 
fraudulent  trick  of  pickling  her  coal  with  brine, 
played  by  some  of  the  competitors.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  he  was  awarded  the  second  prize  and  made 
the  passage  through  the  canal  from  Albany  to  Buf- 
falo in  the  \mprecedented  and  so  far  unequaled 
time  of  four  days.  Subsequent  to  this  the  Captain 
served  a  period  of  two  years  as  Superintendent  and 
Manager  of  the  Baxter  Steam  Canal  Boat  Company, 
which  maintained  a  line  of  sixteen  steamers  be- 
tween New  York  and  Buffalo.  At  an  early  period 
in  his  life-saving  career  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  improvement  of  life-boats  and  other  life-saving 
appliances,  and  after  many  years  of  patient  study 
and  experience  produced  what  is  known  as  the 
"  Dobbins  self-righting,  self-bailing,  aud  insubmer- 
gible  life-boat,"  for  ship  and  shore  use.  Strongly 
built,  weighing  only  from  ten  to  fifteen  hundred 
pounds,  it  can  be  carried  with  ease  on  a  suitable 
transport  launchiug-wagon  along  the  shore,  and 
launched  through  the  heaviest  surf  with  certainty 
and  perfect  security.  If  swung  at  a  ship's  davits  it 
may  be  dropped  into  the  sea  in  safety  by  suitable 
detaching  apparatus,  with  a  full  complement  of 
passengers  and  crew  on  board :  or  in  cases  of  sud- 
den emergency,  it  can  be  pitched  from  the  deck 
without  the  aid  of  davits  or  tackle,  and  being  self- 
righting,  self-bailing  and  insubmergible,  will  at  once 
emerge  ready  to  carry  out  of  danger  thirty  or  forty 


go 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOQRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


people,  or  even  in  an  exigency  sustain  for  the  time 
being  at  least  one  hundred  persons.  One  of  its 
marked  advantages  over  all  other  life-boats  is  that 
it  cannot  be  injuriously  stove  below  the  water  line, 
the  hold  being  completely  filled  with  waterproof 
sheets  of  cork,  set  either  vertically  or  horizontally, 
tree-nailed  together,  and  fastened  to  the  hull,  form- 
ing a  continuous  solid  mass.  As  there  are  practi- 
cally no  spaces  or  interstices  of  any  kind  in  this 
mass  of  buoyant  ballast,  the  boat  cannot  fill  with 
water,  swamp  or  founder.  Even  were  the  outer 
sheathing  of  plank  to  be  torn  completely  away,  the 
buoyant  ballast  within,  rivetted  together  and  to  the 
hull,  as  it  is,  would  still  form  a  life  buoy,  of  but  lit- 
tle less  carrying  capacity  than  the  hull  alone. 
Commissions,  officers  and  experts,  American  and 
foreign,  have  repeatedly  examined  and  tested  the 
Dobbins  life-boat,  and  the  general  opinion  is  that  it  j 
is  the  most  perfect  life-boat  attainable.  As  the  of- 
ficial head  of  his  District  in  the  Life  Saving  Service 
Captain  Dobbins  is  a  thorough  officer.  Under-  , 
standing  well  the  requirements  of  those  competent  i 
for  duty  in  this  most  important  branch  of  govern- 
ment  work,  he  tolerates  none  in  his  department 
save  he  be  up  to  the  full  demands  of  his  place.  lie 
is  as  fearless  in  the  expression  of  his  honest  opinion 
as  he  is  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties. 
Aside  from  the  stern  demands  of  duty  he  is  a  kind- 
hearted  man,  generous  and  genial  by  nature,  and 
neyer  happier  than  when  engaged  in  some  good 
work.  Since  he  has  become  a  resident  of  Buffalo 
that  city  has  developed  into  one  of  the  leading 
communities  of  this  State,  and  ranks  next  to  Chi- 
cago as  the  most  important  shipping  point  for 
grain,  coal.  &c,  on  the  Great  Lakes.  Captain  Dob- 
bins' strong  personality  is  a  potent  force  in  many 
directions,  and  is  always  thrown  on  the  side  of 
right  and  justice  and  in  favor  of  whatever  tends  to 
the  general  welfare.  The  Captain  has  long  been  an 
active  member,  vestryman  and  now  warden  of 
Trinity  Episcopal  Church  of  Buffalo.  He  is  like- 
wise a  lifelong  member  of  Hiram  Lodge,  F.  «fc  A.M. 
and  a  life  member  of  the  Young  Men's  Association, 
now  the  Buffalo  Library  Association,  Buffalo  His- 
torical Society,*  Buffalo  Fine  Arts  Academy  and 
Buffalo  Society  of  Natural  Sciences.  For  some 
years  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  Mechanics  Insti- 
tute and  the  Buffalo  Board  of  Trade.  In  1840  he 
married  Miss  Mary  Richards,  eldest  daughter  of  the 
late  Captain  John  Richards  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania, 
a  prominent  shipbuilder  and  one  of  those  that  built 
Perry's  fleet.  This  estimable  lady  died  in  1855. 
He  has  two  children  :  a  son,  John  R.  Dobbins,  who 
served  with  distinction  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Sixteenth  Regiment.  New  York  Volunteers,  during 


the  late  Civil  War  ;  and  now  a  prominent  "  citrous" 
fruit-grower  in  San  Gabriel,  Southern  California ; 
and  an  accomplished  and  esteemed  daughter,  Anna, 
now  Mrs.  James  P.  White,  whose  husband  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Prof.  James  P,  White,  M.D.,  of  Buffalo, 
New  York.  The  latter  with  her  husband  and  family 
(two  sons)  reside  in  the  old  homestead  of  Dr. 
White,  where  Captain  Dobbins  finds  a  tender,  cor- 
dial and  welcome  home  for  the  balance  of  his  well 
spent  life. 


There  has  been  much  discussion,  and  great  interest  has 
been  manifested  by  historians  regarding  the  derivation  of 
the  name  "  Buffalo '  as  it  is  applied  to  that  city,  now  one  of 
the  great  centers  in  commerce,  population  aud  wealth  of  the 
l  uited  States.  While  the  controversy  has  opened  considera- 
ble discussion,  the  light  thrown  upon  the  facts  of  the  case 
seem  to  entitle  Captain  Dobbins  to  being  the  nearest  to  the 
tr  e  facts  in  the  details  which  he  has  acquired  as  an  actual 
result  of  the  personal  experiences  of  his  father.  In  1792,  or 
so  near  to  that  date  that  the  difference  is  immaterial,  a 
"  renegade  "  Indian,  the  son  of  a  daughter  of  a  chief  of  one  of 
the  Western  tribes,  through  an  alliance  with  a  foreign  officer, 
being  forced  to  leave  his  people,  wandered  eastward,  osten- 
sibly to  affiliate  with  the  white  race,  and  Anally  settled  at  a 
ford  on  a  large  creek,  emptying  Into  Lake  Erie  on  the  present 
site  of  the  City  of  Buffalo,  for  the  very  simple  reason  that  fish- 
ing, trapping  and  hunting  were  exceedingly  good  there  and 
travelers  westward  forded  the  creek  at  this  point.  He  had  been 
given  the  name  of  ■*  Buffalo,"  after  the  custom  of  his  people  in 
consideration  of  the  droves  of  these  animals  that  covered  hia 
native  plains.  He  built  his  hut  on  the  ceek,  which  now  di- 
vides the  city  into  two  unequal  parts,  and  forms  a  harbor  for 
its  commerce.  Naturally  this  stream  came  to  be  known  as 
"  Buffalo's  Creek,''  by  those  who  knew  the  only  settler  there- 
on as  "  Buffalo  "  The  name,  so  well  established  on  the  creek, 
then  descended  to  the  city  on  the  site  of  Buffalo's  camp,  and 
the  fact  that  the  buffalo  or  bison  of  the  plains  was  never  seen 
in  this  territory,  would  seem  to  demonstrate  beyond  question 
the  truth  of  Captain  Bobbins'  claim,  that  the  City  of  Buffalo 
was  named  from  "Buffalo's  Creek,"  and  that  from  the  abo- 
rigine who  gave  it  his  quondam  name. 


SOTMAN,  PETER,  President  of  the  Niagara  Fire 
Insurance  Company  of  New  York,  and  well 
and  widely  known  for  nearly  half  a  century  as 
an  able  underwriter,  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land, August  14,  1820.  The  name,  "  Nothman,"  in- 
dicates Scandinavian  descent,  while  the  "noth" — 
needj' — suggests  the  poverty  which,  in  genealogical 
euphemism,  is  supposed  to  be  synonjmous  with 
honesty.  For  most  of  his  schooling  he  is  indebted 
to  the  far-famed  city  of  his  birth,  where  the  years 
of  his  childhood  were  spent,  amid  educational  in- 
fluences derived  rather  from  a  well  developed  pref- 
erence for  the  best  writers  and  speakers  than  from 
direct  instruction :  nor  has  he  at  any  time  wholly 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


99 


quently  been  offered  political  advancement,  which 
he  lias  uniformly  declined.  He  has  always  taken  an 
interest  in  the  science  of  Medical  Jurisprudence, 
and  has  written  several  papers  which  have  been 
published  in  the  transactions  of  that  Society  in 
New  York.  Among  his  friends  are  many  prominent 
members  of  the  medical  profession.  In  his  early- 
cases  at  the  bar  he  was  retained  by  a  prominent 
doctor  to  defend  two  very  important  cases  of  alleged 
malpractice.  He  was  successful  in  both.  Had  he 
been  defeated  it  would  have  been  his  client's  ruin. 
His  success  brought  him  many  other  cases.  It  is 
said  that  he  never  brought  an  action  against  a  doc- 
tor for  malpractice  and  that  he  never  lost  a  case  of 
that  kind  that  he  defended.  During  the  last  six  years 
of  Mr.  Henry  J.  Raymond's  life  Mr.  Hull  had  charge 
of  all  the  libel  cases  brought  against  Mr.  Raymond's 
paper — which  were  numerous  at  that  time,  particu- 
larly during  the  stormy  times  of  the  Rebellion — in 
none  of  which  was  he  ever  defeated.  He  has  bad 
charge  of  the  legal  business  of  the  American  Agri- 
culturist. That  paper  is  frequently  sued  for  libel, 
in  which  large  damages  have  been  claimed,  by  rea- 
son of  its  exposure  of  humbugs,  frauds  and  quack 
medicines.  The  proprietors  make  it  a  rule  to  defend 
all  such  cases  and  Mr  Hull  has  always  been  successful 
in  defending  those  actions.  A  report  of  his  argu- 
ment in  one  of  those  cases,  a  very  amusing  one,  is 
reported  under  the  title  Byrn  vs.  Judd.  2  Abbott's 
Practice  Reports  (new  series)  390 — See  also  Rich- 
ards vs.  Judd,  15  Abbott's  Pr.  N.  S.  184.  The  bound 
volumes  containing  some  of  his  briefs  and  pleadings 
and  papers  in  the  numerous  cases  in  which  he  has  been 
engaged  at  the  General  Terms  of  the  Court,  and  in  the 
Court  of  Appeals,  exceed  twenty.  He  has  been  a  fre- 
quent contributor  to  the  press  on  local,  educational 
and  political  questions,  and  also  on  subjects  connected 
with  his  profession.  Mr.  Hull  is  President  of  the 
Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence  and  State  Medicine, 
the  objects  of  which  are  the  investigation,  study 
and  advancement  of  the  Science  of  Medical  Juris- 
prudence and  State  Medicine,  and  the  attainment  of 
a  higher  standard  of  Medical  Expert  Testimony. 
He  is  also  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Rutgers  Female  College.  Mr.  Hull's  estimable  wife 
is  living  and  in  good  health.  Of  the  four  children 
born  to  them,  one  son,  Charlie,  died  unmarried  in 
1874.  Their  other  children  are:  Herbert  G.  Hull, 
lawyer  of  New  York  City,  married  and  has  two 
daughters;  Nellie  Hull,  married  A.  J.  Foster,  a 
prominent  leather  merchant  and  banker  of  Boston, 
and  has  four  daughters  ;  Carrie  Hull,  married  J.  W. 
Harbison,  merchant  of  Duluth,  Minn.,  and  has  three 
children  :  two  sons  and  one  daughter.  Hence  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hull  have  nine  grandchildren. 


IOW,  HON.  SETH,  LL.D.  President  of  Columbia 
College,  New  York,  and  ex-Mayor  of  Brooklyn, 
was  born  in  the  latter  city,  January  18,  1850. 
His  early  studies  were  conducted  at  the  Juvenile- 
High  School  and  the  Polytechnic  Institute  in  his 
native  city,  and  he  then  entered  Columbia  College, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1870,  the  first  of  his 
class,  though  he  was  theu  but  twenty  years  of  age. 
His  graduation  was  followed  by  a  short  trip  abroad  ; 
and  on  his  return  he  was  made  a  clerk  in  a  well 
known  mercantile  bouse,  conducted  by  bis  father 
and  uncles  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  A.  Low  & 
Brothers,  and  in  1875  he  was  made  a  partner  in  the 
house.  Subsequently,  on  the  retirement  of  the  older 
members  of  the  firm,  Mr.  Low  took  a  leading  part 
in  its  affairs.  The  house  at  this  time  was  still,  as  it 
had  been  for  many  years,  one  of  the  most  important 
and  largest  in  the  world  engaged  in  the  importation 
of  teas  from  China.  It  required,  consequently, 
large  business  attainments  to  conduct  its  affairs  sys- 
tematically and  successfully,  although  with  the 
changes  in  the  conduct  of  business  the  house  gradu- 
ally lessened  its  operations.  Mr.  Low  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  served  on  some  of  its  most  important  commit- 
tees. He  was  also  the  first  President  of  the  Brook- 
lyn Bureau  of  Charities,  and  was  officially  or  other- 
wise associated  with  numerous  other  philanthropic 
or  reform  movements  in  that  city.  At  the  same 
time  he  was  actiVe  and  influential  in  church  and 
Sunday-school  work.  His  habits  of  systematic 
study,  which  had  so  rapidly  advanced  him  to  the 
highest  position  in  college,  aDd  his  love  of  books 
and  learning,  continued  after  he  entered  into  a  more 
active  life.  He  continued  to  be  a  hard  student,  and 
during  those  busy  years  as  clerk  and  merchant, 
while  he  displayed  a  reasonable  regard  for  the 
claims  of  society,  in  which  he  was  ever  welcome,  he 
preferred  to  occupy  his  evenings  in  reviewing  his 
favorite  authors,  in  reading  the  standard  writers  in 
general  literature,  and  in  mastering  the  great  practi- 
cal problems  relating  to  political  economy,  com- 
merce, finance,  civil  government  and  service,  and 
municipal  government;  particularly,  he  devoted 
himself  to  a  thorough  examination  and  study  of  the 
political,  educational  and  charitable  organizations 
and  affairs  of  Brooklyn,  thus  laying  deep  and  strong 
the  foundations  of  his  great  future  usefulness  to  that 
city.  It  followed  that  when  in  time  he  began  to 
come  more  prominently  before  the  public  as  a 
speaker  in  meetings  called  in  the  interest  of  such 
subjects  as  have  been  mentioned,  all  his  associates 
were  astonished  at  the  scope  and  accuracy  of  his 
knowledge  concerning  every  subject  he  treated  ; 
the  singular  ease  and  familiarity  with  which  these 


IOO 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


were  handled  by  him  ;  and  not  the  less  at  his  mature 
and  lucid  thought,  and  his  calm,  wise,  convincing 
and  very  winning  way  of  carrying  his  point.  As  an 
orator  his  style  was  simple,  natural  and  manly,  and 
very  effective.  At  public  meetings,  or  other  such 
occasions,  he  at  once  established  pleasant  relatious 
between  himself  and  his  auditors,  making  by  his 
justness  in  argument  and  the  manner  of  it,  many 
friends  and  few  enemies.  It  is  told  of  him  that  one 
of  his  earlier  and  more  brilliant  public  triumphs  was 
wou  at  the  important  National  Export  Trade  Con- 
vention, held  in  Washington,  February  20,  1878. 
Here  were  gathered  together  a  remarkable  assem- 
blage of  the  most  prominent  merchants  and  public 
officials  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  New  York, 
as  it  happened,  was  represented  by  Mr.  Low,  who 
was  then  only  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  Although 
seeming  a  mere  stripling  in  the  midst  of  such  an 
array  of  older  and  far  more  distinguished  men,  he 
took  part  in  the  proceedings  and  made  an  address 
on  the  carrying  trade  of  the  United  States  which 
was  so  instructive  and  so  altogether  admirable  in 
matter  and  delivery  that  it  held  the  attention  of  all 
present,  and  was  rewarded  with  the  loud  and  long- 
continued  applause  of  the  members  and  of  the  num- 
erous Congressmen  and  statesmen  who  were  present 
to  listen  to  the  debates.  Throughout  the  country 
the  leading  papers  very  generally  contained  enthu- 
siastic mention  of  this  speech  and  of  its  reception, 
through  their  Washington  correspondents.  In  1881 
Mr.  Low  came  prominently  before  the  community 
of  Brooklyn  as  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  and 
the  recently  organized  Citizens'  parties  for  Mayor  of 
the  city  of  Brooklyn.  He  was  now  in  his  thirty- 
second  year,  and  thoroughly  versed  in  political 
affairs,  an  acute  judge  of  men  and  an  apt  dialecti- 
cian. He  inaugurated  a  remarkably  vigorous  per- 
sonal campaign,  in  which  he  pledged  himself  to 
practical  reformatory  measures  and  to  an  adminis- 
tration which  should  be  conducted  on  business 
principles.  The  situation  in  Brooklyn  at  this  time 
was  that  which  has  been  experienced  by  so  many 
of  the  cities  in  this  country — peculiarly  New  York — 
in  which  partisan  power  has  succeeded  through 
corruption  in  obtaining  the  reins  of  government, 
and  in  holding  them  until  general  misrule  has  arous- 
ed the  communitj-  to  definite  aggressive  action.  Liv- 
ing in  the  midst  of  a  Democratic  stronghold,  Mr. 
Low,  with  his  Young  Men's  Republican  Club,  may 
be  said  to  have  achieved  a  political  miracle.  He 
overcame  the  Tilden  presidential  majority  of  nearly 
20,000,  and  the  Hancock  majority  of  nearly  9,300, 
and  won  his  election  in  November  with  nearly 
•r),000  votes  to  spare.  Brooklyn  has  never  known 
another  municipal  campaign  so  interesting  and  ex- 


citing as  that  was.  There  were  wards  of  the  city  in 
which  none  but  Democratic  speakers  ever  ventured 
to  hold  forth  in  the  political  meetings  at  such  times. 
Mr.  Low,  accompanied  by  his  gallant  friend  and 
supporter,  General  Woodward,  who  had  been 
known  as  an  old-line  Democrat,  made  the  venture. 
Mr.  Low  passed  through  the  roughest  crowds  in  the 
most  forbidding  places  all  unharmed,  and  as  soon 
as  he  gained  the  opportunity,  riveted  and  held  the 
attention  of  those  who  may  have  come  for  mischief, 
but  who  listened  to  him  with  respect  and  admiration. 
During  his  term  of  office  Mr.  Low  faithfully  ad- 
hered to  the  promises  which  he  had  made  to  his  fel- 
low citizens  ;  maintained  a  vigilant  watch  of  all  the 
legislation  in  Albany  affecting  the  interests  of 
Brooklyn ;  and  exacted  from  every  employee  of  the 
municipal  government  the  strictest  attention  to 
official  duty.  As  a  result  of  his  admirable  adminis- 
tration the  young  Mayor  was  honored  with  a  re-elec- 
tion in  November,  1883,  and  served  throughout  his 
second  term  with  the  same  constant  personal  super- 
vision of  details  in  every  department,  and  the  same 
public  spirit  and  earnest  patriotism  which  had  so 
creditably  characterized  his  first  term.  Mr.  Low 
carried  into  the  Mayor's  office  many  of  his  counting- 
room  methods:  and  if  he  had  any  ambition  more 
than  to  have  the  city  government  administered  hon- 
estly, expeditiously  and  efficiently,  no  one  ever  found 
it  out.  On  one  occasion  he  took  the  unheard-of 
step  of  hiring  a  hall,  at  his  own  expense,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  telling  his  fellow  citizens  what  he  had  done 
and  what  he  had  tried  to  do  in  his  official  capacity. 
His  first  election  having  been  the  result  of  public  dis- 
gust at  the  official  corruption,  to  which  both  parties 
had  contributed  with  all  their  might,  he  owed  his 
second  election  to  the  fact  of  his  having  adminis- 
tered affairs  in  a  manner  which  exhibited  the  broad- 
est contrast  with  the  methods  previously  in  vogue. 
At  a  grand  mass  meeting,  held  on  the  evening  of  the 
day  of  Mr.  Low's  renomination,  there  appeared  sev- 
eral thousand  solid  citizens  who  did  not  go  home 
until  most  of  them  had  pledged  themselves  to  per- 
sonal work  for  their  candidate  by  means  of  house  to 
house  visitation.  As  the  period  of  Mr.  Low's  retire- 
ment from  the  office  which  he  had  so  well  adminis- 
tered, during  the  four  years  for  which  he  had  been 
elected,  drew  to  a  close,  about  eighty  gentlemen 
gathered  one  evening  in  the  banquet  rooms  over 
Wilson's  restaurant,  in  Brooklyn,  to  take  part  in  the 
anniversary  dinner  of  the  Philomathian  Society. 
Mayor  Low  was  present,  and  spoke  in  response  to 
the  toast  of  "  Our  Young  Men."  As  was  always  the 
case  when  he  spoke  in  public,  he  was  cheered  and 
applauded  with  enthusiasm:  and  as  he  resumed  his 
seat,  Mr.  Thomas  E.  Crossman  took  the  floor  and 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


lOI 


read  amid  frequent  prolonged  demonstrations  of 
approval  tlie  following  letter,  to  which  were  at- 
tached the  signatures  of  one  hundred  representative 
young  men  of  Brooklyn. 

"Mr.  Mayor  : — Of  the  widespread  interest  directed 
toward  the  administration,  which  the  dawn  of 
another  day  will  bring  to  a  successful  close,  not  a 
small  portion  has  been  manifested  by  the  young- 
men  of  Brooklyn  who  cannot  forget  your  recent  as- 
cension from  their  ranks,  and  who  therefore  have 
felt  a  pardonable  pride  in  the  auspicious  manner  in 
which  the  duties  voluntarily  accepted  by  you  have 
been  performed  during  your  two  successive  terms 
of  office.  And  as  representatives  of  a  far  greater 
constituency,  we  have  desired,  that  upon  the  eve  of 
your  retirement  from  office,  to  publicly  extend  to 
you  our  sincere  congratulations  upon  the  success 
achieved  by  you  in  your  capacity  as  Mayor,  and  the 
material  aid  rendered  by  you  in  making  the  name  of 
Brooklyn  synonymous  with  purity  of  municipal 
affairs  and  freedom  from  the  trammels  of  partisan 
politics.  The  opportunity  is  not  afforded  every 
young  man  to  achieve  the  high  reputation  which 
has  been  earned  by  you,  but  we  were  fortunate  in- 
deed that  the  selection  should  have  fallen  upon  one 
so  conscientious  in  the  performance  of  his  trust,  and 
possessed  of  such  wise  judgment  and  unerring  fore- 
sight. Young  manhood  has  received  from  your 
brief  career  one  of  its  brightest  laurels,  and  as  the 
voice  of  a  grateful  and  appreciative  people  shall 
elevate  you  to  still  higher  positions  of  trust,  we  shall 
feel  an  individual  pleasure  and  pride  in  the  knowl- 
edge that  it  was  from  the  ranks  of  the  youinj  men 
of  Brooklyn  that  you  entered  upon  a  career  which 
had  its  commencement  among  them,  and  which  will 
yet  find  a  fittting  close  in  the  highest  position  in  the 
power  of  the  people  to  bestow  upon  a  faithful  ser- 
vant." 

Those  four  memorable  years  of  service  as  Mayor 
made  the  name  of  Seth  Low  known  and  admired 
not  only  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  his 
own  land  but  also  in  trans-atlantic  countries;  and 
when,  after  laying  aside  his  official  cares,  Mr.  Low 
went  abroad  and  traveled  through  Europe,,  he  was 
everywhere  honored  with  marked  civilities  and  at- 
tentions for  his  own  great  personal  merits  and 
accomplishments,  but  more  especially  for  the  signal- 
service  which  it  was  recognized  he  had  done  in  the 
cause  of  home  rule  and  sound  municipal  govern- 
ment. Mr.  Low's  more  important  speeches  and  ad. 
dresses  include  his  "  Problem  of  Municipal  Govern, 
meut  in  the  United  States,"  treatises  on  tariff  reform 
and  civil  service,  and  addresses  and  orations  before 
clubs,  associations,  and  political  and  religious  bodies. 
They  all  dwell  upon  living  questions  of  the  day  and 
are  in  the  direction  of  the  better  tendencies  of  the 
time  and  full  of  vital  matter.  Not  less  are  they 
packed  with  thought  and  truth,  and  keen  and  cogent 
in  argument,  than  they  are  remarkable  for  their 
simplicity,  purity  and  beauty  of  style.  The  domes- 
tic and  social  life  of  Mr.  Low  has  ever  been  marked 
by  a  rare  and  beautiful  simplicity  of  demeanor. 


His  spacious  mansion,  handsomely  furnished  and 
abounding  with  books,  works  of  art  and  ornaments 
which  tell  largely  of  his  repeated  journeys  abroad, 
is  open  with  genuine  hospitality  to  welcome  and  en- 
tertain visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  In 
April,  1889,  Rev.  F.  A.  P.  Barnard,  S.T.D.,  President 
of  Columbia  College,  New  York,  died;  and  during  the 
summer  much  curiosity  was  expressed  as  to  the 
probable  selection  of  his  successor.  Prof.  James 
Russell  Lowell  was  one  of  those  whose  names  were 
mentioned  for  this  office,  and  it  was  generally  sup- 
posed that  the  person  chosen  would  be  one  eminent 
in  literature  and  scholastic  learning.  Considerable 
surprise  was  therefore  felt,  when  on  the  afternoon  of 
October  7,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of-  the  col- 
lege. Mr.  Low  was  elected  to  the  Presidency. 
Nearly  the  full  Board  was  present,  including  Stephen 
P.  Nash,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Morgan  Dix,  Bishop  Henry 
C.  Potter,  William  C.  Schermerhorn,  Prof.  Henry 
Drisler,  Hon.  Hamilton  Fish,  Justice  Blatchford  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  Charles  E. 
Silliman,  Frederick  A.  Schermerhorn,  Edward  Mit- 
chell, W.  Bayard  Cutting,  Talbot  W.  Chambers, 
George  L.  Peabody  and  Charles  M.  Dacosta.  How- 
ever much  surprise  there  may  have  been  manifested 
at  this  selection,  it  was  followed  by  an  immediate 
justification  on  the  part  of  the  general  public,  and 
as  well  of  prominent  professional  men  throughout 
the  country,  as  a  selection  in  the  direct  line  of 
modern  ideas  with  regard  to  the  management  of 
public  institutions  of  whatever  kind.  It  was  recog- 
nized that  while  Mr.  Low  possessed  only  such 
scholarship  as  belongs  to  every  well-educated  man, 
he  was  a  broad-minded  man  of  the  wr orld,  skilled  in 
administration  and  appreciative  of  any  offered  ad- 
vantage in  the  matter  of  education.  He  knew  how 
to  govern  men,  how  to  arouse  in  them  the  worthiest 
ambitious,  and  how  to  obtain  from  them  honest 
work.  It  was  recognized  that  he  would  govern  the 
great  institution  over  which  he  was  called  to  pre- 
side, with  the  trained  intelligence  and  enlightened 
judgment  of  a  practical  man  of  affairs.  It  was  also 
believed  that  he  would  infuse  into  the  work  of  the 
college  that  enthusiasm  of  youth  so  often  and  so 
lamentably  lacking  in  the  administration  of  our  in- 
stitutions of  learning.  Indeed  the  remark  was  pub- 
licly made  that  Mr.  Low's  appointment  was  the 
most  important  step  forward  in  American  collegiate 
education  which  had  been  taken  since  President 
Eliot  was  appointed  to  Harvard  University.  In 
speaking  of  the  appointment  Mr.  Joseph  W.  Har- 
per, of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Columbia  College, 
said  :  "  Mr.  Low  is  a  man  of  fine  scholastic  tastes; 
popular,  possessing  great  firmness  and  discretion, 
and  in  thorough  sympathy  with  the  educational 


102 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


systems  of  the  times:  he  lias  another  great  advan- 
tage in  that  he  possesses  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  business  affairs  of  the  college— a  knowlege 
gained  by  his  eight  years'  service  as  a  Trustee." 
In  fact  the  election  of  Mr.  Low  gave  entire  satisfac- 
tion to  the  trustees,  the  alumni  and  the  students  of 
the  institution.  During  the  Episcopal  Triennial  Con- 
vention, held  in  St.  George's  Church,  New  York,  in 
October,  1889,  this  being  also  the  centennial  of  the 
denomination  in  America,  and  to  which  Mr.  Low 
was  a  delegate,  he  delivered  an  address  before  the 
missionary  meeting  held  at  the  Academy  of  Music, 
besides  taking  part  in  its  deliberations.  The  degree 
of  LL.D.,  was  conferred  upon  Mr.  Low  by  the  Trus- 
tees of  Amherst  College,  Mass.,  in  November.  188!). 
Mr.  Low  was  named  after  his  grandfather,  Mr.  Seth 
Low,  a  man  greatly  esteemed  and  beloved,  formerly 
of  Salem.  Massachusetts,  and  afterwards  of  Brooklyn. 
His  grandmother  was  Mary  Porter,  born  in  Tops- 
field.  Massachusetts.  In  honor  of  the  birthplace  of 
his  grandmother,  Mr.  Low's  father,  Mr.  A.  A.  Low, 
a  few  years  since,  bought  the  valuable  library  of  the 
late  Rev.  Mr.  McLeod  of  that  town,  and  presented 
it  as  an  addition  to  the  village  library,  the  gift  being 
known  as  the ''Low  Department."  Near  by  is  the 
still  well  preserved  and  pleasantly  situated  house  in 
which  the  venerated  Mrs.  Seth  Low,  the  elder,  first 
saw  the  light,  and  which  latterly  has  been  given  to 
the  Episcopalians  as  a  home  for  orphan  children. 


CORNELL,  JOHN  BLACK,  philanthropist,  found- 
er of  the  great  iron  manufacturing  house  of 
J.  B.  &  J.  M.  Cornell  of  New  York  city,  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  the  architectural  employment  of 
iron,  and  a  distinguished  layman  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  was  born  at  Far  Rockaway, 
Long  Island,  New  York,  February  7, 1821,  and  died 
at  Lakewood,  New  Jersey,  October  26,  1887.  A 
careful  study  of  reliable  records  leads  to  the  infer- 
ence that  he  was  a  descendant  of  Richard  Cornell 
of  London,  whose  will  bears  date,  lo85.  Thomas 
Cornell,  probably  a  son  or  grandson  of  this  Rich- 
ard, came  to  America  in  1636.  He  spent  a  year  or 
two  in  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  where  he  owned 
land  at  Braintree,  afterwards  removed  to  Rhode  Is- 
land, and  in  1642  to  New-  Amsterdam,  being  one  of 
the  numerous  English  settlers  of  Flushing  and  ad- 
jacent towns  on  the  Long  Island  shore.  He  was 
one  of  a  company  which  received  from  Governor 
Kieft  a  "grant  of  land  on  Long  Island  upon  which 
houses  were  built  in  1643.  This  property  came  to 
be  known  as  Throgg's  Neck,  probably  after  Throck- 
morton, one  of  the  leaders  of  the  company.  In  1646 


Thomas  Cornell  received  a  personal  grant  of  land 
from  the  Governor,  consisting  of  the  strip  between 
the  Bronx  and  East  Rivers,  which  was  afterwards 
called  Cornell's  Neck.  This  last  property  passed 
to  his  daughter,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Willett,  and 
having  remained  in  the  family  ever  since,  is  now 
known  as  Willett's  Neck  or  Point.  Thomas  Cornell 
is  the  common  ancestor  of  all  of  that  name  who 
trace  their  origin  to  a  Long  Island  source.  From 
Samuel,  one  of  his  sons,  descends  Ezra  Cornell, 
founder  of  Cornell  Uuiversity,  and  his  son  Alonzo 
B.  Cornell,  who  became  Governor  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  From  John,  another  son,  descended 
Thomas  Cornell,  of  Rondout,  one  of  the  early 
"steamboat  kings"  of  the  Hudson  River  and  at  one 
time  a  member  of  Congress.  From  Rebecca,  one 
of  his  daughters,  who  married  George  Woolsey,  in 
1647,  descends  Ex-President  Woolsey  of  Yale  Col- 
lege. From  Sarah,  another  daughter,  also  married 
Thomas  Willett,  descended  Colonel  Marinus  Wil- 
lett, of  Revolutionary  fame.  Richard,  his  eldest 
son,  was  one  of  the  most  influential  residents  of 
Flushing  during  the  latter  years  of  the  old  Dutch 
Government  which — as  is  well  known — exercised 
jurisdiction  over  Long  Island.  He  was  one  of  the 
two  deputies  elected  by  the  inhabitants  of  that 
town  to  a  Convention  called  by  Colonel  Nicoll,  the 
first  English  Governor  of  New  York,  in  February, 
1665,  "  to  pass  laws  and  ordinances  to  effect  a  uni- 
form mode  of  administering  justice  in  the  planta- 
tions of  Long  Island."  He  w-as  one  of  the  patentees 
of  the  town  of  Flushing  under  the  English  Govern- 
ment, and  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace — 
one  of  great  dignity  in  those  early  days.  In  1684 
he  was  associated  with  Thomas  Willett,  son  of  the 
first  Mayor  of  New  York,  in  the  purchase  of  a  large 
tract  of  land  from  the  Indians  for  the  freeholders  of 
Flushing,  and  subsequent]}-  with  other  prominent 
persons  in  various  grants,  patents  and  purchases  of 
importance.  In  1687  he  bought  of  John  Palmer,  a 
merchant  of  New  Y'ork,  who  had  acquired  title 
from  Paman,  the  Indian  Sagamore  of  Rockaway 
the  tract  of  land  known  as  Rockaway  Neck,  ex 
tending  from  the  west  boundary  of  Hempstead  to 
Rockaway  Inlet.  In  this  transaction  the  name 
(previously  spelled  Cornhill)  appears  as  Cornwell, 
in  which  form  it  is  generally  found  during  the  en- 
suing hundred  years,  though  with  frequent  varia- 
tions to  Cornell,  the  form  adopted  when  the  orthog- 
raphy- of  proper  names  became  more  settled.  This 
propertj-  remained  in  the  family  for  many  years. 
At  present,  ownership  is  limited  to  the  family  burial 
ground  at  Rockaway,  which  holds  the  dust  of  some 
representative  of  every  generation  of  the  descend- 
ants of  its  original  proprietor.    The  children  of 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK.  IO3 


Richard  (and  his  wife  Elizabeth)  Cornell  of  Rocka-  I 
way,  were  Richard,  William,  Thomas,  Jacob  and  ! 
John.  The  last  named  received  a  grant  of  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  at  Rockaway  about  the  year  i 
1687.  In  1702  he  purchased  extensive  tracts  adja- 
cent thereto,  paying  for  the  same  £600.  A  son  of 
Thomas,  also  named  Thomas,  married  Sarah  Dough, 
ty.  He  was  one  of  the  most  wealthy  and  influen- 
tial inhabitants  of  Long  Island,  became  conspicuous 
in  public  affairs,  and,  excepting  one  term,  served 
continuously  as  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Assem- 
bly, from  1739  until  his  death  in  1764.  His  brother, 
Colonel  John  Cornell  (of  Flushing)  was  commander 
of  a  regiment  of  the  Queens  County  Militia  at  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1745.  Thomas,  the  only  son  of 
Thomas  and  Sarah  (Doughty)  Cornell,  married 
Helenah  Whitehead.  His  three  sons,  named  re- 
spectively Thomas,  Whitehead,  and  Benjamin, 
remained  loyal  to  the  mother  country  in  the  troub- 
lous times  preceding  the  Revolution  and  during  the 
struggle  for  independence,  following  in  this  partic- 
ular the  example  of  most  of  their  neighbors. 
Thomas  and  Benjamin  joined  the  British  Army  ] 
and  each  was  commissioned  a  Captain.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  they,  with  many  other  loyalists,  re- 
tired to  Nova  Scotia.  Whitehead  Cornell,  though 
disapproving  of  the  Revolution,  did  not  engage  ac- 
tively in  its  suppression  The  fact  that  his  brothers 
took  service  with  the  British  operated  to  draw  him 
under  suspicion  and  by  order  of  General  Washing- 
ton he  was  arrested  and  taken  to  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut. His  word  was  accepted  as  a  sufficient 
guarantee  that  he  would  take  no  active  part  against 
the  American  forces,  and  he  was  permitted  to  re- 
turn home.  That  he  continued  to  stand  high  in  the 
esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens  and  retained  his  influ- 
ence in  affairs  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  in  1789  he 
was  elected  one  of  the  four  delegates  to  represent 
Queens  County  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
State  and  re-elected  in  1791,  1792-3  and  1798-9. 
His  wife  was  Abigail  Hicks,  who  was  descended 
from  John  Hicks,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  and 
original  patentees  of  Ylishing  or  Ylishengen,  which 
was  anglicized  Flushing,  and  later  a  prominent 
freeholder  of  Hempstead  and  one  of  its  two  dele- 
gates to  the  Convention  called  by  Governor  Nicoll 
in  1665.  Thomas,  the  fifth  son  of  Whitehead  Cor- 
nell, inherited  a  part  of  his  father's  landed  estate 
and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Of  his  eight  chil- 
dren six  were  sons.  When  about  eleven  years  of  age, 
one  of  these  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  named 
John  Black  after  the  husband  of  his  father's  sister 
Helen,  went  to  reside  with  his  uncle,  William  Hew- 
lett, who  lived  at  Newburg,  New  York.  He  had 
been  there  but  a  short  time  when  his  mother  (born 


Hannah  Hewlett)  died,  leaving  to  the  care  of  her 
husband,  her  eight  children,  the  three  youngest  of 
whom  were  boys  not  yet  eleven,  viz :  John  B.,  Wil- 
liam W. ,  and  Harvey.  John  remained  at  Newburg 
until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  attending  school 
regularly  in  season,  and  doing  boys'  work  upon  his 
uncle's  farm.  Early  in  1836,  equipped  with  a  level 
head  and  a  sound  constitution,  he  went  to  the 
c  ity  of  New  York  and  apprenticed  himself  to  the 
trade  of  whitesmith,  with  the  firm  of  Cornell,  Alt- 
hause  &  Co.,  the  head  of  which  was  his  eldest 
brother  George,  born  at  Far  Rockaway,  January 
10,  1807.  This  firm  manufactured  grates,  fenders, 
railings,  safes,  shutters,  bedsteads,  doors,  etc.,  of 
iron.  They  were  the  successors  in  business  of  Ben- 
jamin Birdsall,  with  whom  they  had  learned  their 
trade  and  who  was  the  pioneer  in  this  line  of  iron 
working  in  the  United  States.  Henry,  another 
brother,  much  older  than  John,  and  then  married, 
had  learned  the  trade,  and  at  this  date  was  execut- 
ing pieces  of  work  under  the  firm  with  his  own 
force  of  men.  All  the  brothers  Cornell  were  born 
mechanics.  They  engaged  in  business  without 
capital — for  though  the  last  of  the  Rockaway  prop- 
erty was  not  disposed  of  till  some  time  later,  it  was 
not  available  for  their  use  in  starting  life.  Besides 
their  natural  talent — which  was  exceptionally  great 
— they  all  had  health,  energy,  ambition,  and,  not 
least  of  all,  well  balanced  characters.  When  John 
began  his  apprenticeship,  the  shop  of  the  firm, 
which  had  formerly  occupied  premises  on  the 
southeastern  corner  of  Broadway  and  White  Street, — 
near  by  the  shop  of  Peter  Cooper,  who  was  set  clown 
in  the  city  directory  as  a  "  mechanist," — was  at  445 
Broadway,  a  short  distance  above  Canal  Street. 
The  Cornell  brothers  lost  their  father  in  1839.  His 
death,  following  so  shortly  after  that  of  their  be- 
loved mother,  was  a  sad  bereavement  to  them  all, 
but  bore  seemingly  with  special  weight  upon  the 
younger  brothers,  and  particularly  upon  John,  who 
loved  his  parents  with  intense  ardor  and  who  had 
not  as  yet  succeeded  in  overcoming  his  grief  at  the 
death  of  his  beloved  Christian  mother.  In  1842  the 
firm  of  Cornell,  Althause  6c  Co.  was  dissolved  and 
George  Cornell  formed  a  partnership  with  George 
R.  Jackson,  who  had  then  been  engaged  in  the  iron 
business  for  three  or  four  years  at  199  Center  Street. 
John,  now  a  journeyman,  accompanied  his  brother 
George,  and  in  1844  began  work  under  him,  taking 
contracts  on  his  own  account.  In  1847  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  younger  brother  William, 
(born  at  Far  Rockaway,  January  1,  1823,)  who  had 
followed  the  family  example  in  learning  the  iron 
business.  As  it  was  not  deemed  wise  to  imperil 
their  support  by  too  great  precipitancy,  William  re- 


io4 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


inained  in  the  employment  of  Cornell  and  Jackson, 
while  John,  hiring  the  basement  of  the  house  141 
Center  Street,  put  himself  in  the  way  of  independent 
orders.  A  few  months  sufficed  to  prove  the  success 
of  the  experiment.  William's  services  were  now 
called  into  requisition,  and  owing  to  the  increase  of 
orders  and  consequent  need  of  capital,  Henry,  who 
had  purchased  and  retired  to  the  Hewlett  farm  at 
Newburgh,  returned  and  joined  his  brothers.  As 
George  Cornell  had  died  in  the  fall  of  1847,  the  new 
concern  was  the  only  Cornell  firm  in  the  iron  busi- 
ness, and  quite  naturally  it  fell  heir  to  some  extent 
to  the  trade  which  the  elder  brother  had  built  up 
during  the  twenty-eight  years  of  his  successful  and 
prominent  career  in  the  same  line  of  business.  That 
the  younger  brothers  had  not  accumulated  sufficient 
capital  to  proceed  unaided  in  their  business  is  not 
surprising  in  view  of  their  great  "enerosity  on  all 
occasions  in  the  cause  of  philanthropy  and  religion. 
They  were  sincere  Christians,  and  valued  money 
only  for  its  uses.  No  good  cause  appealed  to  them 
in  vain.  It  was  largely  in  their  nature  to  be  gener- 
ous and  open-handed,  but  this  bias  was  strength- 
ened by  their  resolve  early  in  life  to  devote  a  large 
proportion  of  their  earnings  to  Christian  work. 
Henry,  John  and  William  were  all  three  noble  men 
in  the  highest  meaning  of  the  term.  "  Henry  was 
the  theologian  of  the  three  :  John  was  the  calculat- 
ing one,  the  far-sighted,  the  inventor;  William  was 
the  warm-hearted,  the  open-handed.  He  never 
could  refuse  child  or  friend  anything."  It  is  re- 
corded that  these  three  young  men  really  gave  the 
first  effectual  start  to  the  rebuilding  of  the  "  Old 
Brewer}-."  When  the  Five  Points  Mission  was 
just  at  the  beginning,  a  meeting  of  Christian  work- 
ers was  held,  at  which  it  was  decided  to  purchase 
the  "  Old  Brewery  "  and  steps  were  taken  to  ascer- 
tain what  money  could  be  raised  for  a  new  build- 
ing. At  the  end  of  three  months  but  little  had 
been  done,  and  the  ladies  having  the  matter  in 
hand  were  discouraged.  On  New  Year's  day  John 
B.  Cornell  called  upon  Mrs.  Wright,  who  had  been 
a  prime  mover  in  the  project,  and  inquired  how  the 
building  fund  was  getting  on.  As  he  left  he  put 
into  this  lady's  hands  some  folded  slips  of  paper, 
saying  that  his  brothers  and  himself  wanted  to  help 
some  in  it.  These  slips  of  paper  were  three  cheques 
for  $500  each,  and  were  practically  the  foundation 
on  which  the  new  building  was  reared.  In  1853 
Henry  Cornell  quitted  the  iron  business  and  retired 
again  to  his  farm  at  Newburgh,  where  he  devoted 
himself  to  agriculture,  mainly  in  the  cultivation  of 
fruit.  His  brothers,  aided  by  his  capital,  drove 
ahead  at  their  business,  and  in  1856  added  a  foun- 
dry to  their  plant.    Between  the  last  date  and  1860 


some  twenty  or  more  patents  were  taken  out  by  the 
firm,  and  to  its  efforts  the  very  large  increase  in  the 
use  of  iron  for  fire-proof  buildings  is  largely  due. 
Down  to  about  the  time  Mr.  Cornell  completed  his 
apprenticeship  there  was  probably  not  a  building  in 
the  United  States  occupying  a  plot  of  ground,  gay 
one  hundred  feet  square,  in  the  construction  of 
which  as  much  as  ten  thousand  dollars  worth  of 
iron  was  used.  Now  structures  are  not  uncommon 
which  contain  from  two  to  three  hundred  thous- 
and dollars'  worth.  The  first  buildings  in  this  coun- 
try rendered  fire-proof  by  the  use  of  wrought  iron 
girders  and  beams  for  floors  were  the  United  States 
Custom  House  at  Savannah,  and  the  building  of  the 
Haiti  more  Sun.  the  Atlantic  Mutual  Insurance 
Company,  and  the  Seamens'  Savings  Bank  of  New 
York.  That  the  large  increase  in  the  use  of  iron 
for  fire-proof  architecture  is  attributable  to  the 
Messrs.  Cornell  no  one  can  doubt  who  examines  the 
files  of  the  Patent  Office.  If  not  the  actual  pioneers 
in  their  construction  they  were  at  least  second  in 
the  field.  Their  first  contract  for  a  complete  iron 
front  building  was  made  with  the  late  A.  T.  Stew- 
art, in  1863,  for  the  erection  of  his  retail  store  on 
the  block  bounded  by  Broadway  and  Fourth  Av- 
enue, Ninth  and  Tenth  Streets.  Though  the  first 
structure  of  the  kind  undertaken  by  the  firm,  it 
was,  when  completed,  probably  the  largest  single 
edifice  of  iron  then  in  existence,  and  as  a  model  of 
substantial  elegance  and  adaptation  to  its  purpose 
has  not  since  been  surpassed,  if  equalled.  The  firm 
was  not  without  competitors,  several  of  them  firms 
and  corporations  of  large  capital  and  influence. 
Nevertheless,  no  other  iron-workers  have  ever 
achieved  a  higher  reputation  for  reliability,  thor- 
oughness and  dispatch.  With  the  development  of 
iron  working  in  England  and  America  their  busi- 
ness largely  increased.  "  Nothing  was  too  small 
for  them  to  do  well,  and  nothing  too  great  for  them 
to  be  intrusted  with.  From  a  coal  cover  to  the  tur- 
ret and  armor  of  a  warship :  from  a  lamp-post  to  an 
elevated  railroad  ;  from  a  piece  of  railing  to  the 
most  superb  wrought  iron  gates  upon  the  continent ; 
from  an  area  fence  to  the  noblest  stores,  hotels  and 
office  buildings  ever  produced,  either  here  or 
abroad,  in  Mexico  or  in  South  America  ;  they  could 
do  anything  ;  they  did  everything ;  and  they  were 
probably  without  superiors  in  the  world.  It  was 
more  than  success,  it  was  triumph ;  and  it  was 
clearly  wrought  out  from  orderly,  alert,  coura- 
geous, and  masterful  qualities  of  hand  and  brain, 
of  nerve  and  character."  For  a  period  of  forty 
years  the  founder  of  this  great  business  remained 
at  its  head.  Assisted  at  first  by  a  single  boy,  his  es- 
tablishment at  the  end  of  that  time  called  for  the 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


services  of  a  thousand  stalwart  men.  lu  1859  nine 
lots  of  land  on  West  Twenty-sixth  Street,  with  the 
bindings  thereon,  were  leased  to  meet  the  increasing 
demands  of  the  business,  and  in  1866  the  Center 
Street  establishment  was  rebuilt  and  greatly  en- 
larged, and  has  since'  been  occupied  by  the  princi- 
pal offices  of  the  firm.  With  the  beginning  of  1868 
Mr.  John  Milton  Cornell,  son  of  the  senior  member 
of  the  linn,  was  admitted  to  partnership.  Born  in 
New  York  City,  August  27,  184(5,  he  received  a 
thorough  English  education  at  the  Mount  Washing- 
ton Collegiate  Institute,  and  then,  following  the  cus- 
tom in  the  family,  entered  the  shop  of  his  father 
and  uncle,  and  devoted  himself  to  mastering  the 
iron  business.  Before  he  was  twenty  years  of  age 
he  had  served  two  years  as  foreman  in  charge  of 
the  shops  in  Center  Street,  and  as  such  supervised 
the  construction  of  the  turrets,  machinery  for  oper- 
ating them,  and  also  the  pilot-houses  of  the  moni- 
tors Miantonomah  and  Tonawanda.  In  1868  the 
capacity  of  the  works  was  still  farther  enlarged  by 
the  leasing  of  eighteen  lots  on  West  Twent3"-rifth 
Street  adjoining  those  on  Twenty-sixth  Street.  On 
these  lots  and  on  eight  others  on  Twenty-sixth 
Street,  leased  in  1869,  buildings  were  erected 
adapted  to  the  varied  and  extensive  nature  of  the 
business.  Mr.  W.  W.  Cornell  died  March  17,  1870. 
He  was  a  most  skillful  mechanic,  and  possessed  a 
superior  capacity  for  business ;  but  the  loss  to  his 
brothers  and  partners  was  essentially  in  neither  of 
these  qualities,  but  in  the  greater  of  a  loving- 
brother  and  friend,  and  gentle  and  genial  associate. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  in 
his  youth,  and  until  his  death  led  a  sincere  Chris- 
tian life.  Although  not  fifty  years  of  age  at  his 
death  his  benefactions  to  various  objects  aggregated 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars.  Bishop 
Janes  said  of  him :  "  He  was  one  of  the  noblest  lay- 
men in  the  excellent  ranks  of  Methodism,  peerless 
among  good  and  useful  men  ;"  and  Bishop  Simp- 
son characterized  him  as  "  one  of  the  noblest  men 
that  ever  graced  and  honored  New  York  Method- 
ism." After  the  death  of  W.  W.  Cornell  the  sur- 
viving partners  continued  the  business  under  the 
style  of  J.  B.  &  J.  M.  Cornell.  In  1870  sixty-five 
lots  were  hired  between  West  Twenty-sixth  and 
West  Twenty-Seventh  Streets  and  Eleventh  Avenue 
and  the  North  River,  and  an  immense  shop  was 
erected, — four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  by  two 
hundred  feet  wide.  It  is  probable  that  the  area 
now  covered  by  the  offices,  shops  and  yards  of  this 
firm  exceeds  that  of  any  other  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment in  New  York  City.  Mr.  J.  B.  Cornell 
lived  to  complete  forty  years  of  independent  busi- 
ness life.    In  business  he  was  strong,  earnest  and 


courageous;  always  courteous  and  kind  to  his  com- 
petitors, and  in  several  cases  where  competitors 
were  in  financial  distress  he  went  voluntarily  to 
their  relief  and  gave  such  substantial  aid  as  to  help 
them  through  their  difficulties.  Never  harsh  in  his 
judgments,  he  was  always  glad  of  some  excuse  for 
those  who  erred :  far-seeing  in  his  plans,  and  a  syste- 
matic thinker.  He  scarcely  ever  attended  a  meeting  of 
importance  without  having  thought  out  the  subject 
beforehand,  and  often  he  surprised  his  associates 
with  a  well-matured  plan  when  they  were  just  com- 
mencing to  give  the  subject  their  attention.  Lib- 
eral in  his  purchases,  he  always  said  "If  I  am  mak- 
ing money,  why  should  not  those  I  buy  of  do  the 
same  ?  "  The  policy  of  live  and  let  live  was  firmly 
fixed  in  his  mind.  He  was  never  negligent  of  the  mi- 
nutest requirements  of  his  business,  carrying  it  all  in 
his  mind,  and  ever  alert  in  anticipating  all  its  needs. 
Full  of  energy  and  force,  he  made  those  around 
him  feel  the  importance  of  their  own  responsibili- 
ties, an  account  of  which  he  rigidly  and  continually 
required.  He  was  shrewd  and  keen  in  taking  con- 
tracts, and  believed  in  securing  a  fair  price  for  his 
work, — one  that  would  justify  him  in  going  to  a 
greater  expense  in  carrying  out  the  agreement. 
Nothing  pleased  him  more  than  an  extra  fine  piece 
of  work.  Wrhere  people  had  been  liberal  with  him 
lie  returned  their  liberality  in  good  earnest.  Yet, 
however  low  the  price,  nothing  but  good  work 
would  he  allow  to  go  out,  taking  evident  satisfac- 
tion in  putting  additional  expense  on  work  where 
the  price  permitted  it.  He  took  great  pleasure  in 
his  business,  preferring  even  in  the  last  years  of  his 
life,  which  were  full  of  pain  and  illness,  to  work 
rather  than  rest.  In  fact,  when  urged  to  leave  his 
duties  in  the  hands  of  those  better  able  to  .endure 
their  toils,  be  declined  on  the  ground  that  his  en- 
joyment was  in  his  business.  At  his  death,  in  1887, 
the  business  he  founded  had  attained  a  magni- 
tude of  which  he  could  scarcely  have  dreamed 
when  he  began.  But  grand  and  successful  as  was 
his  business  career,  it  paled  before  the  earnestness, 
the  usefulness  and  the  beauty  of  his  private  life. 
At  his  loving  mother's  knee  and  in  the  Bible  class 
of  the  Greene  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
New  York,  he  laid  the  foundations  of  his  Christian 
character.  He  early  recognized  the  wickedness  of 
slavery,  and  was  an  outspoken  Abolitionist  there- 
after. Admitted  to  fellowship  in  the  church,  he  dis- 
tinguished himself  from  the  outset  by  his  zeal  and 
devotion  to  its  interests  and  the  welfare  of  souls. 
To  speak  properly  of  this  side  of  his  character  and  of 
his  many  good  deeds  would  require  a  volume.  In 
a  sketch  it  cannot  be  attempted.  Twice  sent  as 
Delegate  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  General  Con- 


io6 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ference  (in  1872  and  187G)  lie  appeared  to  the  best 
advantage  in  contact  with  the  choicest  lights  of  the 
denomination.  In  the  general  Boards  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  such  as  the  Book  Commit- 
tee, the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  Society, 
and  the  General  Committee  on  Missions,  he  wielded 
great  influence.  He  was  in  truth  a  modest  man,  al- 
w  ays  declining  honors,  desiring  to  keep  in  the  back- 
ground, and  only  taking  the  positions  that  he  could 
not  avoid,  or  where  he  was  sure  his  help  was  a 
necessity.  Very  positive  when  once  he  had  thought 
out  a  decision,  he  was  ever  ready  to  listen  to  argument 
and  willing  to  be  convinced.  As  President  of  the 
New  York  City  Church  Extension  and  Missionary 
Society,  and  as  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  Drew  Seminary,  he  rendered  invaluable  ser- 
vices to  the  church  and  the  world.  For  four- 
teen years  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  first  named, 
and.  although  to  accept  the  place  involved  the  giv- 
ing up  of  ambitious  plans  in  connection  with 
church  development,  he  clearly  saw  his  duty  and 
as  sincerely  discharged  it.  "  lie  found,  on  entering 
upon* office,  twelve  missions  and  schools  under  the 
Society's  charge  ;  and  when  he  resigned  because  of 
failing  health,  there  were  twenty  churches  and  mis- 
sions :  twenty-five  thousand  scholars  had  been  path- 
is 

ered  into  the  schools  ;  live  thousand  conversions 
had  taken  place  in  the  chapels:  :|2">0,000  had  been 
invested  in  church  property,  and  over  $1, 300, 000 
had  been  spent  in  the  current  work  of  the  Society. 
He  found  #104.000  worth  of  property,  and  he  left 
#830,000  worth,  with  but  *114,000  of  indebtedness 
upon  the  whole  of  it."  Towards  the  close  of  his 
life  Mr.  Cornell  was  a  pronounced  advocate  of  Pro- 
hibition, and  believed  that  it  was  the  duty  of  all 
men  to  unite  in  crushing  out  a  traffic  which  was  the 
parent  of  so  much  sin,  misery  and  destitution.  In 
his  dealing  with  his  employees  he  was  invariably 
kind  and  just.  A  gentleman  observing  that  no  re- 
port was  made  of  disturbances  at  the  Cornell  Works 
during  the  great  labor  excitements,  asked  him  how 
he  managed  to  avoid  trouble.  The  reply  was  "  En- 
treating the  men  like  men  :  standing  by  them  in 
hard  times  ;  doing  all  I  can  for  them  :  making  them 
see  that  it  is  all  that  they  should  expect;  taking 
them  into  my  confidence  :  and  so  we  have  very  little 
trouble."  His  benefactions  were  incessant,  and 
kept  pace  with  the  increase  of  his  fortune  and  his 
opportunities.  An  editorial  writer  in  the  Christian 
Advocate  (November  3.  1887)  estimates  their  total 
to  approximate  to  a  million  and  a  quarter  dollars. 
In  his  own  city  he  was  a  member  of  various  unde- 
nominational Boards  of  Management,  such  as  the 
Hebrew  Institution  for  the  Improved  Instruction  of 
Deaf  Mutes,  and  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the 


American  Bible  Society.  He  was  also  Chairman  of 
the  Advisory  Board  of  Saint  Christopher's  Home 
for  Children,  and  Chairman  both  of  the  Building 
Committee  and  of  the  Advisory  Committee  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Home  for  Aged  Members 
of  the  Church.  The  newly  equipped  Home  for  the 
former  on  Riverside  Drive,  and  the  superb  building 
for  the  latter  on  Tenth  Avenue,  are  both  largely  in- 
debted to  his  labors  and  liberalities.  Generous, 
broad-minded,  and  religiously  faithfnl  in  every 
good  work  that  fell  to  his  hand,  he  was  in  every 
sense  of  the  word  a  philanthropist.  His  sou,  John 
Milton  Cornell,  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, succeeded  him  as  senior  partner  of  the  house 
he  founded.  The  firm  name  remains  the  same — J. 
B.  &  J.  M.  Cornell. 


HISCOCK,  HON.  FRANK,  Senator  of  the  United 
States,  was  born  at  Pompey.  Onondaga 
County,  New  York.  September  6,  1834.  Sena- 
tor Hiscock's  ancestors,  in  whose  veins  there  was  a 
blending  of  the  English  and  Scotch  blood,  were  en- 
gaged for  many  generations  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
The  name  of  his  grandfather,  Richard  Hiscock, 
appears  upon  the  pension  rolls  of  the  Revolutionary 
War.  as  one  of  those  who  served  his  country  in  the 
ranks  of  the  patriot  army  throughout  the  entire 
struggle  for  independence.  This  ancestor,  soon  after 
the  close  of  the  war,  moved  from  his  native  State  of 
Massachusetts  to  Pompey,  then  an  almost  unbroken 
wilderness.  With  the  hardy  pioneer  spirit  of  those 
days,  he,  however,  quickly  cleared  for  himself  a 
home  and  permanently  located  there  his  family. 
Here  in  1708  was  born  Richard  Hiscock,  father  of 
the  Senator,  a  man  of  vigorous  physical  and  mental 
qualities,  who  in  early  manhood  married  Cynthia 
Harris,  a  lady  whose  family  has  long  been  promi- 
nent in  the  State.  Mr.  Hiscock's  early  life  was  for 
the  most  part  the  ordinary  one  of  a  prosperous  far- 
mer's son.  He  displayed  an  inclination  to  avoid  the 
somewhat  monotonous  ro\itine  of  aericultural  tasks 
for  the  more  congenial  pursuits  of  study  and  litera- 
ture, and  was  a  close  and  persistent  applicant  in 
these  latter  fields.  He  graduated  at  a  3-outhful  age 
from  the  Pompey  Hill  Academy,  an  institution  then 
in  high  repute  for  the  attainments  of  its  instructors, 
and  long  since  rendered  famous  by  the  eminence  of 
many  of  its  graduates.  Among  the  students  of  his 
own  immediate  time  were  several  who  have  siDce 
risen  to  distinguished  prominence  in  State  and 
National  affairs.  Upon  graduation  from  the  Acad- 
emy young  Hiscock,  following  his  inclination 
toward  professional  life,  entered  as  a  student  the 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


law  office  of  his  older  brother  L.  Harris  Hiscock,  at 
Tullv.  Onondaga  County,  with  whom,  after  his  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  in  1855,  he  formed  a  law  partner- 
ship) which  was  in  1858  moved  to  and  permanently 
located  in  Syracuse.  Following  the  example  of  his 
brother,  he  first  joined  the  Democratic  party,  and 
with  him  in  1856  participated  in  the  organization  of 
the  Democratic  "Free  Soil"  element  at  Syracuse  in 
support  of  General  Fremont,  which  greatly  contrib- 
uted to  the  Republican  majority  of  nearly  7000  in 
the  county  of  Onondaga  in  the  ensuing  Presidential 
election.  From  this  time  forth  Mr.  Hiscock  acted 
with  the  Republican  party,  thus  becoming  identified 
with  its  formation  and  practically  beginning  his 
political  life  in  its  ranks.  In  1860  he  was  elected 
District  Attorney  of  Onondaga  County  and  served 
in  that  office  until  the  close  of  1803.  In  1867  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Con- 
vention and  was  active  in  committee  work  and 
prominent  in  the  debates  of  that  body.  In  common 
with  many  other  prominent  Republicans,  Mr.  His- 
cock supported  the  nomination  of  Horace  Greeley 
for  the  Presidency  in  1872,  and  in  the  same  year 
was  himself  nominated  for  Congress  by  the  Liberal 
Republicans  and  Democrats  of  the  XXIIId  Congres- 
sional District,  comprising  the  counties  of  Cortland 
and  Onondaga.  This  district,  more  recently  known 
as  the  XXVth,  was  a  stronghold  of  the  Republicans, 
but  in  this  election  so  many  of  that  party  joined  the 
Liberal  movement,  which  was  endorsed  by  the 
Democrats,  that  the  local  vote  was.  pretty  evenly 
balanced.  In  supporting  the  Liberal  party  in  1872 
Mr.  Hiscock' doubtless  was  largely  influenced  by  his 
personal  friendship  and  respect  for  Mr.  Greeley,  and 
sympathy  with  his  views;  and  without  intention  of 
becoming  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party,  he 
co-operated  in  his  support.  At  the  close  of  that 
canvas  he  resumed  his  place  in  the  Republican  party. 
In  1876  he  was  elected  as  a  delegate  to  the  Republi- 
caD  National  Convention,  and  without  solicitation 
on  his  part,  unanimously  chosen  as  the  Republican 
candidate  to  represent  his  Congressional  District  in 
the  National  House  of  Representatives,  being  elected 
by  a  majority  of  4590.  His  early  services  in  the 
House  were  as  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Elec- 
tions, and  of  the  "Proctor  Investigating  Commit- 
tee." In  both  these  relations  he  gained  large  credit 
for  the  ability  displayed  in  conducting  investiga- 
tions and  presenting  results.  His  speeches  in  the 
House  were  direct  and  forcible,  securing  an  atten- 
tive hearing  from  members  of  both  parties  and  exer- 
cising a  large  influence  \ipon  legislation.  Mr.  His- 
cock was  elected  to  the  XLVth,  XLVIth,  XLVIIth, 
XLVIIIth,  XLIXth  and  Lth  Congresses,  in  each 
election  receiving  the  cordial  support  of  his  party. 


In  the  XLVIth  Congress  he  was  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Appropriations,  and  in  the  XLVIIIth 
and  XLIXth  Congresses  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means.  Twice  he 
was  very  favorably  considered  for  the  Speaker- 
ship of  the  House  of  Representatives.  As  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Appropriations,  Mr.  Hiscock 
was  practically  the  leader  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, and  his  National  reputation  was  firmly 
established  for  a  complete  knowledge  of  the  require- 
ments of  the  various  departments,  a  wisdom  in  the 
expenditure  of  the  public  money,  and  revenue  legisla- 
tion. By  his  arduous  and  useful  public  service  Mr. 
Hiscock  became  firmly  entrenched  in  the  respect 
and  esteem,  not  only  of  his  immediate  constituents, 
but  also  of  the  people  of  his  State  and  the  Nation, 
and  by  his  breadth  of  views,  wise  conservatism  and 
practical  action  the  high  opinion  early  formed  of 
him  was  constantly  strengthened.  He  was  recog- 
nized as  a  Republican  leader  attentive  to  his  duties, 
careful  of  the  public  interests,  conservative  in  pub- 
lic crises  and  always  safe,  honorable  and  reliable. 
Before  entering  Congress  Mr.  Hiscock  had  risen  to 
high  eminence  at  the  bar  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
In  January,  1887,  while  still  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  and  chosen  for  his  sixth  term, 
Mr.  Hiscock  was  brought  forward  in  the  Republi- 
can canvass  in  the  State  Legislature  at  Albany  for 
the  office  of  United  States  Senator.  Having  re- 
ceived the  caucus  nomination  he  was  duly  elected, 
and  March  4,  1887,  took  his  seat  in  the  Senate  for 
the  regular  term  of  six  years.  Mr.  Hiscock  is  a 
member  of  the  Senate  Committees  on  Finance,  In- 
ter-State Commerce,  Coast  Defences,  Patents,  and  of 
the  Special  Committee  on  the  Reports  of  the  Pacific 
Railroad  Commissioners  and  the  President's  Message 
thereon.  He  was  associated  with  Senators  Allison, 
Aldrich  and  Jones  of  Nevada  in  preparing  the  Senate 
substitute  for  the  revenue  or  tariff  bill  from  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  the  first  session  of  the 
Lth  Congress,  which  had  become  a  Democratic 
party  measure.  On  October  3,  1888,  the  Senate  sub- 
stitute was  reported  to  that  body,  considered  and 
became  a  Republican  party  measure.  Upon  these 
two  bills  was  joined  the  main  issue  between  the  two 
political  parties  in  the  canvass  resulting  in  General 
Harrison's  election  to  the  Presidency.  In  a  speech 
in  the  Senate  October  0,  1888,  Mr.  Hiscock  defined 
the  position  of  the  two  parties  on  the  question  of 
protection,  and  his  views  commanded  very  general 
attention  and,  especially  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
exerted  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  election.  Mr. 
Hiscock  had  favored  the  maturing  and  adoption  of 
the  Senate  Tariff  Bill  previous  to  the  election,  as 
essential  to  the  formulation  of  the  Republican  par- 


io8 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ty's  attitude.  This  policy  was  acquiesced  in,  and 
thus  was  presented  an  affirmative  measure  antagon- 
istic to  the  bill  passed  by  the  Democratic  majority 
in  the  House,  and  the  result  fully  justified  him  and 
his  Republican  associates  upon  the  Senate  Finance 
Committee  in  their  acting.  Mr.  Hiscock's  name 
was  widely  considered  in  connection  with  the  Presi- 
dential nomination  of  1888,  but  without  favor  or 
encouragement  from  him.  lie  was  chosen  a  Dele- 
gate-at-Large  from  the  State  of  New  York  to  the 
Republican  National  Convention,  and  there  gave  his 
influence  in  behalf  of  the  Hon.  Chaunccy  M.  Depew 
as  the  choice  of  his  State.  Throughout  the  delibera- 
tions of  the  Convention  his  voice  was  potential  in 
the  harmonious  action  of  the  delegation  from  New 
York,  which  exercised  so  large  an  influence  in  de- 
termining the  results  of  the  Convention.  Preceding 
the  convening  of  the  Republican  National  Conven- 
tion the  North  American  Review  published  a  series 
of  able  articles  discussing  "  Possible  Presidents."  in 
which  the  name  of  Mr.  Hiscock  had  a  prominent 
place.  Following  is  that  portion  of  the  Review's 
article  upon  Mr.  Hiscock,  which  relates  especially 
to  his  public  career,  the  influence  he  has  had  upon 
the  course  of  National  legislation  and  his  standing 
as  statesman  and  legislator  before  the  country: 

'•  Born  and  reared  in  New  York,  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1855,  District  Attorney,  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  18(57.  Representative  for  ten 
years,  and  Senator  in  Congress — this  is  the  brief 
record  of  extended  service  from  which  Frank  His- 
cock's status  and  stature  are  to  be  determined.  To 
sensible  persons  the  matter  of  physical  perfection  is 
unimportant,  if  only  one  be  raised  above  the  abyss- 
mal  depth  of  personal  ugliness  which  a  Yale  profes- 
sor once  described  as  incompatible.  He  did  not  say 
with  what  it  was  incompatible,  choosing  rather  to 
leave  a  wide  field  to  the  imagination.  But  with- 
out so  much  as  a  reference  to  his  exterior  advan- 
tages, there  is  no  impropriety  in  the  statement  that 
Senator  Hiscock  posesses  an  outward  distinction 
corresponding  more  nearly  than  fate  often  permits 
to  the  qualities  within.  The  repose  which  denotes 
a  greater  force  than  it  exhibits  is  one  of  his  attri- 
butes, and  shallow  critics  have  sometimes  imagined 
what  no  one  who  has  ever  measured  wits  with  him 
has  had  the  fortune  to  discover,  that  his  repose  par- 
takes of  the  nature  of  lethargy.  No  such  suspicion 
exists  among  the  lawyers  who  have  encountered  the 
knowledge,  the  logic  and  the  resource  which  for 
thirty  years  have  been  his  recognized  weapons  in 
legal  controversy;  nor  among  the  statesmen  who 
have  too  often  had  the  misery  of  regretting  upon  the 
floor  of  Congress  that  their  equipment  was  not  equal 
to  his  own;  nor  among  the  leaders  of  his  party  in 
this  State,  who  have  more  than  once  been  forced  to 
acknowledge  that  his  skill  was  not  inferior  to  his 
magnanimity.  Mr.  Hiscock  entered  the  field  of 
National  politics  in  the  XLVth  Congress,  and  at 
once  attracted  the  attention  of  the  country  by  his 
discussion  of  certain  contested  election  cases  which 
were  precipitated  upon  the  House.  The  prominence 


thus  early  achieved  made  him,  with  the  general  ap- 
proval of  his  Republican  colleagues,  one  of  the  min- 
ority of  the  Investigating  Committee  whose  purpose 
it  was  supposed  at  the  time  to  be  to  dispute  the  title 
of  President  Hayes,  and  whose  labors  were  unex- 
pectedly diversified  by  the  translation  of  the  histori- 
cal cipher  dispatches.  In  that  investigation  he  took 
a  prominent  if  not  pre-eminent  part  from  first  to 
last.  In  the  XLVIth  Congress  he  was  a  member  of 
the  committee  which  then  originated  all  the  general 
appropriations  of  the  Government  except  those  for 
rivers  and  harbors.  After  the  election  of  Garfield 
the  Speakership  was  conceded  to  Mr.  Hiscock  on 
both  sides  of  the  House:  but  Garfield's  death  and 
the  consequent  accession  of  a  President  from  New 
York,  to  which  State  both  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  and  the  Postmaster-General  were  also  ap- 
portioned in  the  geographical  distribution  of  great 
offices,  defeated  him,  and  he  was  assigned  to  the 
ch&irmanship  of  the  Committee  on  Appropriations. 
In  the  XLYIIIth  Congress  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Committee  on  Ways  and  Means,  where  he  continued 
until  the  close  of  his  service  in  the  House.  This 
summary  of  legislative  assignments  is  a  useful  indi- 
cation of  the  scope  of  his  activities  as  a  Representa- 
tive. In  the  fundamental,  but  unobserved  labors  of 
the  committee-room  Mr.  Hiscock  is  easily  among 
the  first  of  useful  public  servants.  Speakers  upon 
the  floor  of  Congress  may  be  divided  into  three 
classes:  those  who  do  not  feel  that  they  are  filling 
the  eyes  of  the  country,  and  consequently  might  as 
well  be  silent,  when  they  are  not  engaged  in  deliver- 
ing elaborate  political  essays:  those  whose  natural 
proclivities  or  the  suggestion  of  vanity  dispose  them 
to  a  pyrotechnical  display  of  their  readiness  in  bad- 
inage and  repartee:  and  those  whom  inclination, 
obedient  to  the  sense  of  duty,  impels  to  the  more 
practical  work  of  securing  the  passage  of  good 
measures  and  the  defeat  of  bad  ones  by  the  methodi- 
cal and  cogent  presentation  of  facts  conscientiously 
collected.  It  is  to  the  last  class  that  Mr.  Hiscock 
belongs.  It  is  his  custom  to  apply  his  talents  in  de- 
bate to  measures  pending  at  the  time  of  his  speaking 
and  about  to  be  voted  on.  The  record  will  show 
with  what  diligence  and  success  he  has  pursued  this 
useful  policy.  As  an  example,  however,  of  his  re- 
sources when  he  has  found  a  suitable  opportunity 
for  the  comprehensive  treatment  of  a  general  prin- 
ciple, I  may  be  allowed  to  cite  his  speech  of  April 
29,  1884,  upon  the  relation  of  a  protective  tariff  to 
agriculture,  which  attracted  the  immediate  atten- 
tion of  the  country,  confirmed  the  highest  estimate 
of  his  powers,  and  has  become  a  part  of  the  common 
fund  of  economic  fact  and  argument.  I  wish  more- 
over, before  closing  this  summary  of  Mr.  Pliscock's 
legislative  services,  which  is  meant  to  be  suggestive 
merely,  to  recall  attention  to  his  speech  in  the 
XLlXth  Congress  in  opposition  to  the  free  coinage 
of  silver,  in  which,  if  not  absolutely  the  first  to  ex- 
pound the  principle  that  low  prices  are  not  the 
result  of  a  contraction  of  the  currency,  but  are  due 
rather  to  the  decrease  in  the  labor  cost  of  produc- 
tions and  the  increased  product  per  man  power,  he 
so  arranged  the  facts  and  forced  home  their  signifi- 
cance as  to  carry  conviction  where  others  had 
scarcely  obtained  a  hearing;  and  to  his  plea  in  the 
same  year  for  the  extension  of  our  commerce,  with 
special  reference  to  the  great  South  American  mar- 
ket, in  which  he  incidentally  laid  low  the  'subsidy' 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


IO9 


spectre  that  demagogues  have  long  employed  to 
frighten  timid  souls:  and  to  his  strenuous  defense 
of  American  dairies  :  to  his  dissection  of  the  Morri- 
son resolution  on  Treasury  balances,  and  during  this, 
his'tirst  session  in  the  Senate,  to  his  speeches  on  the 
undervaluation  of  imports  and  the  insidious  pre- 
tences of  the  pleuro-pneumonia  bill,  and  to  his 
earnest  appeal  in  behalf  of  international  copyright. 
Mr.  Hiscock  is  a  statesman  and  politician  of  the 
sort  that  nourished  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  Repub- 
lic, when  sobriety  of  judgment,  a  quiet  fidelity  to 
present  duties,  adaptation  to  the  higher  planes  of 
controversy,  talent  for  command  when  the  time 
came,  and  a  disinclination  to  anticipate  the  obliga- 
tion, were  among  the  qualities  required  of  public 
men." 


PECK,  JOHN  HUDSON,  LL.D.,  of  Troy,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute 
and  counsellor-at-law,  was  born  at  the  city  of 
Hudson,  New  York,  on  the  7th  day  of  February, 
1838.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  the  late  Hon.  Darius 
Peck  (born  1802,  died  1879)  a  prominent  and  influen- 
tial citizen  and  thorough  lawyer,  who  was  formally 
years  County  Judge  of  Columbia  Count}-,  New 
York.  (See  Vol.  I.,  page  270).  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  descended  on  his  father's  side  from  the 
early  Puritan  settlers  of  New  England.  William 
Peck,  his  earliest  progenitor  in  America,  emigrated 
to  this  country  with  his  wife  and  son  Jeremiah,  in 
the  ship  Hector  with  the  company  of  Governor 
Eaton  and  the  Rev.  John  Davenport,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  colony  of  New  Haven  in 
1638.  John  Hudson  Peck's  natal  year  therefore 
marked  the  completion  of  two  full  centuries  since 
his  earliest  American  ancestor  cjime  to  this  country. 
The  William  Peck  who  has  been  mentioned  was  a 
signer  of  the  original  constitution  of  the  town  of 
New  Haven.  His  sou  Jeremiah  became,  in  10(50,  the 
first  teacher  of  the  colony  collegiate  school,  and  he 
was  afterwards  the  settled  minister  in  Saybrook  and 
Waterbury,  Connecticut,  and  Elizabeth,  N.  J.  If 
space  and  time  permitted,  the  continuous  line  of 
descent,  nearly  equally  divided  between  farmers  and 
professional  men,  could  readily  be  traced  to  the 
ninth  generation.  The  Rev.  John  Peck,  a  noted 
divine  of  the  Baptist  Church,  represented  the  family 
in  the  seventh.  The  Hon.  Darius  Peck,  son  of  Rev. 
John  Peck,  married  in  1830  Harriet  M.  Hudson 
(born  1813,  died  1803)  youngest  daughter  of  Horace 
Hudson  (second  son  of  William  Hudson  of  Wells 
and  Jane  Pike  of  Llyn  Regis,  county  of  Norfolk. 
England)  who  came  to  America  in  1803.  She  was  a 
sister  of  Mrs.  John  II.  Willard  and  Miss  Theodosia 
Hudson,  for  many  years,  respectively,  principal  and 
vice-principal  of  the  Troy  Female  Seminary,  one  of 


the  oldest  and  most  noted  institutions  for  the  higher 
education  of  women  in  this  country.  John  H.  Peck 
was  prepared  for  college  under  the  capable  instruc- 
tion of  Mr.  Isaac  F.  Bragg  and  the  Rev.  Elbridge 
Bradbury  at  the  Hudson  Classical  Institute.  He 
was  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  at  Clinton, 
New7  York — of  which  seat  of  learning  his  father  like- 
wise was  an  alumnus — witli  class  of  1859.  He  chose 
the  law  for  his  profession  and  studied  at  Troy, 
New  York,  under  the  direction  of  the  Hon.  Cor- 
nelius L.  Tracy  and  the  Hon.  Jeremiah  Romeyn, 
and  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Albany  in  Decem- 
ber, 1861.  Very  soon  afterwards  he  entered  into  a 
law  partnership  with  Mr.  Romeyn,  which  continued 
until  April,  1867.  At  that  time  he,  with  his  former 
instructor,  Mr.  Tracy,  formed  the  very  successful 
law  firm  of  Tracy  and  Peck,  which  was  only  termin- 
ated by  the  final  illness  of  the  senior  member.  Since 
its  dissolution,  Mr.  Peck  has  been  iutrusted  with  the 
legal  business  of  the  Troy  and  Boston  Railroad 
Company,  the  Troy  Union  Railroad  Company, 
the  Troy  Savings  Bank,  and  with  that  of  sev- 
eral private  trusts  and  estates  involving  large  in- 
terests. By  his  fellow  citizens  and  professional  col- 
leagues he  is  regarded  as  a  conservative,  judicious 
lawyer,  thorough  in  application,  assiduous  in  caring 
for  the  interests  of  his  clients,  and  entirely  honor- 
able in  his  methods.  Outside  of  his  profession,  Mr. 
Peck  has  identified  himself  with  educational  inter- 
ests. He  became  a  trustee  of  the  Troy  Female 
Seminary  in  1883.  In  May,  1888,  he  was  elected 
President  of  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute, 
the  pioneer  school  of  civil  engineering  as  well  as  the 
most  celebrated  in  this  country.  To  both  these 
famous  institutions  of  learning  he  has  given  the 
benefit  of  his  counsel  and  studies.  His  predecessors 
in  the  office  of  President  of  the  Rensselaer  Polytech- 
nic Institute  were  among  the  most  cultured  and 
celebrated  citizens  of  Troy.  His  selection  to  that 
office  was  warmly  approved  by  his  fellow  citizens 
and  the  newspaper  press  of  that  city.  In  public 
affairs  Mr.  Peck  has  manifested  an  enterprising 
spirit.  On  all  the  views  that  divide  men  into  par- 
ties, his  interest  is  large,  and  his  appreciation  keen. 
He  has  frequently  beeu  urged  to  appear  before  his 
fellow  citizens  as  a  candidate  for  offices  of  power 
and  honor.  He  has  invariably  declined,  but  his 
talents  and  counsel  have  always  been  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  people.  He  has  written  voluminously 
for  the  newspaper  press  and  has  delivered  many- 
occasional  addresses.  His  manner  of  composition 
is  clear,  conservative,  instructive  and  logical. 
Moreover,  his  writings  are  characterized  by  dignity 
and  stamped  by  culture.  He  was  orator  of  the  So- 
ciety of  the  Alumni  of  Hamilton  College  at  the 


I  IO 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


commencement  in  1889.  His  discourse  was  spoken 
of  by  the  Utica  Herald  as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most 
carefully  prepared  ever  delivered  before  the  associa- 
tion, characterized  hy  scholarly  thought  and  fine 
rhetoric.  The  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  upon 
Mr.  Peck  at  the  Hamilton  College  commencement 
in  1889.  He  married,  August  7,  1883,  Mercy  Plum 
Mann  (born  December  23.  1843)  second  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  Mann  of  Milton.  Saratoga  County,  New 
York,  and  a  descendant  in  the  sixth  generation  of 
Richard  Mann,  a  planter,  and  one  of  the  original 
land  proprietors  of  Scituate,  Massachusetts. 


tice  of  which  any  physician  might  feel  a  just  pride, 
and  a  confidence  born  of  the  knowledge  of  the  care 
and  ability  which  all  cases  entrusted  to  him  have 
commanded.  Dr.  Ferguson  was  Secretary  of  t he 
New  York  State  Medical  Association  from  its  foun- 
j  dation  in  1884  up  to  September,  1889,  when  he  was 
elected  Yice-President.  He  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Medical  Society  of  Rensselaer  County,  and  a 
number  of  other  medical  organizations.  Dr.  Fer- 
guson was  married  the  1st  of  January,  1885,  to 
Mis*  Marion  A.,  daughter  of  Z.  P.  Farley,  Esq..  at 
the  residence  of  the  latter  in  Crown  Point,  Indiana. 


FERGUSON,  EYERARD  D.,  M.D.,  of  Troy, 
Rensselaer  County,  and  one  of  the  most  widely 
known  practitioners  of  that  section,  was  born 
at  Moscow,  Livingston  County,  New  York,  March 
9,  1843,  and  is  the  youngest  of  seven  children  born 
to  Smith  and  Emily  Townsend  Ferguson.  The 
family  is  essentially  American,  and  for  generations 
back  were  natives  of  the  United  States.  Dr.  Fergu- 
son's father  was  a  farmer,  and  his  boyhood  was 
passed  at  the  homestead  in  the  town  of  Seneca, 
Ontario  County,  where  the  greater  part  of  his 
father's  life  was  spent.  It  was  here  that  the  rudi- 
ments of  his  education  were  obtained,  and  his  fur- 
ther studies  were  continued  at  the  Starkey  Seminary 
in  Schuyler  County,  New  York.  Having  completed 
this  course,  young  Ferguson  turned  his  attention  to 
teaching,  and  for  a  considerable  time  thereafter  was 
engaged  as  an  instructor  in  the  States  of  New  York, 
Kentucky  and  Iowa.  These  pursuits  were,  how- 
ever, not  wholly  congenial  to  his  tastes,  and  his  at- 
tention, which  had  all  along  been  turning  towards 
his  chosen  profession,  found  gratification  in  profes- 
sional study,  subsequently  supplemented  by  a  course 
of  lectures  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor.  His  medical 
studies  were  completed  at  the  Bellevue  Hospital 
Medical  College,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  February,  18G8.  Dr.  Ferguson  then 
settled  in  the  town  of  Essex,  Essex  County,  New 
York,  where  he  continued  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion until  January,  1876,  when  he  was  appointed 
surgeon  to  Clinton  Prison,  a  position  which  he  tilled 
with  honor  until  his  resignation  in  July,  1878 ;  he 
having  determined  that  a  broader  and  more  useful 
field  for  his  labors  was  to  be  found  in  general  prac- 
tice. Immediately  thereafter  he  came  to  Troy, 
where  he  has  since  resided  and  has  been  remarka- 
bly successful  in  his  professional  work,  and  his  fel- 
low citizens  have  not  been  slow  to  recognize  his 
abilities.   The  result  has  been  the  growth  of  a  prac- 


EVANS,  CHARLES  WORTHINGTON,  one  of 
the  old  citizens  of  Buffalo,  founder  of  the 
Evans  Elevators,  and  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury prominently  identified  with  the  commerce  and 
business  interests  of  the  Lake  region,  was  born  in 
Baltimore,  Md..  March  13,  1812,  and  died  at  his 
home  in  Buffalo,  February  8,  1889.  He  came  of 
Quaker  stock,  and  was  the  third  son  of  William 
Evans  and  Margaret  Carey  Randall,  his  wife,  both 
of  Baltimore.  In  his  boyhood  he  had  the  advan- 
tages of  a  thorough  school  education,  and  being 
studious  by  nature  he  found,  throughout  his  long 
life,  his  chief  pleasure  in  books  and  literary  work. 
He  began  his  business  life  at  an  early  age  as  a  clerk 
in  the  office  of  the  Fireman's  Insurance  Co.,  of  Bal- 
timore, whose  President,  John  Hewes,  was  an  in- 
timate friend  of  his  father.  He  was  afterwards  in 
the  Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Bank  in  that  city,  be- 
ing employed  by  the  bank  in  making  its  money  ex- 
changes with  bank*  in  other  cities,  and  as  discount 
clerk.  A  most  favorable  impression  of  Buffalo, 
conceived  while  on  a  visit  to  that  place  in  1829, 
ripened  on  the  occasion  of  a  second  visit  in  1834  in- 
to a  determination  to  make  it  his  future  home,  and 
in  1835  this  resolve  was  carried  into  effect  by  his 
removal  thither.  His  father,  with  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  had  moved  to  Buffalo  in  1832. 
He  began  his  business  operations  in  Buffalo  in  1836, 
by  erecting  a  warehouse  north  of  and  near  Water 
Street  on  the  line  of  the  Evans  Ship  Ca?ial,  which 
had  been  constructed  in  1833  by  his  father,  William 
Evans,  through  part  of  outer  lot  No.  3,  deeded  by 
the  Holland  Land  Company  to  Benjamin  Ellicott, 
brother  of  Joseph  Ellicott,  who  laid  out  Buffalo  in 
1804.  On  the  death  of  Benjamin  Ellicott,  this  land 
was  inherited  from  him  by  his  sister,  Letitia  Elli- 
cott Evans,  the  mother  of  William  Evans,  and 
grandmother  of  Charles  W.  Evans,  the  subject  of 
I  this  sketch.  In  October  of  that  year  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  younger  brother  William,  for 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


I  I  I 


carrying  on  the  produce  and  commission  business, 
the  newly  organized  firm  taking  the  style  of  C.  W. 
and  W.  A.  Evans.  This  partnership  was  dissolved 
January  1,  1846.  and  Charles  continued  in  business 
alone  until  May  1,  1847,  when  be  entered  into  part- 
nership with  Robert  Dunbar,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Evans  &  Dunbar,  in  the  storage  and  elevating  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Evans  conceived  the  idea  of  altering  the 
two  warehouses  of  the  firm  into  a  grain  elevator, 
and  it  was  done  without  delay,  steam  being  em- 
ployed in  elevating  the  grain.  The  business  proved 
a  success  from  the  start,  and  to  provide  increased 
facilities,  the  firm  acquired  an  additional  frontage, 
making  in  all  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  on  the 
Ship  Canal.  In  August,  1853,  Mr.  Dunbar  retired 
from  the  firm  and  Mr.  Evans  became  the  sole  owner 
of  the  elevator.  In  connection  with  its  manage- 
ment he  carried  on  the  coal  business.  In  1862,  on 
September  19,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  very  busy  sea- 
son, the  elevator  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Mr.  Evans 
built  a  new  and  substantial  one  within  a  few 
months,  at  a  cost  of  $60,000.  In  1864  he  disposed  of 
a  half  interest  in  it  to  Mr.  George  W.  Tifft,  of  Buf- 
falo. In  the  same  year  the  elevator  was  a  second 
time  destroyed  by  fire,  but  was  rebuilt  in  1865.  It 
proved  a  most  successful  enterprise  from  the  start, 
and  for  many  years  has  been  a  valuable  propertj'. 
The  interest  purchased  by  the  late  Mr.  Tifft  is  still 
owned  by  his  heirs.  Mr.  Evans  remained  in  the 
elevator  business  until  his  death.  His  business 
career  covered  a  period  of  fifty-three  years,  and  was 
remarkable  for  its  continuous  activity  and  unvary- 
ing success.  "The  Evans  Elevator  is  not  only  the 
longest  established  but  also  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  substantial  in  Buffalo,  having  a  capacity  of 
nearly  half  a  million  bushels  of  wheat.  Among  the 
business  men  of  Buffalo  no  man  stood  higher  in  the 
esteem  of  his  associates  than  Mr.  Evans.  He  was 
the  soul  of  probity  and  honor  in  all  his  transactions, 
and  his  reputation  as  a  just  and  honorable  citizen  as 
well  as  an  active  and  enterprising  business  man  was 
well  kn  >wn.  Mr.  Evans  was  frequently  entrusted 
with  the  settlement  of  large  estates,  some  of  them  of 
great  value.  Among  these  latter,  and  probably  the 
most  important,  was  the  extensive  Peacock  estate, 
left  by  his  wife's  uncle.  Judge  Peacock,  of  May- 
ville,  N.  Y.  The  delicate  and  difficult  task  of  set- 
tling this  valuable  property,  most  of  which  is  in  real 
estate  in  Buffalo,  was  successfully  accomplished 
by  him  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  Mr. 
Evans  also  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  writing  and 
literary  work.  In  1882  he  published  a  history  of 
the  "  Fox,  Ellicott  and  Evans  Families,"  compiled 
from  data  which  he  had  been  collecting  for  fifty 
years.    "  It  is  probably  one  of  the  most  elaborate 


and  comprehensive  family  histories  ever  published 
in  this  country,  and  is  illustrated  with  family  por- 
traits and  reproductions  of  valuable  old  maps  and 
plates."  It  has  come  to  have  a  high  value  to  gen- 
ealogists and  historians,  and  is  used  as  a  standard 
book  of  reference.  Another  work  to  which  Mr. 
Evans  devoted  a  great  deal  of  time  and  labor  was  a 
history  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  the  leading  Episcopal 
Church  of  Buffalo,  with  which  he  was  connected 
more  than  forty-three  years,  and  regarding  which 
he  was  probably  better  informed  and  more  intim- 
ately acquainted  than  any  other  person.  Although 
completed,  this  work  was  still  in  manuscript  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  but  is  to  be  published  by  his  fam- 
ily. Mr.  Evans  was  a  valued  friend  of  the  late  Rev. 
Dr.  Shelton,  who  was  the  esteemed  rector  of  St. 
Paul's  for  over  fifty  years,  and  was  one  of  the  ex- 
ecutors of  his  estate.  He  was  a  warden  of  St. 
Paul's  for  twenty-five  years,  and  had  been  honored 
by  the  parish  with  all  the  lay  offices  in  its  gift.  All 
the  impulses  of  his  nature  were  generous  and  chari- 
table, but  with  the  same  modesty  that  characterized 
every  action  of  his  life  he  wrought  his  good  deeds 
as  much  as  possible  in  secret,  often  not  even  inform- 
ing his  own  family  of  them.  His  benefactions  were 
numerous,  far-reaching  and  liberal,  and  were  never 
afterwards  alluded  to  by  him.  His  death  took  place 
on  the  date  previously  given,  at  his  home,  No.  468 
Delaware  Avenue.  The  funeral  services  were  con- 
ducted on  the  afternoon  of  Monday,  February  11, 
1889,  at  his  home,  the  Rev.  John  Huske  officiating. 
The  pall-bearers  were  the  warden  and  vestrymen 
of  St.  Paul's,  and  the  carriers  were  eight  employees 
of  the  Evans  Elevator,  headed  by  Patrick  Power, 
the  competent,  faithful  and  trusted  superintendent 
of  the  Evans  Elevator,  who  had  been  in  Mr.  Evans' 
employ  for  thirty-five  years.  Mr.  Evans'  death  was 
deplored  as  a  public  loss,  and  the  most  sincere  ex- 
pressions of  sorrow  were  heard  on  all  sides.  The 
Buffalo  Courier  of  Sunday,  February  10,  1889,  in  an 
editorial  referring  to  it,  said  : 

"  There  died  in  Charles  W.  Evans,  Friday  night, 
a  man  whose  modesty  was  an  actual  misfortune  to 
the  community  in  which  he  lived.  His  high  qual- 
ities would  have  admirably  fitted  him  for  almost  any 
public  station,  and  had  they  been  more  widely  recog- 
nized the  comruunity  would  have  been  a  decided 
gainer.  In  his  dealings  with  other  men  he  was  the 
personification  of  justice,  and  when  the  claims  of 
exact  justice  had  been  first  satisfied,  he  was  ready 
to  be  liberal — in  fact,  in  a  quiet  way  he  was  an  ex- 
ceedingly generous  man.  He  'was  successful  in 
business,  and  he  was  scholarly  in  his  tastes,  having 
all  his  long  life  been  a  reader  of  good  books.  His- 
tory was  his  special  study,  and  the  account  of  the 
Ellicott,  Fox  and  Evans  families,  which  he  brought 
out  in  1882,  was  no  mean  specimen  of  bookmaking. 
Mr.  Evans  was  very  conservative  in  his  ways,  as 


I  I  2 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


became  one  of  his  Quaker  bringirig  up,  but  his 
opinions  were  eminently  sound,  and  his  services 
to  any  cause  were  of  great  value.  Few  men  have 
seemed  to  study  so  carefully  to  make  every  simple 
action  square  with  the  rules  of  prudence,  integrity, 
and  righteousness,  and  it  may  be  said  that  few  men 
have  succeeded  in  living  seventy-seven  years  in  a 
manner  worthier  of  imitation.  Perhaps  Mr.  Evans' 
most  marked  grace  was  a  thoughtful  courtesy  that 
never  failed  to  recognize  the  slightest  service,  and 
in  fact  that  never  missed  an  opportunity  to  perform 
a  kindly  act." 

Other  published  references  to  Mr.  Evans'  life  were 
equally  laudatory  of  his  character  and  goodness  of 
heart.  Mr.  Evans  was  one  of  five  brothers,  all  suc- 
cessful business  men  in  Buffalo,  viz.,  John  R., 
James  C,  Charles  AY.,  (the  subject  of  this  sketch), 
William  A.  and  Lewis  E.  Evans.  He  married,  in 
1857,  Miss  Mary  Peacock,  of  Mayville,  N.  Y., 
daughter  of  Captain  John  and  Maria  Frees  Peacock, 
and  a  niece  of  the  late  Judge  William  Peacock,  of 
Mayville,  with  whom  she  had  lived  as  a  daughter 
from  her  fifth  year,  her  father's  home  in  Lyons,  N. 
Y.,  having  been  broken  up  by  the  early  death  of  her 
mother.  Mrs.  Evans  survives,  as  do  also  their  two 
daughters  :  Mrs.  George  Hunter  Bartlett  and  Miss 
Virginia  Evans. 


ODELL,  HON.  BENJAMIN  BARKER,  Mayor  of 
Newburgh,  Oransre  County,  was  born  Septem- 
ber 10,  1825,  in  what  is  known  as  the  Governor 
Clinton  homestead,  situated  iu  the  town  of  New 
Windsor,  Orange  County,  New  Y'ork.  His  father, 
Isaac  Odell,  was  a  direct  lineal  descendant  of  the 
family  of  that  name,  which  settled  in  Westchester 
County  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  en- 
gaged in  that  memorable  conflict,  and  held  a  com- 
mission in  the  service.  His  mother  was  Mary  Ann 
Barker,  of  Westchester  County,  from  whence  she 
came  to  Orange  County  with  her  parents  in  1820, 
where  they  subsequently  resided.  In  accordance 
with  the  custom  of  those  times,  young  Odell  was  ap- 
prenticed at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  to  a  farmer,  one 
Abram  Weller,  of  the  town  of  Montgomery,  and 
there  remained  for  three  years  following.  While 
thus  employed  he  obtained  his  early  education,  the 
only  advantages  for  which  were  to  be  had  at  the 
district  schools  during  the  winter  months.  How- 
ever, by  improving  his  opportunities,  he  obtained  a 
good  rudimentary  education,  which  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  its  completion  in  that  best  of  all  schools, 
the  one  of  experience.  Succeeding  this  period  of 
his  life  he  entered  the  employ  of  Mr.  B.  W.  Van 
Wert,  with  whom  he  remained  several  years,  and 


then  began  business  for  himself.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  dwell  upon  the  various  enterprises  in  which  he 
was  engaged  up  to  the  year  1803,  when  he  pur- 
chased from  Mr.  James  R.  Dickson  the  business 
known  as  the  Muchattoes  Ice  Company.  Through 
his  careful  management  this  business  increased  un- 
til, in  1886,  it  was  incorporated  as  a  company  with  a 
capital  of  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand  dollars, 
and  Mr.  Odell  elected  its  President,  which  position 
he  still  holds.  Mr.  Odell  has,  since  early  manhood, 
taken  an  active  part  in  politics,  at  first  being  identi- 
fied with  the  Democratic  party,  but  since  the  firing 
upon  Fort  Sumter  he  has  been  an  ardent  and  con- 
scientious Republican,  ne  has  held  numerous  po- 
sitions of  trust,  as  a  token  of  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  his  fellow-citizens  ;  among  them  being 
Trustee  of  the  Village  of  Newburgh:  one  of  its  first 
Alderman  upon  the  incorporation  of  the  city;  Su- 
pervisor of  the  town  of  New  Windsor,  and  Sheriff 
of  the  County  of  Orange.  In  1884  Mr.  Odell  was 
elected  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Newburgh  on  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  and  at  two  subsequent  elections 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  constituents  en- 
sured his  re-election,  and  he  is  now  filling  the  office 
for  the  third  term  to  the  full  satisfaction  of  the  citi- 
zens, with  credit  to  the  city  and  honor  to  himself. 
Still  in  the  prime  of  life  and  vigorous  manhood, 
Mr.  Odell's  career  has  much  in  prospect  on  which 
his  friends  base  flattering  predictions  of  continued 
usefulness  and  honor.  He  was  married  in  18.00  to 
Miss  Ophelia  Bookstaver,  the  daughter  of  Hiram 
Bookstaver,  Esq.,  of  the  town  of  Montgomery.  Of 
eleven  children  born  to  them  five  are  still  living, 
their  names  being  respectively :  Benjamin  B.,  Jr., 
Hiram  B.,  George  C.  D.,  Ophelia,  and  Clara. 

 *  

REYNOLDS,  TABOR  B.,  M.D.,  a  leading  medi- 
cal practitioner  of  Saratoga  Springs,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Wilton,  Saratoga  County,  April 
8, 1821.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Henry  Reynolds, 
a  well  known  physician  of  Wilton,  and  from  him 
inherited  his  medical  tastes.  Having  completed  his 
academic  training  he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine 
in  his  father's  office,  and  when  sufficiently  grounded 
in  the  rudiments  of  his  chosen  profession  was  placed 
under  the  tuition  of  Doctors  Marsh  and  Armsby,  two 
of  the  first  medical  men  of  Albany,  studying  at  the 
same  time  as  a  pupil  in  the  Albany  Medical  College. 
In  February,  1842,  lie  graduated  from  the  institution 
named  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  ;  and 
returning  to  Wilton  was  associated  in  practice  with 
his  father  until  the  latter's  death,  December  20,  1857, 
when  he  became  the  colleague  of  his  younger 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


113 


brother.  Dr.  John  Henry  Reynolds,  with  whom  he 
continued  in  partnership  until  the  hitter's  decease, 
April  3,  1870.  In  the  early  part  of  1871  he  removed 
to  Saratoga  Springs.  While  a  resident  of  Wilton 
lie  took  an  active  part  in  local  affairs  and  was  re- 
peatedly honored  by  his  townsmen  with  official 
position.  From  1847  to  1852  he  held  the  office  of 
Town  Superintendent  of  Schools  and  through  his 
capable  oversight  and  unflagging  zeal  in  their  ser. 
vice  greatly  increased  their  efficiency.  In  1850  and 
1857  he  served  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  in 
1863  was  again  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  and 
by  successive  re-elections  held  the  office  until  the 
close  of  1867.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  was  elected 
by  the  voters  of  the  Democratic  and  American  par- 
ties to  represent  the  Second  Assembly  District  in 
the  Slate  Legislature,  in  which  he  was  a  popular 
and  useful  member  during  his  term  of  office.  His 
early  political  affiliations  were  with  the  Democratic 
party,  but  during  the  Civil  War  he  was  a  stanch 
and  patriotic  supporter  of  the  National  Government, 
and  untiring  in  his  efforts  to  maintain  its  supremacy. 
His  services  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors  during  this 
period  were  marked  by  unflagging  zeal  for  the  pub- 
lic interests,  and  were  absorbing  and  laborious.  In 
the  special  work  of  securing  enlistments,  filling  the 
county's  quota  of  men  for  the  Union  army,  and 
providing  for  the  payment  of  bounties  and  for  the 
wants  of  the  soldiers  generally,  he  rendered  active 
and  important  assistance  to  the  county,  State  and 
National  authorities,  and  earned  the  unqualified 
praise  and  thanks  of  his  fellow-citizens.  In  the  fall  of 
1867  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  the  county  by  a  flatter- 
ing majority,  and  served  with  high  credit  to  himself 
and  satisfaction  to  the  people  until  the  close  of  the 
term,  December  31,  1870.  Feeling  that  he  had  fully 
performed  his  duty  to  the  public  he  resumed  profes- 
sional work  upon  his  retirement  from  office,  remov- 
ing to  the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  By  his  eminent  skill  as  a  physician, 
his  high  character  as  a  citizen,  and  his  genial  quali- 
ties as  a  man,  he  has  advanced  to  the  very  front 
rank  of  public  and  professional  esteem,  and  has 
built,  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  which  is 
second  to  no  other  in  the  county.  For  many  years 
he  Las  been  an  active  and  leading  member  of  the 
Saratoga  County  Medical  Society,  and  was  its  Presi- 
dent in  1857.  In  1858  he  was  chosen  a  Permanent 
Member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society, 
and  also  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. In  1872  he  was  President  of  the  Union 
Medical  Association  of  Washington,  Warren  and 
Saratoga  Counties.  In  1878  Dr.  Reynolds  was  ap- 
pointed a  single  Examining  Surgeon  for  Pensions  at 
Saratoga  Springs,  which  position  beheld  until  1886, 


when  he  resigned  the  same.  On  the  24th  of  April, 
1889,  he  was  appointed  one  of  a  Board  of  three  Ex- 
amining Surgeons  to  be  located  at  Saratoga  Springs, 
New  York.  In  1884  he  was  associated  with  many 
others  as  charter  members  in  and  assisted  in  organ- 
izing the  New  York  State  Medical  Association,  of 
which  he  still  remains  an  active  member.  In  all 
these  official  positions  he  has  earned  the  esteem  of 
his  associates,  and  his  labors  in  advancing  the  inter- 
ests of  the  several  associations  have  been  marked 
by  rare  efficiency  and  success.  Dr.  Reynolds  mar- 
ried, February  17,  1843,  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Emerson, 
daughter  of  Lyndes  Emerson,  Esq.,  a  respected 
resident  of  Wilton.  Mrs.  Reynolds,  who  was  the 
faithful  and  valued  friend,  assistant  and  counsellor 
of  her  husband  for  more  than  a  generation,  died 
after  a  lingering  illness,  September  9,  1874.  Dr. 
Reynolds  has  never  remarried  and  has  no  children 
living. 


BREWSTER,  HENRY,  of  the  great  carriage 
manufacturing  establishment  of  Brewster  & 
Co.,  of  New  York  City,  was  born  in  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  May  19,  1824,  and  died  in  New 
York,  September  20, 1887.  He  was  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Elder  William  Brewster,  and  the  third  son  of 
James  Brewster  of  New  Haven,  who  was  eminent 
in  his  time  for  his  business  energy,  public  spirit,  in- 
tegrity of  character  and  philanthropic  labors,  and 
who  founded  the  carriage  business,  with  which  the 
name  of  Brewster  has  since  been  identified.  Henry 
Brewster  inherited  his  father's  characteristic  traits, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  occupied  a  leading  po- 
sition among  the  carriage  manufacturers  of  the 
world,  being  the  senior  member  of  a  firm  which  did 
a  far  more  extensive  business  than  any  other  car- 
riage establishment  in  existence,  and  which  shipped 
its  carriages  to  all  parts  of  the  globe.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  abandoned  the  idea,  which  he  had 
previously  entertained,  of  entering  Yale  College,  de- 
cided to  go  into  business,  and  was  apprenticed  to 
Brooks  Hughes,  a  well  known  hardware  merchant 
of  New  Haven.  At  twenty-one  he  came  to  New 
York,  and,  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  be- 
came associated  with  his  father  and  elder  brother 
in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  carriages,  under  the 
linn  name  of  James  Brewster  &  Sons.  In  1856  this 
firm  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Brewster  formed  a 
partnership  with  James  W.  Lawrence  and  the  late 
John  W.  Britton,  adopting  the  firm  name  of  Brew- 
ster &  Co.,  which  has  never  since  been  changed. 
Their  factory  for  many  years  was  in  Broome  Street, 
whence  was  derived  the  well-known  title  of  "  Brew- 


ii4 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


ster  &  Co.  of  Broome  Street."  Their  generous  ex- 
penditures in  all  the  details  of  building  a  carriage, 
and  the  artistic  and  thoroughly  reliable  character  of 
their  work,  gave  them  a  unique  position  in  the  busi- 
ness world,  and  attracted  the  attention  of  the  lead- 
ing carriage  manufacturers  of  England,  France  and 
Germany  to  such  an  extent  that  it  has  long  been 
customary  for  those  manufacturers  to  place  their 
sons  in  the  factory  of  Brewster  &  Co.  as  an  essen- 
tial pari  of  their  education.  Mr.  Brewster  was  ably 
assisted  in  the  promotion  of  his  business  by  his 
partners.  One  of  them,  Mr.  Britton,  was  for  several 
years  prior  to  his  death  President  of  the  Union  Dime 
Savings  Bank,  a  position  which  he  reluctantly  as- 
sumed at  a  time  when  the  institution  had  met  with 
serious  reverses.  Under  his  management  it  rapidly 
regained  its  former  strength.  Mr.  Britton  was  a 
man  of  commanding  presence,  possessing  an  active 
and  comprehensive  mind,  and  was  a  keen  student 
of  the  social  and  economical  tendencies  of  the  time. 
In  1872  the  firm  admitted  its  employees  to  an  inter- 
est in  the  business,  an  experiment  peculiarly  in- 
teresting as  being  the  first  of  the  kind  made  in  this 
country.  The  result  was  a  disappointment,  as  with 
the  great  labor  agitation  some  time  later  the  men  vol- 
untarily withdrew  from  and  terminated  the  industrial 
co-partnership  to  join  the  general  strike  then  in  prog- 
ress. Other  experiments  in  the  same  direction 
made  by  the  firm  have  been  more  satisfactory,  such 
as  having  a  veteran  roll,  and  giving  to  all  who  have 
been  in  the  employment  of  the  firm  for  a  certain 
number  of  years  a  gratuity  in  addition  to  their  regu- 
lar wages,  this  gratuity  increasing  with  the  term  of 
service.  The  firm  received  the  bronze  medal  at  the 
International  Exposition  held  in  London  in  1862; 
and  though,  at  the  Centennial  Exhibition  in  Phila- 
delphia, it  declined  to  make  any  competitive  entry 
of  its  carriages,  owing  to  the  fact  that  one  of  its 
representatives  was  on  the  Committee  of  Award,  it 
nevertheless  exhibited  there  a  number  of  vehicles, 
which  attracted  much  attention  by  their  variety 
and  elegance.  At  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1878  the 
firm  was  awarded  the  gold  medal,  and  Mr.  Brewster 
was  decorated  with  the  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Hon- 
or. For  this  unusual  distinction  the  carriage 
makers  of  the  United  States,  in  testimony  of  the 
compliment  reflected  upon  themselves,  joined  in 
presenting  the  tirm  with  a  gold  tablet  suitably  in- 
scribed. This  was  the  occasion  of  a  celebration  in 
New  York,  much  commented  upon  at  the  time  by 
the  press,  in  which  leading  carriage  manufacturers 
of  the  country  and  many  representative  men  of 
Other  vocations  took  part.  Mr.  Brewster  was  one 
of  the  original  members  of  the  Union  League  Club, 
and,  like  Ins  father,  was  noted  for  his  aggressive 


patriotism.  In  the  dark  days  of  the  Rebellion,  at 
the  time  of  the  draft  riots,  his  tirm  was  the  first  to 
raise  the  Union  flag  in  this  city  upon  its  building  in 
Broome  Street,  and  to  protect  it  against  the  mob  by 
a  cannon  manned  by  its  employees.  For  this  act 
Mr.  Brewster's  life  was  threatened;  and  he  escaped 
only  by  concealing  himself  until  the  arrival  of  the 
Federal  troops.  Mr.  Brewster  was  a  fine  type  of 
the  class  of  successful  business  men,  who,  coming 
from  the  country  in  early  manhood,  have  pushed 
their  fortunes  in  New  York,  and,  while  achieving  a 
high  personal  success,  have  promoted  the  interests 
of  the  city  and  country.  He  was  a  man  of  a  de- 
lightful social  nature,  with  a  manner  which,  though 
simple  and  unaffected,  was  marked  by  a  certain 
courtliness.  He  will  long  be  remembered  for  his 
business  integrity,  his  ready  sympathy,  his  rare 
generosity,  and  his  munificent  hospitality. 


FRAZAE,  EVERETT,  Consul-General  for  the 
Kingdom  of  Korea,  in  the  United  States,  was 
born  at  Duxbury,  Mass.,  October  4,  1834. 
He  is  descended  on  the  paternal  side  from  the  old 
and  historic  Clan  Fraser,  of  Inverness,  Scotland. 
When  the  American  Colonies  threw  off  the  yoke  of 
Great  Britain,  his  ancestors,  then  resident  in  New 
England,  warmly  espoused  the  patriot  cause,  and 
in  honor  of  the  change  in  their  allegiance  altered  the 
name  to  its  present  form,  thus  making  it  distinc- 
tively American.  Mr.  Frazar's  grandfather,  Samuel 
Alden  Frazar,  was  a  prominent  shipbuilder  and 
shipowner  at  Duxbury,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1800,  and 
down  to  1830.  His  father,  George  Frazar,  was 
born  at  Duxbury,  in  1801,  and  died  at  Watertown, 
Mass.,  in  1887.  He  also  was  a  shipbuilder  at  Dux- 
bury. In  1842  he  went  to  Dong  Kong,  China, 
where  he  remained  until  1849.  George  Frazar  mar- 
ried Ann  Little,  of  Pembroke,  Mass.  He  was  a  di- 
rect descendant  of  John  Alden,  one  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers,  who  came  over  in  the  "  Mayflower,"  and 
landed  at  Plymouth  Rock  in  December,  1020.  Ev- 
erett Frazar,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  began  his 
education  in  the  Partridge  Academy,  at  Duxbury. 
When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  moved  to  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  and  for  some  time  was  a  pupil  in  the 
High  School  there.  Later  he  entered  the  famous 
Chauncey  Hall  School  in  Boston,  where  he  finished 
his  academic  studies,  graduating  in  the  class  of 
1851.  He  then  entered  the  counting  room  of  Enoch 
Train  &  Co.,  Boston,  proprietors  of  the  Boston  ifc 
Liverpool  line  of  packets,  where  George  Francis 
Train  was  a  partner  until  1854.  In  April,  1858,  Mr. 
Frazar  set  sail  from  Boston  for  Shanghai,  China,  in 


Atlantic PubHs/uny  &  fngrtzving  CoJW 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK 


the  bark  "Maryland,"  arriving  in  October,  1858, 
after  a  voyage  of  184  days,  establishing  the  mercan- 
tile firm  of  Frazar  &  Co.,  which  is  still  in  existence 
in  Shanghai.  A  branch  of  the  firm  was  opened  in 
Nagasaki,  Japan,  in  1860,  and  in  Hong  Kong  in 
1875.  The  firm  had  conducted  a  large  business  in 
petroleum,  both  in  China  and  Japan,  up  to  1878, 
when  a  branch  house  was  established  in  Yokohama, 
with  the  same  firm  name,  Frazar  <fc  Co.,  under  the 
charge  of  its  present  resident  partner,  Mr.  John 
Lindsley,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  who  first  entered  the 
house  in  Shanghai  in  18C>7,  having  just  then  gradu- 
ated from  Harvard  College.  In  1872  Mr.  William 
Shepard  Wetmore.  of  New  York,  joined  the  firm  of 
Frazar  &  Co.,  Shanghai.  Mr.  Wetmore  had  had  a 
long  and  valued  experience  in  business  in  China, 
with  the  United  States,  England,  etc.,  as  a  partner 
of  the  American  firms  of  Wetmore  &  Co.,  Canton, 
and  Wetmore.  Williams  ct  Co.,  and  Wetmore,  Cly- 
de? &  Co.,  of  Hong  Kong,  Shanghai  and  New  York. 
Frazar  &  Co.  have  for  many  years  done  an  exten- 
sive business  in  teas,  silk,  straw  braid,  cotton  goods 
and  petroleum,  and  is  one  of  the  few  remaining  old 
established  American  houses  in  active  business  in 
China.  From  1867  to  1872  the  firm  acted  as  agents 
for  several  of  the  large  Australian  coal  mines,  re- 
ceiving from  them  on  consignment  during  the  years 
1872  and  1873,  fifty-six  ships  with  35,000  tons  of  coal, 
which  were  sold  to  the  Chinese  Government,  Chi- 
nese merchants,  foreign  men-of-war,  etc.  From 
Puget  Sound  Mills,  in  1873,  the  firm  received  four- 
teen cargoes  of  lumber,  with  a  total  of  eight  mil- 
lions of  feet,  and  from  New  York  ten  ships  with  as- 
sorted cargoes  of  cotton  goods,  petroleum,  coal  and 
sundries.  The  firm  also  controlled  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  foreign  shipping  arriving  at  Shanghai, 
at  times  numbering  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  sail 
of  different  nationalities  in  port  at  one  time,  com- 
prising American,  British,  French,  German,  Aus- 
trian. Dutch,  Italian,  Russian,  Norwegian,  Swedish, 
Spanish,  Chinese,  etc.  In  1860  Frazar  &  Co.  were 
appointed  agents  for  the  Boston  Board  of  Marine 
Underwriters,  in  1867  for  the  New  Y'ork  Under- 
writers, and  in  1885  for  the  National  Board  of  Ma- 
rine Underwriters.  These  agencies,  together  with 
the  Edison  (incandescent)  and  American  (arc)  elec- 
tric lighting  systems,  the  Baldwin  Locomotive 
Works,  Sims-Edison  Electric  Torpedo  Company, 
Sprague  Electric  Railway  and  Motor  Company,  Har- 
lan <fc  Hollingsworth  Company,  Queen  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company,  and  about  twenty  other  represen- 
tations the  firm  have  in  its  charge  at  the  present 
time.  Of  late  years  they  have  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  introduction  of  electric  lighting  into 
Japan  and  China,  their  first  large  and  successful 


I  contract  being  the  lighting  of  the  Mikado's  new 
;  palace  in  Tokyo,  Japan,  covering  about  eight  acres 
!  of  ground  and  installing  fully  3,000  electric  lights. 
In  1885  Mr.  Frazar's  firm  became  agents  in  Japan 
and  China  for  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  and 
Oregon  Railway  and  Navigation  Company,  loading- 
two  ships  with  teas,  silk  and  general  cargo  for  Ta- 
coma.  In  1886  Mr.  Frazar  concluded  arrangements 
with  Mr.  Yan  Home,  now  President  of  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway,  for  the  opening  up  of  the  new 
Canadian  Pacific  route  with  China  and  Japan  under 
the  management  of  Frazar  &  Co.,  Yokohama  and 
Shanghai,  which,  with  its  prospective  large  Impe- 
rial and  Dominion  Government  annual  mail  subsi- 
dies, (now  fixed  at  £60,000  sterling  per  annum), 
showed  good  inducements  for  the  rapid  development 
of  the  Oriental  trade  with  Canada  and  the  United 
States,  via  Vancouver,  B.  C.  During  the  seasons 
of  1885  and  1886  the  firm  loaded  eight  sailing  ships 
with  about  300,000  packages  of  tea,  silk,  rice,  cu- 
rios, etc.,  from  Japan  to  Vancover  and  eastern 
points,  over  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  and  its 
connections.  During  the  early  part  of  the  season 
1886-87  sailers  were  discarded  and  steamers  sub- 
stituted,  commencing  with  the  first  of  the  new  sea- 
son's Japan  teas  in  May,  1886.  At  first  the  three 
Cunarders,  "Abyssinia,"  "Parthia"  and  "  Ba- 
in via."  were  run  on  the  Canadian  Pacific  route, 
under  the  title  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Steamship 
Company,  making  monthly  trips  between  Hong- 
Kong,  Hiogo,  Yokohama  and  Vancouver.  Through- 
out the  summer  and  fall  of  1888  nine  steamers  wrere 
run  in  the  Canadian  Pacific  Steamship  line,  leaving 
about  every  twelve  days,  and  calling  at  the  ports  of 
Amoy,  Fuchau  and  Shanghai,  in  addition  to  the 
Japan  ports.  Several  of  the  steamers  took  full  com- 
plements of  Chinese  passengers  and  cargo  from 
Hong  Kong,  via  Vancouver  to  San  Francisco,  ow- 
ing to  the  demand  through  probable  passage  of  the 
Chinese  Exclusion  Bill  by  Congress.  This  new 
route  has  been  deservedly  popular  with  both  Amer- 
ican and  Canadian  merchants,  who  are  able  to  avail 
of  both  the  Canadian  and  United  States  markets  at 
their  own  option.  In  March,  1883,  Mr.  Frazar 
went  for  the  third  time  to  Japan  and  China,  return- 
ing in  July  following.  On  the  voyage  from  San 
Francisco  to  Yokohama,  by  the  Pacific  Mail  Steam- 
ship "  City  of  Peking,"  General  Lucius  H.  Foote, 
the  first  appointed  United  States  Minister  to  Korea, 
was  a  fellow  passenger.  Through  the  mutual 
friendship  established  and  upon  the  recommenda- 
tion conveyed  to  His  Majesty,  the  King  of  Korea, 
by  General  Foote,  seconded  by  the  warm  approval 
of  His  Excellency  Prince  Min-Youg  Ik,  Korean 
Ambassador  to  the  United  States,  in  September, 


1 1 6 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEY\T  YORK. 


1888.  who  brought  introductory  letters  from  General 
Foote,  Mr.  Frazar  was  appointed  by  His  Majesty 
tlie  King.  Consul-General  for  Korea  in  the  United 
States,  the  Exequatur,  issued  by  President  Arthur, 
hearing  date  Washington,  April  3,  1884.    In  Sep- 
tember. 1888,  Mr.  Frazar  received  from  His  Majes- 
tv   special  marks  of  appreciation  and  recognition 
for  services  rendered  to  Korea,  accompanied  by 
gold  and  jade  decorations,  and  conveying  by  special 
decree  the  honorary  title  of  Ka  Sun  Tai  Poo,  or 
Korean  nobleman  of  the  second  rank.    On  the  13th 
and  17th  of  January.  1888,  His  Excellency  Pak- 
chung-vang,  the  new  Korean  Minister  and  suite, 
were  presented  to  Secretary  Bayard  and  President 
C  leveland  by  Mr.  Frazar  and  the  Foreign  Secretary, 
Dr.  H.  N.  Allen.    From  1872  to  the  present  time 
Mr.  Frazar  has  been  the  resident  partner  in  New 
Y'ork  of  Frazar  &  Co.,  Shanghai  and  Y'okohama. 
and  since  1878  he  has  resided  with  his  family  in 
Orange,  N.  J.    On  March  20,  1878,  at  a  meeting  of 
about  twenty-five  citizens  of  that  city,  mostly  mem- 
bers of  the  New  England  Society  of  Orange,  it  was 
decided  to  erect  a  music  hall  and  opera  house  to 
hold  about  one  thousand  people.    During  its  con- 
struction Mr.  Frazar  was  Chairman  of  the  Construc- 
tion and  Finance  Committees,  and  soon  after  its 
completion  was  elected  President  of  the  Orange 
Music  Hall  Association,  which  position  he  held  for 
about  five  years.   The  total  cost  of  the  building  with 
land  was  about  870.000.  and  Orange  now  possesses 
one  of  the  finest  music  halls  and  opera  houses  in 
New  Jersey  :  which  to  t he  credit  of  its  management 
has  always  proved  to  be  a  good  yearly  paying  in- 
vestment to  its  stockholders.    The  New  England 
Society  of  Orange,  established  by  a  few  New  Eng- 
land residents  in  1870,  has  its  fine  rooms  located  in 
the  new  Music  Hall,  and  now  numbers  300  members. 
Mr.  Frazar  was  elected  President  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Society  in  1880  and  again  in  1881.    By  special 
request  of  this  society,  and  at  the  personal  solicita- 
tion of  many  of  its  members,  Mr.  Frazar  prepared 
and  read  a  comprehensive  and  exhaustive  paper,  in 
Music  Hall,  Orange,  New  Jersey,  November  15, 
1883,  on  "  Korea  and  her  relations  to  China,  Japan 
and  the  United  States,"  which  was  subsequently 
published  and  widely  distributed.    As  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Orange  Athletic  Club, 
Mr.  Frazar  was  one  of  the  original  founders  of  that 
deservedly  popular  and  useful  institution,  number- 
ing over  500  members.    He  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Orange,  Rev.  Henry  M. 
Storrs,  D.D.,  pastor,  and  holds  the   position  of 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.    In  1866  Mr. 
Frazar  married  Miss  Annie  H.  Lindsley,  daughter 
of  Joseph  C.  and  Abby  F.  Lindsley,  of  Dorchester, 


Massachusetts.  His  family  consists  of  his  wife,  a 
son:  Everett  W.  Frazar,  and  two  daughters:  Miss 
Mabel  Lindsley  Frazar  and  Miss  Abby  Little 
Frazar. 


FIELD.  WILLIAM  HILDKETH.  a  prominent 
member  of  the  New  York  bar.  and  President  of 
the  Catholic  Club  of  New  York,  was  born  in 
that  city  on  Easter  Sunday,  April  16,  1843.  His 
father.  William  Field,  a  native  of  London,  and  de- 
scended from  an  old  Catholic  family  of  England, 
came  to  America  about  the  year  1837.  and  about  the 
year  1841  married  in  New  York  City  (where  he  re- 
sided till  his  death  in  1845)  Miss  Frances  A.  Hildreth, 
daughter  of  Africa  Hildreth,  of  Chesterfield,  New 
Hampshire.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
first  and  is  the  only  surviving  child  of  this  marriage. 
His  parents  were  in  comfortable  circumstances  and 
his  mother  spared  no  expense  or  pains  in  his  educa- 
tion. At  an  early  age  he  entered  the  Mount  Wash- 
ington Collegiate  Institute,  one  of  the  foremost 
schools  of  the  day.  where  he  had  for  fellow  pupils 
Julien  T.  Davies.  Cortland  Palmer  and  others  who, 
like  himself,  ro--e  to  distinction  subsequently  in  the 
professional  life  of  the  metropolis.  After  graduat- 
ing at  the  Institute  he  entered  Union  College,  over 
which  presided,  at  that  time,  the  venerable  Dr. 
Eliphalet  Nott.  Here  he  distinguished  himself  as  a 
diligent  and  conscientious  student,  and  in  1863  was 
graduated  with  high  honors,  especially  in  the  de- 
partments of  mathematics  and  philosophy.  The 
first  gymnastic  apparatus  ever  erected  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  students  of  Union  College  was  the  result 
chiefly  of  his  labors  and  superintendence,  and  the 
first  gymnastic  training  there  was  under  his  control. 
Having  decided  on  adopting  the  profession  of  law, 
he  now  entered  the  Columbia  College  Law  School, 
and  in  1865  added  to  his  degree  in  Arts  that  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws.  Admitted  to  the  bar  in  New 
York  City,  in  May,  1865,  he  began  without  delay  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  was  successful  from 
the  very  start,  and  became  the  full  half  partner  of 
Judge  J.  W.  Edmonds,  in  September.  1865.  His 
business  connection  with  Judge  Edmonds  continued 
until  1874.  when  the-  partnership  was  dissolved  by 
the  death  of  Judge  Edmonds,  and  for  several  years 
Mr.  Field  practiced  alone.  In  1867  he  was  married 
to  Lottie  E.  Miller,  at  Homer,  Cortland  County,  New 
Y'ork.  and  the  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  chil- 
dren. In  1881  he  organized  the  firm  of  Field  and  Har- 
rison which  is  still  in  existence,  constituting  the 
real  estate  department  of  his  business.  In  1882, 
and  for  general  practice  other  than  real  estate  law 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


117 


business,  he  associated  with  himself  Chas.  A.  Deshon, 
his  former  managing  clerk,  forming  the  firm  of 
William  Hildreth  Field  and  Deshon,  of  which  he 
became  and  still  continues  counsel  and  senior  mem- 
ber. Mr.  Field  entered  the  arena  of  law  more  than 
ordinarily  well  equipped  for  the  duties  of  his  chosen 
calling.  Unlike  many  who  then  as  now  crowd  the 
ranks  of  the  legal  profession,  he  possessed  not  only 
the  training  but  the  tastes  of  a  scholar.  His  educa- 
tion was  thorough  because  he  found  pleasure  in 
pursuing  it.  Well  grounded  in  the  classics,  apt  in 
logic,  keen  in  analysis  and  master  of  language,  he 
was  not  long  in  making  himself  felt  among  his  col- 
leagues at  the  bar.  To  these  mental  qualifications 
lie  added  a  robust  physique,  enabling  him  to  endure 
almost  any  strain  of  work  or  application,  and  a  so- 
norous but  well-modulated  voice.  He  instituted  the 
first  suit  brought  by  George  Washington  Bowen  to 
set  aside  the  will  of  Madame  Jumel  and  to  recover 
the  lands  of  which  she  died  seized,  under  the  statute 
allowing  an  illegitimate  son  to  inherit  from  his 
mother.  He  argued  and  won  the  case  of  Swift 
against  the  Mayor  in  the  Court  of  Appeals,  whereby 
was  recovered  for  the  first  time  more  than  filOOO 
upon  a  contract  which  had  not  been  awarded  upon 
a  public  letting.  He  was  attorney  and  of  counsel 
for  the  defendant  in  the  case  of  Smith  against  Long, 
when  the  title  to  the  Hopper-Mott  farm  was  con- 
firmed in  the  equitable  owners  thereof.  He  was  at- 
torney and  of  counsel  for  the  defendant  in  the  Mayor 
against  the  Tenth  National  Bank,  wherein  the  ad- 
vances made  by  the  bank  to  the  Court  House  Com- 
missioner were  recovered  because  advanced  in  good 
faith  by  the  officers  of  the  bauk,  although  a  large 
percentage  of  them  were  misappropriated  by  one  of 
the  Commissioners  and  also  a  Director  of  the  bank. 
Mr.  Field  has  edited  the  ninth  volume  of  Edmonds' 
"  Statutes,"  and  has  tried  many  cases  in  which  his 
construction  of  the  statutes  has  settled  the  law  of 
the  State  by  decision  of  the  Court  of  Appeals.  His 
standing  is  in  the  front  rank  of  his  profession  and 
has  been  achieved  by  rare  personal  merit  and  the 
performance  of  "an  amount  of  business  that  a  man 
of  ordinary  intellectual  and  physical  resources  would 
find  some  difficulty  in  grappling  with  successfully." 
In  his  college  days  Mr.  Field  became  a  close  student 
of  the  writers  of  the  Middle  Ages.  He  was  especially 
impressed  by  the  writings  of  Dante,  which  pro- 
foundly and  permanently  affected  his  character. 
Mr.  Field  is  a  professing  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  for  a  score  of  years  or  more  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  a  number  of  its  institu- 
tions in  his  native  city.  An  early  member  of  the 
Xavier  Union,  founded  in  1871,  he  became  its  Presi- 
dent in  1887.    Under  his  administration  the  organ- 


ization was  transformed  into  the  Catholic  Club  of 
the  City  of  New  York.  This  organization,  of  which 
he  remains  President,  and  which  now  numbers 
nearly  five  hundred  members,  "embraces  most  of 
the  Catholics  of  New  "York,  distinguished  in  art, 
science,  literature,  the  learned  professions  and  the 
upper  walks  of  commercial  life."  Its  standard  of 
qualifications  for  membership  is  very  high  and  its 
increase  is  gradual  but  eminently  satisfactory.  Its 
influence  is  already  far-reaching  and  effective,  and  it 
holds  a  leading  place  among  the  best  of  the  social 
organizations  of  the  city.  As  a  layman  of  the 
Catholic  Chufch  Mr.  Field  occupies  a  prominent 
position.  He  is  warmly  interested  in  a  number  of 
benevolent  enterprises  conducted  under  its  auspices, 
and  takes  a  willing  and  active  part  in  every  work 
for  the  promotion  of  Catholic  interests.  For  some 
time  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Manage- 
ment of  the  Roman  Catholic  Orphan  Asylums,  and 
has  been  a  watchful  and  zealous  guardian  of  their 
interests.  From  his  prominence  in  Catholic  secular 
affairs  Mr.  Field  has  a  wide  acquaintance  with  the 
priests  and  prelates  of  that  faith,  and  is  esteemed  by 
j  them  as  a  gentleman  of  the  highest  moral  character 
and  of  profound  religious  convictions.  Twenty-five 
years  of  active  law  practice  have  brought  him  into 
personal  contact  with  nearly  all  the  distinguished 
lights  of  the  legal  profession  in  the  State,  and  his 
friendships  among  this  class  also  are  both  numerous 
and  cordial.  Absorbed  in  professional  and  benevo- 
lent work  he  has  never  found  the  leisure  to  consider 
the  holding  of  public  office  ;  and,  although  an  active 
Democrat  and  living  in  one  of  the  greatest  strong- 
holds of  that  party,  has  never  sought  official  position. 
On  March  G,  1889,  he  was  appointed  by  Mayor 
Grant  a  member  of  the  Supervisory  Board  of  the 
Municipal  Civil  Service  Commission. 


ERHAHDT,  HON.  JOEL  B.,  Collector  of  the  Port 
of  New  York,  was  born  in  Pottstown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, 52  years  ago.  His  mother,  Loirisa  Ben- 
edict, was  a  sister  of  Erastus  C.  Beuedict,  Chan- 
cellor of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  of  the  late  Prof.  Benedict,  of  the  University  of 
Yermont.  Her  ancestors  on  the  male  side  may  be 
traced  back  to  the  Mayflower  and  included  many 
clergyman  of  eminence.  When  four  years  of  age 
young  Erhardt  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  New 
York  City.  He  received  his  elementary  education 
at  the  famous  Whitehead  School.  His  first  busi- 
ness experience  was  as  clerk  in  the  house  of  Horts- 
mann  Bros,  Allen  &  Co.  In  1858  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion in  the  Metropolitan  Insurance  Company  :  but 


uS 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


having  a  taste  for  law,  he  entered  the  office  of  Ben- 
edict it  Benedic  t,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
He  then  entered  the  Vermont  University,  where  lie 
finished  his  collegiate  education.  At  the  outbreak 
of  the  war,  while  still  a  student,  he  went  to  the 
front  as  a  private  in  Company  F,  7th  Regiment.  N. 
Y.S.N. G.  The  life  of  an  infantryman  not  being 
congenial,  Mr.  Erhardt  enlisted  in  the  1st  Vermont 
Cavalry,  and  a  few  weeks  subsequently  he  was 
made  First  Lieutenant.  A  short  time  afterward  he 
was  commissioned  Captain  for  gallantry  in  the  field. 
In  the  bloody  engagement  at  Ashby's  Gap.  Vir- 
ginia, September,  18(52.  Erhardt  again  won  honora- 
ble mention  for  gallantry  on  the  field.  At  the  bat- 
tles of  Fort  Republic,  Middletown,  Winchester, 
Luray  Court  House,  Culpepper  Court  House,  Kel- 
ley's  Ford.  Waterloo  Bridge  and  Bull  Bun.  Captain 
Erhardt  bore  a  conspicuous  part.  His  horses  were 
repeatedly  shot  from  under  him,  but  he  escaped 
with  few  wounds.  In  18G3  the  draft  riots  oc- 
curred in  New  York,  and  the  city  was  for  a  few 
days  in  the  hands  of  the  mob.  Colonel  Erhardt 
had  been  previously  appointed  by  President  Lincoln 
Provost  Marshal  for  the  Fourth  Congressional  Dis- 
trict of  New  York.  While  every  other  head- 
quarters was  torn  to  the  ground,  Colonel  Erhardt 
stood  at  his  post,  and  met  the  infuriated  mob  with 
courage  and  coolness.  He  procured  guns  from  the 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  and  the  mob,  seeing  he  could 
neither  be  tampered  with  nor  dismayed,  subsided. 
Three  years  later  Colonel  Erhardt  was  appointed 
Assistant  United  States  District  Attorney  under 
Benjamin  Stillman.  The  year  following.  Mayor 
Wickham,  a  Democrat,  appointed  him  Police 
Commissioner.  The  department  was  immediately 
changed,  and  it  never  exhibited  more  efficiency  than 
while  Colonel  Erhardt  sat  on  the  Board.  President 
Arthur  recognized  his  executive  ability  and  devo- 
tion to  public  duty,  and  made  him  United  States 
Marshal  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  Y'ork. 
In  this,  as  in  other  offices.  Colonel  Erhardt  evinced 
the  same  business  tact,  energy,  honesty  and  devo- 
tion to  duty.  So  upright  was  he  that  the  Demo- 
cratic Administration  returned  him  a  balance  found 
in  his  favor  which  he  had  failed  to  allow  himself, 
accompanied  by  a  memorial  complimenting  him  on 
the  excellent  manner  in  which  he  had  discharged 
the  duties  of  his  office.  Colonel  Erhardt  was  nom- 
inated by  the  Republican  party  for  Mayor  of  New 
York  in  October,  1888,  at  the  most  enthusiastic  con- 
vention ever  held  in  the  cityr.  He  received  a  large 
support  outside  of  his  own  party,  but  he  was  de- 
feated by  Mayor  Hugh  J.  Grant.  Colonel  Erhardt, 
however,  ran  ahead  of  ex-Mayor  Hewitt,  the  Citi- 
zen's and  the  County  Democracy  candidate,  by  sev- 


eral thousand  votes.  He  largely  contributed  to  the 
success  of  the  National  ticket,  and  when  President 
Harrison  appointed  him  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
New  York  the  appointment  met  with  the  unani- 
mous approval  of  all  classes  of  citizens.  The  im- 
portance of  the  Collectorship  of  the  Port  of 
New  York  may  be  gauged  by  the  statistics  of 
the  emigration  and  imports  that  enter  the  port 
of  New  York.  The  imports  from  England  alone 
during  the  last  year  reached  two  hundred  mil- 
lion dollars.  That  Collector  Erhardt  will  fulfill  his 
onerous  duties  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  citizens, 
his  past  career  sufficiently  attests.  Colonel  Erhardt 
is  a  man  who  all  his  life  time  has  recognized  fidelity 
to  principle,  and  this  virtue,  of  the  many  he  possesses, 
has  had  much  to  do  in  raising  him  to  his  present 
responsible  position.  Personally  he  is  a  man  easy 
of  access,  though  dignified  and  independent  in 
character.  He  is  a  keen  judge  of  men.  Appar- 
ently austere,  a  moment's  conversation  with  him, 
however,  shows  that  he  is  of  a  broad  and  generous 
nature.  His  tact,  his  business  experience,  his  de- 
votion to  duty,  his  integrity,  eminently  fit  him  for 
the  important  position  he  occupies,  and  his  selec- 
tion for  the  Collectorship  of  the  Port  of  New  York 
reflects  credit  on  the  administration  of  President 
Harrison. 


HORNBLOWER,  WILLIAM  BUTLER,  a  prom- 
inent lawyer  of  New  York  City,  was  born  at 
Patcrson,  New  Jersey,  May  13,  1851.  lie 
conies  of  a  distinguished  ancestry.  His  great- 
grandfather, the  Hon.  Josiali  Hornblower,  was  a 
member  of  the  Colonial  Congress  ;  his  grandfather, 
the  Hon.  Joseph  C.  Hornblower,  was  Chief  Justice 
of  the  State  of  New  Jersey :  and  his  father,  the 
Rev.  William  II.  Hornblower,  D.D.,  was  a  promi- 
nent Presbyterian  divine.  Josiali  Hornblower,  the 
first  named  of  these  ancestors,  was  born  in  Stafford- 
shire, England.  February  23,  1729.  He  studied 
mathematics  and  the  mechanical  sciences  early  in 
life,  and  having  adopted  the  profession  of  civil  en- 
gineering, associated  himself  with  his  elder  brother, 
who  had  attained  to  eminence  in  that  calling.  In 
17o3,  at  the  invitation  of  ^Colonel  John  Schuyler,  he 
came  to  America  and  settled  near  Belleville,  New 
Jersey,  where  he  became  interested  in  copper 
mines.  To  him  belongs  the  honor  of  building  the 
first  steam-engine  ever  constructed  in  this  country, 
which  was  made  expressly  for  the  mines  in  ques- 
tion. An  account  of  this  notable  achievement, 
written  by  William  Nelson,  was  published  at 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  in  1883,  under  the  title — "  Jo- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


II9 


siah  Hornblower  and  the  First  Steam-engine  in 
America."  In  the  French  and  Indian  War,  Josiah 
Hornblower  was  commissioned  a  Captain  of  New 
Jersey  troops  and  aided  in  the  local  defence  of  that 
colony-  Subsequently  he  engaged  in  trade  and  ac- 
quired considerable  property.  When  the  Revolu- 
tion began  he  unhesitatingly  gave  his  allegiance 
and  support  to  the  struggling  Colonies,  and  was 
elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  New  Jersey  Leg- 
islature, where  he  was  extremely  active  in  secur- 
ing the  adoption  of  measures  favorable  to  the  Colo- 
nial forces.  He  appears  to  have  become  specially 
obnoxious  to  the  British  Government,  for.  in  1781, 
the  British  troops  made  an  attempt  to  abduct  him. 
In  the  same  year  he  was  elected  to  the  Council  or 
Upper  House  of  the  New  Jersey  Legislature,  in 
which  he  continued  to  sit  until  1784,  when  he  was 
chosen  to  represent  the  Colony  in  the  Continental 
Congress,  of  which  he  remained  a  member  t  wo  years. 
In  1790  he  was  appointed  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  in  Essex  County,  New  Jersey,  and 
by  successive  re-appointments  was  continued  on 
the  bench  many  years.  He  died  at  Newark,  New 
Jersey,  January  21,  1809.  Joseph  Coerten  Horn- 
blower, named  above,  was  his  son.  He  was  born 
at  Belleville,  New  Jersey,  May  G,  1777,  and  rose  to 
eminence  both  as  a  lawyer  and  jurist.  In  1820  he 
was  a  Presidential  Elector  from  his  State,  and 
voted  for  James  Monroe  for  the  Presidency.  In 
1832  he  was  chosen  Chief  Justice  of  the  State  of 
New  Jersey  by  joint  action  of  the  Legislature,  and 
in  1839  was  re-elected  for  the  full  term  of  fourteen 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1844.  and,  in  1847,  having  re- 
tired from  the  bench,  he  became  Professor  of  Law 
in  Princeton  College.  He  was  Vice-President  of 
the  first  National  Republican  Convention,  held  in 
Philadelphia  in  1856;  and  in  1860  he  was  President 
of  the  Electoral  College  of  New  Jersey,  voting  for 
Lincoln  and  Hamlin.  He  was  one  of  the  original 
members  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  and  was 
President  of  the  New  Jersey  Historical  Society 
from  its  foundation  in  1845,  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  June  11,  1864. 
His  youngest  son,  the  Rev.  William  Henry  Horn- 
blower, D.D.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  in  1820,  and  died 
;it  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  in  1883.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Princeton  College  and  after  graduation 
studied  for  the  ministry  and  was  ordained  a  clergy- 
man of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  spent  five 
years  in  active  missionary  labor,  and  then  accepted 
the  call  of  the  congregation  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Patersou,  New  Jersey.  This 
charge  he  relinquished  in  1871  to  accept  a  profes- 


sorship in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Allegheny, 
Pennsylvania,  which  he  held  until  his  death,  July 
16,  1883.  lie  married,  in  1846,  Miss  Matilda  Butler, 
daughter  of  Asa  Butler,  a  paper  manufacturer  of 
Suffield,  Connecticut,  of  Puritan  ancestry.  His 
family  consisted  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 
William  Butler  Hornblower,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  the  second  son.  His  early  education 
was  obtained  at  home  under  Ins  father's  care.  At 
the  age  of  twelve  he  was  placed  in  the  well-known 
collegiate  school  of  Prof.  George  P.  Quackenbos. 
then  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  Avenue  and  Fourteenth 
Street,  New  York  City.  In  1867,  being  then  in  his 
seventeenth  year,  he  entered  Princeton  College, 
and  was  graduated  there  in  1871.  The  two  years 
ensuing  were  devoted  to  literary  studies.  In  1873. 
having  determined  to  adopt  the  profession  of  law. 
he  entered  the  Columbia  College  Law  School  and 
two  years  later  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws.  He  then  connected  himself  with  the  law 
firm  of  Carter  <fc  Eaton  of  New  York  City,  the  style 
of  which  was  changed,  in  1877,  to  Chamberlin,  Car- 
ter &  Eaton,  and,  in  1881,  to  Chamberlain,  Carter 
A-  Hornblower.  The  last  named  firm  was  dis- 
solved in  1885,  and  in  1888  Mr.  Hornblower  asso- 
ciated himself  with  James  Byrne  and  founded  the 
present  firm  of  Hornblower  &  Byrne.  Mr.  Horn- 
blower was  engaged  for  a  number  of  years  in  bank- 
ruptcy suits.  His  practice  now  is  not  confined  to 
any  specialty,  but  embraces  the  whole  range  of 
legal  business.  Although  a  young  man,  he  has 
been  entrusted  with  many  cases  of  magnitude  and 
importance,  and  lias  successfully  sustained  his  rep- 
1  utation  as  a  well  equipped  and  able  counsellor 
■  and  advocate.  Since  1880  he  has  been  counsel  for 
the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company.  In  the 
suits  connected  with  the  famous  Grant  and  Ward 
case  he  was  counsel  for  the  Receiver,  and  as  such 
was  successful  in  recovering  a  judgment  for  him, 
setting  aside  transfers  of  property  by  Ferdinand 
Ward  of  over  $300,000.  He  successfully  tried  a 
number  of  so-called  Tontine  cases  for  the  New 
York  Life  Insurance  Company.  His  practice  in  the 
I  United  States  Courts  has  covered  some  very 
important  cases:  among  others  a  portion  of  the 
Virginia  bond  controversy  and  the  case  of  the  Rail- 
road Bonds  of  tlie  city  of  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Horn- 
blower married.  April  26,  1882,  Miss  Susan  C.  Sand- 
ford,  daughter  of  William  E.  Sandford,  of  New- 
Haven,  Connecticut.  She  was  of  New  England 
ancestry  and  in  her  veins  was  blended  the  blood  of 
several  of  the  old  Puritan  families,  with  a  strain  of 
Irish  coming  from  her  mother.  Mrs.  Hornblower 
died  April  27,  1886.  Her  three  children  survive 
her. 


1 20 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


TOBIE,  EDWARD,  M.D.,  one  of  the  most  learned 
and  popular  physicians  of  Buffalo,  was  born  in 
Forbach,  Lorraine — then  on  the  French  fron- 
tier, now  in  the  German  Keiscbsland — May  1,  1831, 
and  died  at  his  residence,  No.  12  East  Mohawk 
Street,  Buffalo,  May  12,  1889.  He  was  the  son  of 
Dominique  Tobie,  a  Frenchman  of  good  family  and 
in  comfortable  circumstances,  and  in  early  life  had 
the  advantages  of  a  classical  education  at  the  col- 
lege of  Hagenau.  After  leaving  college  he  went  to 
Paris  and  enrolled  himself  among  the  medical  stu- 
dents there  ;  but  his  studies  at  the  French  capital 
were  cut  short  by  the  exciting  political  events  of 
1848,  and  before  the  close  of  that  year  he  emi- 
grated to  America.  He  was  but  a  youth  of  eighteen, 
when,  in  184!),  he  placed  himself  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  Dr.  Bissel,  of  Buffalo,  at  that  time  one  of 
the  most  eminent  physicians  in  the  city.  When  he 
had  sufficiently  mastered  the  English  language  to 
attend  the  lectures  with  profit,  he  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  where  he  studied 
medicine  under  the  immediate  instruction  of  Prof. 
J.  Adams  Allen,  one  of  the  highest  authorities  in 
materia  medica  in  this  country.  In  1852  he  was 
graduated  with  the  highest  honors  and  received  his 
diploma  as  Doctor  of  Medicine.  He  at  once  returned 
to  Buffalo,  where  he  became  associated  with  Dr. 
Pratt,  one  of  the  leading  practitioners  of  the  city. 
The  outbreak  of  the  cholera  in  Buffalo,  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1852,  found  Dr.  Tobie,  Resident  Physician  of 
the  Erie  County  Alms  House.  His  valuable  services 
to  the  community  during  the  prevalence  of  this 
dreaded  epidemic  stamped  him  at  once  as  a  brave 
and  skillful  physician  and  won  for  him  a  place  in 
the  public  esteem  which  he  never  afterwards  lost. 
In  1806,  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  Resident 
Physician,  and  following  a  second  experience  in 
combatting  a  visitation  of  the  cholera  to  Buffalo,  he 
settled  at  Buffalo  Plains,  where  he  practiced  with 
constantly  increasing  success  until  1867,  when,  with 
a  view  to  the  better  accommodation  of  his  numerous 
patients,  he  returned  to  the  city  proper,  where  he 
resided,  continuously  in  practice,  until  his  lamented 
death,  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  later.  Dr. 
Tobie  was  a  man  of  great  learning  and  the  highest 
ability  in  his  profession.  He  was  conscientious  and 
painstaking  to  the  last  degree.  He  was  a  devoted 
student  of  the  healing  art,  and  gave  to  his  patients 
the  best  results  of  a  cultivated  mind  and  matured 
skill.  The  advancement  of  his  profession  was  with 
him  paramount  to  every  other  duty,  and  as  a  close 
and  scientific  observer  he  acquired  a  skill  and  ex- 
perience to  which  less  ambitious,  less  careful  and 
less  painstaking  practitioners  remain  through  life 
total  strangers.    His  practice  grew  from  the  begin- 


ning, and  during  the  later  years  of  his  life  was  sim- 
ply enormous.  He  was  not  only  personally  popular 
but  scientifically  successful.  Observers  state  that 
he  did  the  work  of  two  men,  constantly.  He  was  a 
man  of  the  most  noble  impulses  and  his  generous 
heart  knew  no  bounds  to  the  charity  he  bestowed 
among  his  patients.  The  poor  recognized  in  him  a 
friend  in  need ;  the  rich  a  consoler  and  helper  in 
affliction.  His  great  heart  throbbed  with  a  kindly 
sympathy  for  all  who  suffered — whatever  the  cause — 
and  although  his  moments  were  literally  golden,  he 
never  gave  profit  a  thought  where  his  feelings  as  a 
man  or  his  ability  as  a  physician  were  interested. 
As  the  result  of  such  an  extensive  practice  he 
amassed  a  comfortable  fortune,  but  his  possessions 
would  have  been  far  greater  had  he  practiced  his 
profession  from  sordid  motives  instead  of,  as  was 
the  fact,  being  actuated  by  the  most  humane  im- 
pulses and  by  a  desire  to  employ  them  in  useful  en- 
terprises. In  politics  Dr.  Tobie  was  a  staunch 
adherent  of  the  Democratic  party  and  its  policies, 
but  had  no  desire  to  hold  office.  For  the  good  he 
could  accomplish  in  an  official  capacity  he  did  once 
consent  to  hold  an  appointive  position,  that  o 
Health  Officer  of  the  Port  of  Buffalo,  the  duties  of 
which  he  discharged  with  high  satisfaction  to 
everybody.  This  was  for  a  single  term,  1874'75, 
and  under  a  Democratic  administration.  In  1857 
Dr.  Tobie  married  Miss  Magdalena  Koenig,  of 
Landau,  in  der  Pfalz,  Germany, — a  lady  who  proved 
herself  an  honor  to  her  sex,  and  in  all  respects  a 
worthy  companion  and  helpmeet  of  the  learned 
and  humane  gentleman  whose  name  she  bore  and 
whose  labors  and  charities  she  seconded  with  rare 
judgment  and  sympathy,  This  estimable  woman 
survives  her  distinguished  husband.  Unblessed 
with  children  himself.  Dr.  Tobie  spent  large  sums  in 
the  education  of  the  children  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters  in  Europe,  particularly  of  a  nephew,  whom 
he  trained  for  the  medical  profession  in  the  finest 
schools  of  the  Old  World,  and  who  has  settled  in 
Bxiffalo  to  continue  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the 
place  left  vacant  by  his  lamented  uncle.  Up  to  the 
last  day  of  his  busy  and  useful  life  Dr.  Tobie  seemed 
to  be  in  perfect  health,  and  his  sudden  and  unex- 
pected death,  after  a  spell  of  illness  lasting  but  a  few 
minutes,  was  a  shock  to  the  community  from  which 
it  did  not  soon  recover.  The  religious  services  over 
his  remains  were  held  at  the  French  church  of  St. 
Peter  (Roman  Catholic)  in  Buffalo,  on  Wednesday, 
Ma}-  15,  and  were  unusually  impressive.  The 
edifice  was  thronged  by  the  friends  and  patients  of 
the  deceased  physician,  and  by  a  large  number  of 
the  medical  profession,  many  of  whom  came  from  a 
distance  to  testify  by  their  presence  their  re- 


-Attaiuic  PiiilisJiLiiD  iU 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


I  2  I 


spect  for  their  departed  colleague.  The  funeral 
cortege  was  one  of  the  longest  ever  seen  in  Buffalo. 
On  Monday,  May  13,  the  day  following  Dr.  Tobie's 
death,  the  members  of  the  Erie  County  Medical  So- 
ciety assembled  at  their  rooms  in  the  city  of  Buffalo, 
and  by  a  unanimous  vote  passed  resolutions  expres- 
sive of  their  sincere  grief  as  a  body  and  eulogizing 
the  life  and  labors  of  this  distinguished  physician. 
These  resolutions  are  couched  in  such  feeling  lan- 
guage and  bear  such  an  impress  of  sincerity,  that 
they  are  here  given  in  full,  as  fitly  closing  this  brief 
biographical  notice  of  one  whose  scientific  attain- 
ments were  of  the  first  order  and  whose  humanity 
was  as  a  bright  and  beneficent  light  among  men  : 

Resolutions  of  the  Ehie  Cocxty  Medical  Society, 
May  13, 1889,  ox  THE  Death  of  Dk.  Edwaed  Tobie 

"The  medical  profession  loses  in  the  death  of  the 
subject  of  this  memorial  an  earnest,  energetic  and 
esteemed  member.  His  professional  career  of  over 
thirty  years,  all  of  which  was  passed  in  this  city, 
furnishes  an  example  of  toil  and  personal  sacrifice 
in  behalf  of  suffering  humanity  which  finds  no 
parallel  among  his  associates  and  collaborators. 
Devotion  to  professional  duty,  without  regard  to 
personal  comfort,  or  convenience,  or  pecuniary 
gain,  hastened  the  end  of  a  life,  which  with  less  of 
the  spirit  of  self  sacrifice,  would  have  been  prolonged 
beyond  the  allotted  age  of  man." 

"  Edward  Tobie  possessed  the  noblest  qualities  of 
head  ;md  heart.  His  superior  mental  gifts  were 
improved  with  unremitting  industry,  until  he  ac- 
quired a  liberal  education.  His  aptitude  for  linguis- 
tic studies  enabled  him  to  speak  with  fluency  and 
grammatical  accuracy,  several  of  the  modern  lan- 
guages, which- gave  him  the  entree  to  a  large  and 
influential  patronage,  to  which  he  devoted  all  that  he 
possessed  of  zeal,  and  energy  and  skill.  Endowed 
by  nature  with  marked  independence  of  character, 
which  was  trammelled  in  his  native  land,  lie  sought 
at  an  early  age  the  freer  political  atmosphere  of  the 
Western  world,  where  he  found  a  congenial  field  for 
the  development  of  those  manly  qualities  which 
subsequently  commanded  the  high  respect  and  af- 
fection of  the  community  in  which  lie  lived." 

"In  the  medical  profession  he  acquired  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  skillful  physician,  a  clear  and  ac- 
curate diagnostician,  and  a  safe  and  reliable  medical 
adviser.  He  possessed  a  warm  and  true  heart  and  a 
sympathetic  nature,  which  quickly  responded  to 
human  suffering,  and  closely  interwove  his  life,  in 
the  important  office  of  the  physician,  in  the  trials 
and  sadness  of  myriads  of  devoted  friends  whose 
grief  for  his  sudden  death  attests  the  sincerity  of 
their  sorrow,  and  the  gratitude  they  bore  for  the 
valuable  and  faithful  services  he  rendered.  To  the 
poor  he  demonstrated  that  the  greatest  of  the 
blended  virtues  is  charity.  And  the  daily  ministra- 
tions of  kindness  and  mercy  to  the  less  fortunate  of 
his  fellow  men  were  among  the  noble  incidents  of 
his  busy  life." 

"  In  the  domestic  circle  he  exemplified  the  truest 
affection  due  to  the  companion  of  his  life,  and  we 
beg  the  precious  privilege  to  share  in  the  sorrows 


which  she  feels  in  the  sad  event  which  robs  her  of 
the  strength  and  support  of  a  devoted  husband." 

"In  the  fullness  of  mature  years;  in  the  ripeness 
of  a  well-rounded  life;  with  the  respect  of  his 
brother  physicians  and  fellow-citizens  ;  with  the  re- 
spect, love  and  affection  of  his  many  patients, 
Edward  Tobie  has  been  summoned  to  a  well-earned 
rest,  and  to  those  rewards  merited  through  the  con- 
scientious performances  of  his  life." 

Edwako  Stohck,  M.D., 

CoNBAD  DlEHL,  M.D., 

Edgar  T.  Dohlaxd,  M.D., 
John  Hanenstein,  M.D., 
Thomas  Lothbop,  M.D., 

Committee?  " 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  May  13,  1889. 


MINER,  PROFESSOR  JULIUS  FRANCIS,  M.D., 
one  of  the  most  eminent  surgeons  in  Buffa- 
lo, and  widely  known  in  the  medical  profession 
as  the  first  to  operate  for  ovariotomy  by  enuclea- 
tion, was  born  at  Peru,  Berkshire  County,  Massa- 
chusetts, February  16,  1823,  and  died,  a  martyr  to 
his  devotion  to  medical  science  and  the  cause  of 
charity,  at  his  home  in  Buffalo,  November  5,  1880. 
His  father,  Nathan  Miner,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
was  of  English  extraction,  and  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation. His  mother,  born  Affa  Worthington,  was 
a  native  of  Belchertown,  Massachusetts.  Dr. 
Miner's  early  education  began  in  the  common 
schools,  and  was  continued  at  the  Mountain  Semi- 
nary in  Worthington,  Massachusetts,  and  at  the  Wil- 
listou  Academy,  East  Hampton,  Massachusetts. 
When  about  eighteen  years  of  age  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  medical  studies,  and  entered  the  office  of 
Dr.  John  Brewster,  a  skilled  practitioner  residing 
at  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  under  whose  compe- 
tent instruction  he  made  his  first  steps  in  the  heal- 
ing art.  Upon  leaving  Dr.  Brewster's  office  he  be- 
came a  pupil  of  his  elder  brother,  Dr.  D.  W.  Miner, 
then  practicing  with  success  in  the  town  of  Ware, 
Massachusetts.  This  preliminary  training  was  fol- 
lowed by  regular  courses  of  instruction  in  all 
branches  of  medicine  and  surgery  at  the  Berkshire 
Medical  College,  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  New  York  City,  and  at  the  Albany  Medi- 
cal College,  and  in  1847  the  latter  institution  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
The  ensuing  five  years  were  spent  in  active  general 
practice  at  New  Braintree,  Worcester  County,  Mas- 
sachusetts, after  which  he  removed  to  Winchester, 
New  Hampshire,  where  he  spent  three  years.  In 
1855  he  removed  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death.  From  his  earliest  residence 
in  Buffalo,  Dr.  Miner  occupied  a  prominent  place 


122 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


among  his  medical  colleagues,  who  readily  recog- 
nized his  marked  attainments  and  high  personal 
character,  and  cordially  welcomed  him  to  their 
ranks.  In  18(50  he  was  appointed  Surgeon  to  the 
Buffalo  General  Hospital.  In  18G1  he  became 
editor  of  the  Buffalo  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal, 
and  for  eighteen  years  occupied  this  important  and 
influential  position.  In  1867  he  was  appointed 
Professor  of  Ophthalmology  and  Surgical  Anatomy 
in  the  Buffalo  Medical  College,  and  in  1869  ex- 
changed this  chair  for  the  newly  founded  Professor- 
ship of  Special  and  Clinical  Surgery  in  the  same  in- 
stitution. In  1870  he  was  appointed  Surgeon  to  the 
Hospital  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  His  duties  in 
connection  with  all  these  appointments  were  con- 
stant, and  drew  heavily  upon  his  time,  but  they 
were  in  a  line  of  work  which  had  an  unfailing  at- 
traction for  him.  Dr.  Miner  won  the  high  place  he 
occupied  in  the  medical  world  through  many  quali- 
ties. At  the  out  set  his  sound  general  education  and 
literary  ability,  as  well  as  his  excellent  medical 
training,  gave  him  marked  advantages.  He  was  in 
love  with  his  profession  and  was  thoroughly  in 
earnest  in  his  desire  to  master  it.  The  science  of 
surgery  possessed  a  charm  for  him,  which  from  first 
to  last  never  lost  its  power.  In  this  department  of 
medicine  he  was  an  original.  His  methods  were 
distinguished  by  their  deliberation  and  care  rather 
than  by  phenomenal  rapidity  and  brilliant  flourish. 
Under  nerves  of  steel  he  concealed  a  most  tender 
heart,  and  he  had  a  respect  for  human  life  and  suf- 
fering which  never  unnecessarily  risked  the  one  or 
inflicted  the  other.  He  was  one  of  the  boldest  and 
most  skillful  of  operators,  and  several  of  his  achieve- 
ments won  him  national  renown  and  made  his 
name  respected  in  every  centre  of  medical  educa- 
tion in  the  world.  No  small  part  of  his  fame  as  a 
surgeon  rests  upon  his  successful  practice  of  enu- 
cleation— the  removal  of  tumors  by  detaching  them 
from  their  adhesion  without  the  use  of  the  knife. 
He  was  the  first  to  recommend  and  apply  this  prac- 
tice. In  April,  1869,  he  first  operated  for  ovariot- 
omy hy  this  method  and  was  successful.  The  re- 
sult of  this  experiment,  together  with  a  complete 
account  of  the  method  by  which  it  was  safely  ac- 
complished, was  published  for  the  benefit  of  the 
profession  in  June  following,  and  at  once  estab- 
lished Dr.  Miner's  claims  to  pre-eminence  as  a  sur- 
geon. At  a  subsequent  period  he  successfully  enu- 
cleated a  spleen.  Besides  being  a  surgical  operator 
of  great  skill  and  a  master  of  his  profession,  he  was 
a  teacher  of  remarkable  ability,  "positive  without 
being  dogmatic  ;  instructive  without  the  aid  of  elo- 
quence ;  convincing,  even  when  professing  himself 
somewhat  in  doubt.    He  taught  after  he  was  un- 


able to  keep  his  feet;  and  it  was  as  touching  to  see 
the  strong  man  in  his  weakness  as  it  was  profitable 
to  hear  him  in  his  strength.  His  manner  was  sim- 
ple, direct,  manly.  By  patients,  by  students,  and 
by  colleagues,  he  was  alike  respected,  beloved,  ad- 
mired. And,  better,  he  was  full  worthy  of  the  sen- 
timents he  inspired."  His  modesty  was  a  striking 
characteristic,  and  remained  as  great  as  ever,  even 
when  the  leading  medical  journals  of  America  and 
Europe  were  recording  his  operations  as  triumphs 
of  modern  surgery,  and  as  marking  out  new  paths 
in  scientific  medicine.    To  his  professional  brethren 

I  he  was  always  agreeable,  affable  and  courteous,  as- 
sisting by  his  counsel  whenever  opportunity  of- 
fered. He  was  especially  kind  to  the  young  and 
ambitious  in  his  profession,  and  many  struggling 
aspirants  for  professional  rank  and  emolument  were 
generously  helped  by  him  in  difficulties  of  various 
kinds.  As  a  friend  he  was  noted  for  his  affection 
and  fidelity.  In  the  cause  of  truth  he  was  always 
outspoken  and  earnest.  His  genial  disposition 
made  him  at  all  times  a  welcome  guest  and  com- 
panion. Even  among  his  professional  associates  lie 
was  much  given  to  pleasantry,  and  his  humorous 
and  witty  remarks  frequently  gave  a  cheerful  and 
agreeable  turn  to  discussions  and  lectures  on  tech- 
nical subjects,  and  reawakened  interest  in  them 
when  attention  flagged.  Of  excellent  judgment, 
scrupulous,  honest  and  unwavering  uprightness,  he 
was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  had  the 
honor  of  his  acquaintance.  He  had  an  intense  love 
of  science,  and  his  zeal  in  scientific  research  was 
untiring.  He  was  likewise  gifted  with  excellent  ad- 
ministrative ability,  as  the  success  of  the  various 
enterprises,  medical  and  other,  with  which  he  was 
identified,  attested.  A  peculiar  exemplification  of 
this  was  afforded  in  the  remarkable  prosperity  and 
marvellous  advance  in  circulation  and  influence  of 
the  Buffalo  Medical  Journal,  which,  under  his  edi- 
torship, rose  to  a  leading  position  among  its  con- 
temporaries. Dr.  Miner's  contributions  to  medical 
literature  were  somewhat  numerous,  and  were  both 
valuable  and  interesting.  The  following  list  con- 
tains a  few  of  the  better  known  titles  of  these  :  Am- 
putations :  When  and  how  to  avoid  them ;  Gun- 
shot wounds:  Disease  of  bones  and  joints  ;  Disease 
of  the  uterus:  Syphilis  and  gonorrhoea;  Syphilitic 
iritis ;  Tracheotomy  in  croup  :  Fracture  of  the  skull: 
Club-foot:  Removal  of  tumors,  with  illustrative 
cases :  Exsections,  with  illustrations :  Cataract  by 
extraction ;  Excision  of  the  globe  of  the  eye ;  Cys- 
tic degeneration  of  the  mammary  gland,  with  illus- 
tration ;  Radical  cure  of  varicose  veins ;  Operations 
for  cataract ;  Excisions  of  hip  joint ;  Syphilitic  ne- 

I  crosis  of  cranial  bones  ;  Foreign  bodies  in  trachea 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


I23 


ami  oesophagus  simultaneously ;  Orthopedic  sur- 
gery :  Recto-vaginal  fistula ;  Surgical  treatment  of 
dysmenorrhoea,  and  ovariotomy  by  enucleation, 
discovery  of  its  feasibility  and  safety  (three  papers). 
The  last  named  was  commented  upon  by  every 
medical  journal  of  prominence  in  Europe  and 
America,  and  carried  the  doctor's  name  and  fame 
to  the  most  distant  countries.  Dr.  Miner  joined  the 
Erie  County  Medical  Society  upon  settling  in  Buf- 
falo, and  remained  in  active  membership  till  his 
death,  and  was  its  Vice-President  and  also  its  Presi- 
dent. He  was  a  Permanent  Member  of  the  State 
Medical  Association  and  also  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  and  was  a  delegate  from  the 
latter  to  the  International  Medical  Congress  held  at 
Philadelphia  in  1876.  In  recognition  of  his  distin- 
guished surgical  ability  he  held  honorary  member- 
ship in  several  important  societies,  both  American 
and  foreign.  As  previously  stated,  he  died  a  mar- 
tyr to  his  devotion  to  bis  profession,  the  malady 
which  finally  culminated  in  his  death  resulting 
from  an  operation  performed  for  charity  upon  an 
unfortunate  patient.  His  death  was  a  great  loss, 
not  only  to  his  profession,  which  he  adorned,  but  to 
the  whole  community,  and  was  sincerely  deplored. 
Dr.  Miner  married,  September  8,  1847,  Miss  Mary 
Cordelia  Cogswell,  daughter  of  the  late  Richard 
Colt  Cogswell,  an  esteemed  resident  of  Pittsfield, 
Massachusetts.  Mrs.  Miner  survives  her  husband 
together  with  two  children  :  Worthiugton  Cogswell 
Miner  and  Mrs.  Nathaniel  W.  Norton,  both  of  Buf- 
falo. 


RAVES,  GENERAL  JOHN  C,  a  distinguished 
citizen  of  Buffalo,  President  of  the  Merchants' 
Exchange  in  that  city,  and  late  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral commanding  the  Eighth  Brigade  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard  of  the  State  of  New  York,  is  descended 
from  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Herkimer  County,  New 
York,  where  he  was  born,  November  18, 1839.  The 
Graves  family  is  of  English  origin.  Its  first  ap- 
pearance in  America  was  in  New  England,  where 
its  founders  were  among  the  original  settlers. 
Since  then  a  number  of  its  members  have  been 
prominent  in  the  civil  and  military  history  of  the 
country.  John  Graves,  the  grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  one  of  the  hardy  New  Eng- 
landers  who  pushed  westward  through  the  wilder- 
ness in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  force  of  character,  took  an  active 
part  in  public  affairs,  represented  his  county  for 
several  terms  in  the  Legislature,  and  was  chosen 
Sheriff  of  Herkimer  County.  His  son,  Ezra  Graves, 
(see  Volume  I  of  this  work,  pp.  237-8),  studied 


law,  practiced  for  many  years  at  the  Herki- 
mer bar,  and  rose  to  a  seat  upon  the  bench  as 
County  Judge  and  Surrogate  of  Herkimer  County, 
a  dual  office  which  he  held  for  nearly  a  score  of 
years.  Later  in  life  he  served  as  Inspector  of  State 
Prisons  for  three  years.  He  was  widely  known  as  a 
jurist  and  philanthropist,  and  stood  high  in  public 
esteem,  not  only  in  Herkimer  County,  but  in  all 
that  section  of  the  State.  The  Hon.  Ezra  Graves 
married  Miss  Maria  Card,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Card,  Esq.,  of  Card  City,  Herkimer  County.  John 
Card  Graves,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the 
child  of  this  marriage.  Carefully  trained  in  boy- 
hood, he  entered  the  Fairfield  Academy  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years,  and  was  there  prepared  for  his  col- 
legiate course.  He  graduated  at  Hamilton  College 
in  1862.  He  then  applied  himself  closely  to  the 
study  of  law,  of  which  he  had  previously  acquired 
some  acquaintance  as  a  student  in  the  office  of  his 
father,  and  before  the  end  of  the  year  last  named 
he  successfully  passed  the  examination  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  He  practiced  law  at  Herkimer, 
in  partnership  with  his  father,  until  1867,  when  lie 
removed  to  Buffalo,  and  with  the  exception  of  a 
period  of  twelve  years,  during  which  he  was  Clerk 
of  the  Superior  Court  in  that  city,  has  since  been 
engaged  in  commercial  and  business  pursuits,  and 
largely,  of  late  years,  also  in  real  estate  transactions. 
Besides  being  at  the  head  of  the  Buffalo  Exchange, 
he  is  President  of  the  Frontier  Elevator  Company, 
and  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Park  Commis- 
ioners  of  the  City  of  Buffalo.  He  is  a  Director  in 
the  Buffalo  Historical  Society  and  Art  Gallery,  of 
which  he  is  one  'of  the  most  active  and  valued 
members  and  a  frequent  contributor  to  its  archives. 
He  has  a  highly  cultivated  literary  taste  and  at  his 
beautiful  home  on  Chapin  Parkway,  one  of  the  fin- 
est residences  of  the  city,  he  has  accumulated  rare 
treasures  in  books  of  historical  value,  including 
many  volumes  which  have  for  years  been  out  of 
print.  General  Graves'  military  title  is  the  well 
earned  reward  of  twenty  years  active  service  in  the 
National  Guard  of  the  State,  which  he  first  entered 
as  Major  of  the  Eighty-first  Regiment.  Subse- 
quently he  was  promoted  to  the  Lieutenant- 
Colonelcy  of  the  Sixty-fifth  Regiment,  of  which  he 
afterwards  became  Colonel.  He  was  finally  com- 
missioned Brigadier-General,  commanding  the 
Eighth  Brigade,  N.G.S.N.Y.  General  Graves  is  an 
enthusiastic  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  twenty-eight  years, 
and  few  men  in  the  State  have  taken  more  degrees 
or  held  more  offices  of  trust  and  honor  in  the  fra- 
ternity. Among  these  latter  were  many  important 
positions  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State.    He  is 


G 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


now  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  Appeal,  the  high- 
est judicial  authority  in  the  Order  in  the  State.  Al- 
though taking  a  keen  interest  in  politics,  General 
Graves  has  never  been  an  office  seeker.  He  has  la- 
bored with  diligence  and  dignity  to  secure  the  elec- 
tion of  good  men  to  office,  and  was  prominent  in  the 
organization  of  " The  Citizens'  Association  of  Buf- 
falo" which  lias  for  its  avowed  objects:  "  To  pro- 
cure needful  legislation  for  the  city  and  to  secure  a 
faithful  and  economical  administration  of  its  mu- 
nicipal affairs."  Of  this  Association,  composed  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  the  city  of  Buffalo,  he  is  now 
President.  General  Graves'  religious  associations  are 
with  the  Universalists,  and  he  is  President  of  the 
New  York  Convention  of  that  denomination. 
"Whether  in  public  station  or  out  of  it" — writes 
one  who  has  observed  his  career  for  many  years — 
"General  Graves  has  always  been  noted  for  the  able 
and  scrupulous  discharge  of  every  duty  incumbent 
upon  him,  and  he  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the 
soundest  and  most  judicious  among  the  '  solid 
men '  of  the  city."  General  Graves  married  Augusta 
C.  Moore,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Augustus  C.  Moore  of 
Buffalo,  in  18C4,  and  has  seven  children,  two  of 
whom  are  married. 


COBB,  HON.  WILLARD  ADAMS,  a  leading  jour- 
nalist of  Western  New  York,  Editor-in-chief  of 
the  Lockport  Journal,  and  a  member  of  the 
State  Board  of  Regents,  was  born  in  Oneida  County, 
New  Y'ork,  July  20,  1842.  His  father,  the  late  Dr. 
J.  V.  Cobb,  was  a  prominent  physician  of  Rome  for 
forty  years  and  a  member  of  recognized  influence 
in  the  County,  State  and  National  Medical  Societies. 
He  also  held  positions  of  local  political  trust.  He 
was  born  at  Carver,  Massachusetts,  in  1811.  He 
moved  to  New  Y'ork  State  soon  after  engaging  in 
professional  work,  and  married  Miss  Elvira  C.  Kings- 
ley  of  Dunkirk.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  an 
only  child.  He  received  his  education  at  the  Rome 
Academy  and  Dwight's  Rural  High  School  at  Clin- 
ton. In  1860  he  entered  Hamilton  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1804.  He  chose  to 
adopt  journalism  as  a  profession,  and  in  the  fall  of  the 
year  just  mentioned  became  connected  as  a  reporter 
with  the  Chicago  (Illinois)  Post,  then  edited  by  Mr. 
Jos.  M.  Shehan,  the  friend  and  biographer  of  Stephen 
A.  Douglas.  In  the  following  year  be  became  at- 
tached to  the  Racine  (Wisconsin)  Advocate,  on 
which  he  served  in  both  a  reportorial  and  editorial 
capacity.  Before  the  close  of  1865  he  was  offered 
and  accepted  the  position  of  local  editor  of  the 
Utica  Morning  Herald,  which  important  place  he 
filled  with  unusual  acceptance  and  which  he  held 


until  the  fall  of  1867,  when  he  relinquished  it  to  as- 
sume the  editorship  of  the  Dunkirk  (New  York) 
Journal,  of  which  he  had  acquired  Uie  proprietor- 
ship. In  18T1  he  sold  the  Dunkirk  Journal  and  its 
interests,  and  removed  to  Lockport,  where  he 
bought  of  Mr.  M.  C.  Richardson  of  that  city  a  one- 
fourth  interest  in  the  Lockport  Journal,  and  became 
at  once  its  associate  editor.  In  1880  he  became,  by 
additional  purchase,  half  owner  of  this  newspaper 
and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Ward  it  Cobb,  the 
present  proprietors.  At  the  same  time  he  became 
editor-in-chief  of  the  paper.  The  Lockport  Journal 
is  one  of  the  leading  daily  newspapers  of  the  State 
of  New  Y'ork.  It  is  perhaps  quoted  more  than  any 
other  paper  published  in  the  smaller  cities.  It  is 
Republican  in  its  politics  and  is  recognized  as  the 
organ  of  the  Republican  party  in  the  Thirty-third 
Congressional  District.  Both  daily  and  weekly  edi- 
tions have  a  wide  circulation  and  a  corresponding 
influence.  In  connection  with  the  publication  of 
the  Journal,  Messrs.  Ward  &  Cobb  conduct  an  ex- 
tensive job  printing  business,  and  their  office  is 
remarkable  as  possessing  the  two  largest  job  presses 
in  the  world.  This  department  is  a  most  important 
feature  of  the  firm's  business  and  draws  its  patron- 
age from  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union  Mr.  Cobb 
traveled  abroad  extensively  in  1879.  In  1886  the 
Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  Y'ork  elected  Mr. 
Cobb  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Regents,  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  the  late  Hon.  George 
Clinton,  of  Buffalo.  Since  becoming  a  member  of 
the  Board  he  has  served  on  the  important  Commit- 
tees on  Degrees  and  Academic  Examinations.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Republican  State  Committee 
for  his  district  in  1876-7,  and  has  often  been  a  dis- 
trict delegate  to  both  county  and  State  conventions. 
He  recognizes  that  his  true  field  of  effort  is  in  the 
editorial  chair,  where  he  wields  a  powerful  and 
beneficial  influence,  and  in  consequence  he  has 
never  aspired  to  nor  sought  public  office.  The  hon- 
orable office  of  Regent  of  the  University  was  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  his  party  majority  in  the  Legis- 
lature in  recognition  of  his  ability  and  party  services, 
and  is  the  only  public  position  he  could  ever  be  in- 
duced to  accept,  although  often  requested  so  to  do 
with  assured  chances  of  success.  He  is  well  known 
and  esteemed  as  a  public-spirited  and  conscientious 
citizen,  not  only  in  Lockport  but  throughout  West- 
ern New  York.  He  is  an  effective  public  speaker. 
Notably  among  his  public  addresses  are  papers  read 
before  the  University  Convocation  at  Albany,  in  1886, 
and  the  State  Teachers'  Association  at  Niagara 
Falls,  the  same  year ;  also  general  lectures  before 
State  Associations.  Mr.  Cobb  is  unmarried  and  has 
apartments  at  the  Grand  Hotel,  Lockport. 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


125 


PARK,  ROSWELL,  A.M.,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Sur- 
gery in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Btiffalo,  Surgeon  to  the  Buffalo  General 
Hospital,  etc.,  etc.,  was  born  at  Pomfret,  Connecti- 
cut, May  4.  1852.  On  both  sides  he  is  descended 
from  New  England  ancestry  of  superior  mental  en- 
dowments and  the  highest  social  standing.  His 
father,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Roswell  Park,  born  at  Preston, 
Connecticut,  in  1807.  graduated  head  of  his  class  at 
the  U.  S.  Military  Academy  ( West  Point),  in  1834,  and 
later  was  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Physics  in  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  finally  entered  the 
Episcopal  ministry.  The  crowning  achievement  of 
his  distinguished  career  as  an  educator  was  the 
founding  of  Racine  College,  Racine,  Wisconsin,  of 
which  he  was  President  for  many  years.  He  died 
in  1869.  His  wife,  born  Mary  B.  Baldwin,  was  a 
daughter  of  Colonel  James  R.  Baldwin,  one  of  the 
celebrated  Baldwin  family  well  known  throughout 
New  England  and  the  East  by  reason  of  the  distin- 
guished attainments  as  civil  engineers  of  a  number 
of  its  members,  monuments  of  whose  skill  are  seen 
in  the  Government  navy-yards  and  among  the  early 
canal  and  railroad  enterprises  of  our  country.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  one  of  five  children.  Un- 
til his  eighteenth  year  he  had  the  advantage  of  being 
the  private  pupil  of  his  father,  who  was  not  merely 
one  of  the  best  teachers  of  his  day.  but  also  the  pos- 
sessor of  tho^e  sympathetic  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart  which  are  so  important  in  the  work  of  train- 
ing the  young.  When  death  deprived  him  of  his 
venerable  and  venerated  preceptor  he  entered  Racine 
College,  and  iH  three  years  passed  through  the  four 
classes,  graduating  with  honors  in  1872.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  at  the 
Chicago  Medical  College,  taking  the  long  course; 
and  iu  187fi  graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class,  and 
received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  with  the 
highest  honors.  In  this  year  also  he  received  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  his  alma  mater.  After 
he  had  studied  medicine  two  years  he  was  appointed 
resident  physician  in  Mercy  Hospital,  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  West :  and  here,  and  also  in  the  Cook 
County  Hospital,  which  he  entered  in  the  same 
capacity  after  graduation,  he  laid  the  foundation  for 
his  subsequent  success.  At  the  close  of  his  term  in 
these  hospitals  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Surgeon 
to  the  Illinois  State  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  seven  years,  resigning  to  give  his 
attention  solely  to  general  surgery.  In  1877  he  was 
made  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy  in  the  Woman's 
Medical  College,  in  Chicago,  and  in  the  next  year 
he  was  elected  Demonstrator  and  Assistant  Profes- 
sor of  Anatomy  in  the  Chicago  Medical  College, 
where  he  served  until  1882.    The  value  of  these 


positions  to  the  young  surgeon  was  almost  incalcu- 
lable :  and  to  the  experience  gained  in  them  he  un- 
hesitatingly ascribes  a  large  amount  of  his  subse- 
quent success.  In  1878  Dr.  Park  was  made  Physi- 
cian to  the  Chicago  Orphan  Asylum,  a  very  large 
institution,  and  held  tins  place  until  his  removal  to 
Buffalo.  In  1881  he  became  Consulting  and  Acting 
Attending  Surgeon  to  the  Michael  Reese  Hospital, 
an  institution  widely  known  for  its  superb  equip- 
ment, and  from  this  time  forth  he  devoted  himself 
solely  to  surgery.  In  1882  he  resigned  from  the 
Chicago  Medical  School  and  was  made  Lecturer  on 
Surgery  in  Rush  Medical  College.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Chicago  he  was  connected  with  various 
other  institutions  and  dispensaries,  always  in  a  sur- 
gical capacity.  Iu  1882  being  then  admirably  quali- 
fied to  profit  by  instruction  from  and  contact  with 
the  highest  minds  in  his  profession,  he  visited 
Europe,  where  he  remained  a  year,  his  time  being 
spent  chiefly  in  the  medical  centres,  studying  sur- 
gery under  the  best  foreign  masters.  In  the  summer 
of  1883  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Buffalo, 
and  Surgeon  to  the  Buffalo  General  Hospital :  and 
removed  to  Buffalo,  where  he  has  since  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  surgery  and  in  building 
up  the  hospital  and  school  with  which  he  is  con- 
nected. Professor  Park  is  an  honored  member  of 
all  the  leading  local  medical  societies  of  Buffalo  and 
Erie  County.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Congress 
of  American  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  a  Fellow 
of  the  American  Surgical  Association.  In  1887  he 
received  the  distinguished  honor  of  being  elected  a 
member  of  the  Congress  of  German  Surgeons,  in  Ger- 
many— the  leading  society  of  its  kind  iu  the  world 
— and  is  one  of  the  four  American  surgeons  thus 
highly  complimented.  His  researches  in  electricity 
have  secured  him  honorable  recognition  among 
electrical  experts,  and  for  two  years  he  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  Electrical  Society.  As  Prof. 
Park  is  a  highly  accomplished  scholar  as  well  as  a 
surgeon  of  superior  skill,  his  addresses  on  the  science 
of  surgery  and  cognate  subjects  are  more  than  or- 
dinarily brilliant,  containing,  besides  the  result  of 
his  extended  practical  experience,  those  beauties  of 
language  which  only  the  practiced  rhetorician  can 
employ.  He  has  delivered  many  addresses  by  in- 
vitation before  various  learned  societies,  notably  in 
Washington  and  Philadelphia.  He  has  also  contrib- 
uted leading  articles  to  several  encyclopaedias  and 
large  works  of  reference,  and  has  published  a  large 
number  of  papers  on  his  special  branch  in  various 
journals.  Among  these  may  be  named  :  The  Elec- 
tric Light  in  Surgical  Diagnosis ;  Select  Topics  in 
the  Surgery  of  the  Nervous  System ;  Some  of  the 


1 26 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


Surgical  Sequela;  of  the  Exantheius  and  Continued 
Fevers  ;  Total  Extirpation  of  the  Larynx  ;  A  Fur- 
ther Stud}'  of  Tuberculosis  of  Bone  and  its  Early 
Operative  Treatment :  Contributions  to  Abdominal 
Surgery:  Surgery  of  the  Brain,  based  on  the  Prin- 
ciples of  Cerebral  Localization:  A  Study  of  some  of 
the  Pyogenic  Bacteria  and  of  the  Germicidal  Activity 
of  Certain  Antiseptics:  and  the  Radical  Cure  of 
Hernia.  Prof.  Park  was  for  a  time  editor  of  the 
Weekly  Medical  Review,  and  associate  editor  of  the 
Annah  of  Surgery.  He  also  edited  for  four  years 
The  Medical  Presx  of  Wextern  New  York.  Although 
belonging  to  the  newer  generation  of  surgeons  he 
has  risen  to  a  position  of  eminence  in  his  profession 
at  home,  and  has  earned  the  recognition  and  ap- 
plause of  the  highest  foreign  authorities.  His 
attainments  are  based  upon  the  solid  foundations  of 
education  and  experience,  and,  judged  by  the  most 
critical,  stand  the  severest  tests.  Dr.  Park  married, 
in  1880,  Miss  Martha  Prudence  Durkee,  of  Chicago, 
daughter  of  Julius  R.  Durkee,  Esq.,  of  Brooklyn, 
New  York. 


HELPLEY,  JAMES  WINNE,  Assistant  Treas- 
urer of  the  United  States  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  President  Cleveland,  was  born  in 
Albany,  New  York,  October  2,  1834,  and  is  the  son 
of  Hennm  Clarke  Whelpley  and  Margaret  Winne. 
The  Whelpleys  are  of  Welsh  extraction,  and  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Manchester,  Vermont. 
James  Whelpley,  the  grandfather  of  the  above,  was 
an  officer  in  the  Fourteenth  Vermont  Regiment, 
Green  Mountain  Boys,  in  the  War  of  1812.  His 
mother  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  original  colon- 
ists who  emigrated  from  Holland  and  settled  Fort 
Orange,  now  Albany,  and  her  maternal  ancestor's 
name  appears  in  the  records  of  the  North  Dutch 
Church  in  that  city,  compiled  in  1863.  James  W. 
Whelpley  was  educated  in  a  private  school,  supple- 
mented by  a  few  terms  in  the  Albany  Academy  un- 
der T.  Romeyn  Beck.  Owing  to  the  early  death  of 
his  father,  who  was  an  attorney-at-law  of  consider- 
able attainments  and  a  popular  representative  of 
his  district  in  the  city  government  of  Albany,  he 
was  obliged  to  commence  his  business  career  at  the 
early  age  of  fifteen,  entering  a  broker's  office  and 
remaining  long  enough  to  become  quite  expert  in 
the  detection  of  counterfeit  State  bank  notes,  and 
also  in  handling  and  assorting  paper  money.  He 
then  went  to  Sandusky,  Erie  County,  Ohio,  and 
was  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  coun- 
ty for  several  years,  receiving  the  appointment  and 
holding  the  office  of  Deputy  County  Clerk  before  he 


was  of  legal  age.  Returning  to  Albauy  in  order  to 
personally  care  for  his  mother  and  family,  Mr. 
Whelpley  spent  several  years  in  the  office  of  the  City 
Chamberlain  as  accountant,  and  also  aiding  in  the 
receipt  and  care  of  moneys  paid  in  for  taxes,  etc. 
While  so  employed,  in  August,  1861,  he  was  called 
to  Washington  to  accept  an  appointment  in  the 
J  Treasury  Department  under  Secretary  Chase.  This, 
I  was  very  shortly  after  the  commencement  of  the 
J  late  Civil  War  and  when  the  finances  of  theGovern- 
j  ment  were  at  a  very  low  ebb.  The  gold  and  silver 
had  almost  entirely  disappeared  from  circulation, 
and  the  currency  furnished  by  the  State  banks  was 
insufficient  to  meet  the  need  of  the  business  com- 
munity and  also  supply  the  vast  amount  of  money 
required  by  the  Government  in  paying  troops  and 
furnishing  supplies  needed  to  carry  on  the  war.  It 
was  therefore  found  necessary  for  the  Government 
to  issue  paper  currency  based  upon  the  credit  of 
the  country,  and  under  the  authority  of  Congress 
Secretary  Chase  caused  the  first  issue  of  iireenbacks 
or  legal  tender  United  States  notes  to  be  engraved 
and  printed.  The  total  amount  of  these  notes  paid 
out  was  $60,030,000.  The  first  payment  was  made 
August  26,  1861.  In  their  preparation  Mr.  Whelp- 
ley, with  several  others,  was  authorized  to  sign  his 
autograph  signature  in  the  place  of  and  for  the 
Treasurer  of  the  United  States.  These  notes  were 
in  denominations  of  #0,  $10  and  $20,  and  were  re- 
deemable in  gold  and  receivable  for  customs.  They 
therefore  became  as  valuable  as  gold,  and  were  held 
at  the  same  premium.  In  subsequent  enactments, 
Congress  authorized  the  Treasurer's  signature  to  be 
engraved  and  printed  on  the  notes,  thus  dispensing 
with  the  autographic  signature.  Mr.  Whelple}',  at 
the  request  of  General  Francis  E.  Spinner,  Treasurer 
of  the  United  States,  was  transferred  to  duty  in  the 
Treasury  April  1, 1862,  since  which  date  he  has  been 
continuously  in  service  in  that  office.  During  the 
war  he  filled  the  position  of  Assistant  Paying  Teller, 
and  for  many  years  subsequent  was  Paying  Teller, 
paying  out  on  disbursing  offices'  checks  and  for  re- 
demption of  Government  obligations,  enormous 
sums  of  money,  in  fact,  hundreds  of  millions  of 
dollars.  Mr.  Whelpley  also  filled  the  positions 
of  Assistant  Cashier  and  Cashier,  and  was  made 
Assistant  Treasurer  of  the  United  States,  to 
which  office  he  was  appointed  by  President  Cleve- 
land June  1,  1885.  In  his  long  service  in  the  very 
responsible  positions  he  has  held  in  the  Treasury, 
Mr.  Whelpley  has  had  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
the  many  eminent  men  under  whom  he  has  served, 
and  also  of  the  banks  and  others  with  whom  it  be- 
came necessary  for  him  to  have  business  relations 
of  a  financial  character.    Mr.  Whelpley  married 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


12/ 


Louisa  Richardson  Russell,  a  daughter  of  the  late  I 
Rev.  Charles  Pinckney  Russell,  formerly  of  Green- 
field, Massachusetts.  Mrs.  Whelpley  is  a  descend- 
ant, on  the  maternal  side,  of  Chief  Justice  William 
M.  Richardson,  of  New  Hampshire,  an  eminent 
jurist  who  also  represented  the  State  in  the  United 
States  Congress. 


BRAYTON,  SAMUEL  NELSON,  M.D.,  a  leading 
physician  of  Buffalo,  and  late  Professor  of  the 
Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine  in  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  that  city,  was 
horn  on  the  parental  homestead  at  Queensbury,  | 
Warren  County,  New  York,  January  11,  1839.  His 
father,  Moses  Brayton,  a  farmer  in  comfortable 
circumstances,  was  a  descendant  from  the  Brayton 
family  of  England,  three  representatives  of  which 
— brothers — emigrated  to  America  with  the  early 
pilgrims,  and  marrying,  left  a  number  of  children, 
to  whom  many  persons  bearing  the  name  in  the 
United  States,  particularly  in  New  England,  trace 
their  origin.  His  mother,  Jane  Nelson  Brayton, 
was  a  desendant  from  the  Nelson  family  of  Eng- 
land. The  subject  of  tins  sketch  spent  his  boyhood 
on  the  farm  owned  and  cultivated  by  his  father, 
taking  his  share  of  the  routine  work  thereon,  and 
availing  himself  of  the  educational  facilities  pre- 
sented by  the  local  district  schools,  which  he  at- 
tended regularly  during  the  winter  season,  and  as 
frequently  at  other  times  as  circumstances  per- 
mitted. When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the 
High  School  at  Lawrence,  Massachusetts,  and  there 
received  a  thorough  education,  including  the  higher 
mathematics  and  the  classics.  After  graduating  ! 
there  he  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Walter  Burnham, 
of  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  as  a  student  of  medicine, 
supplementing  the  tuition  of  this  skillful  teacher  by 
the  regular  course  of  lectures,  etc.,  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Columbia  College, 
New  York,  where  he  was  graduated  high  in  the  ! 
class  of  1861.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  medical  | 
course  in  New  York  he  filled  the  responsible  posi- 
tion of  Physician  to  the  Sixty-fifth  Street  Hospital— 
an  institution  which  was  discontinued  some  years 
afterwards.  In  1861,  being  affected  possibly  by  the 
example  of  his  distinguished  preceptor,  Dr.  Burn- 
ham,  who  had  entered  the  service  of  the  United 
States  as  Surgeon  of  the  Sixth  Regiment,  Massa- 
chusetts Militia,  Dr.  Brayton  patriotically  entered 
the  naval  service  of  the  United  States,  and  was  as- 
signed as  Assistant  Surgeon,  first  to  the  Boston 
Navy  Yard  and  then  to  the  frigate  "  Sabine."  Sub- 
sequently he  was  ordered  to  duty  on  the  ironclad 


''Montauk,"  and  in  this  vessel  served  in  several  of 
the  hottest  naval  contests  of  the  Civil  War,  notably 
the  destruction  of  the  Confederate  Steamer  "Nash- 
ville," in  which  he  took  an  active  part.  Dr.  Bray- 
ton was  also  on  duty  during  the  eight  months'  siege 
of  Forts  Moultrie  and  Sumter,  off  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  Hard  work,  confinement  on  shipboard 
and  the  malarial  climate  of  the  South  finally  began 
to  undermine  his  health  and  he  secured  a  three 
months'  leave  of  absence.  Upon  its  expiration  he 
was  detailed  and  ordered  to  the  Pacific  coast,  where 
he  served  for  two  years  on  board  the  frigates  "  St. 
Mary"  and  "Cygne."  At  the  close  of  t  his  period,  while 
contemplating  joining  a  squadron  ordered  to  cruise 
in  the  Mediterranean,  he  received  an  attractive  offer 
to  engage  in  private  practice  in  New  York  City. 
He  accepted  the  offer,  resigning  from  the  Navy, 
and,  proceeding  to  New  York,  spent  the  ensuing 
years  in  professional  work  in  that  city.  He  then 
disposed  of  his  practice  there  in  consequence  of  ill 
health,  and  removed  to  Honeoye  Falls,  Monroe 
County,  New  York,  where  he  practiced  continu- 
ously for  ten  years.  In  1877  he  removed  to  Buffalo, 
and  was  associated  there  for  a  year  or  so  with  Dr. 
Hubbard  Foster,  to  whose  practice  he  then  suc- 
ceeded. He  has  since  met  with  unusual  success 
and  has  a  very  large  practice.  Although  brought 
up  in  the  most  orthodox  school  of  medicine,  and 
practicing  according  to  its  tenets  for  many  years, 
Dr.  Brayton  grew  beyond  its  limitations  and  re- 
strictions and  eventually  declined  to  submit  Wholly 
to  their  control.  A  man  of  broad  and  liberal  views, 
he  was  willing  to  recognize  the  good  in  other 
"  schools  "  and  when  occasion  seemed  to  warrant, 
did  not  hesitate  to  adopt  their  treatment.  For  the 
past  twenty  years  he  has  repeatedly  and  satisfactorily 
employed  homoeopathic  treatment  in  his  practice, 
but  has  not  confined  himself  to  the  system  of 
Hahnemann  or  his  later  disciples.  That  his  methods 
are  in  the  highest  degree  judicious  and  skillful  is 
abundantly  attested  by  the  steady  increase  in  his 
practice,  which  is  now  one  of  the  finest  in  Western 
New  York.  In  1879  Dr.  Brayton  joined  with  other 
educated  and  liberal  minded  medical  men  in  found- 
ing the  Buffalo  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
of  which  he  was  an  incorporator.  When  the  facul- 
ty of  this  college  was  organized  he  was  called  to  the 
Chair  of  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  which  he 
held  until  its  close.  In  1881  he  was  chosen  Dean  of 
the  Faculty.  As  an  educated  gentleman,  a  prac- 
titioner of  long  experience  and  well  attested  skill, 
and  a  citizen  of  liberal  views  and  irreproachable 
character,  Dr.  Brayton  holds  a  high  place  in  the  es- 
teem both  of  the  medical  profession  and  the  general 
public.    His  engaging  manners  and  kindly  nature 


128 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


make  him  a  favorite  in  social  circles.  As  a  medical 
■writer  he  has  done  a  great  deal  of  good  and  valua- 
ble work.  For  some  years  he  had  editorial  charge 
of  the  Physician*''  and  Surgeons'  Investigator,  the 
monthly  organ  of  the  Homceopathists  of  Western 
New  York,  and  managed  the  literary  department 
of  this  publication  in  such  a  liberal  and  skillful 
manner  that  its  circulation  extends  to  all  parts  of  the 
Union.  Dr.  Brayton  married,  September  24,  1808, 
Miss  Frances  Hyslop,  of  Honeoye  Falls,  who  died 
August  14,  1888.  He  married  Miss  Elite  Norton, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Laura  Norton,  of  Alabama, 
Genesee  County,  September  10,  1889. 


STERN,  HON.  JACOB,  of  Buffalo,  Surrogate  of 
Erie  County,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  on 
the  18th  day  of  May,  1851.  His  father.  .John 
Stern,  is  a  native  of  Rhenish  Prussia,  in  which 
country  he  was  born  on  the  4th  of  June,  1S2'2.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  early  years  and  located 
in  Buffalo,  August  9,  1841.  It  was  there  that  he 
met  and  married  his  wife,  Margaretha  Knell,  who 
was  also  of  German  parentage,  having  been  born  in 
Hesse-Darmstadt  on  August  23,  1825.  She  came  to 
Buffalo  on  the  14th  day  of  April,  1843,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Stern  in  that  city,  May  12,  1846.  The 
early  years  of  Jacob  Stern  were  passed  amid  the  in- 
fluences of  a  good  home;  and  he  then  obtained  his 
education,  partly  in  the  excellent  public  schools  of 
his  native  city,  and  in  the  private  educational  insti- 
tution of  Mr.  Francis  S.  Schxeck.  During  the  ad- 
ministration of  Hon.  Jonathan  Hascall,  Mr.  Stern, 
then  a  mere  lad,  entered  the  Surrogate's  office  as  a 
messenger.  This  was  in  April,  I860.  The  only 
break  in  the  continuous  holding  of  a  position  in  the 
Surrogate's  office  was  the  two  years  in  which  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  in  the  machine  shop  of 
David  Bell,  in  Buffalo,  and  acted  as  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  County  Clerk  of  Erie  County.  By  suc- 
cessive steps  our  subject  advanced  himself,  and, 
having  read  law  during  this  time,  lie  was  at  a  Gen- 
eral Term  of  the  Supreme  Court  held  at  Rochester, 
New  Yrork,  in  October,  1876,  admitted  as  an  attor- 
ney and  counsellor.  Subsequent  to  this  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession  in  his  native  city  until  the  year 
1883,  when  he  was  nominated  as  the  candidate  of 
the  Democratic  party  for  Surrogate,  and  elected  by 
the  handsome  majority  of  three  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six— in  a  Republican  county — a 
tribute  to  his  personal  popularity  and  an  evidence 
of  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Mr.  Stern 
has  always  been  a  warm  supporter  of  the  highest 
motives  and  principles  of  his  party,  although  not 


claiming  to  be  a  politician  in  the  common  accepta- 
tion of  the  term.  He  is  one  of  the  youngest  men,  if 
not  the  only  one  of  his  age,  to  hold  the  responsible 
position  of  Surrogate ;  which  in  a  large  and  wealthy 
county  like  that  of  Erie  involves  exceptional  labor 
and  responsibility.  Though  much  engrossed  with 
the  cares  of  his  office,  which  he  has  filled  with 
general  satisfaction,  Mr.  Stern  has  found  time  to  de- 
vote to  social  and  other  duties  to  some  extent.  He 
is  heartily  interested  in  everything  pertaining  to  the 
welfare  of  hie  native  place.  He  is  apronunent 
member  of  the  German  Youug  Men's  Association, 
which  built  the  beautiful  Music  Hall,  and  is  a  musi- 
cal and  social  organization  of  wide  fame.  II"  is  Pres- 
dent  of  the  Liedertafel  Singing  Society,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  of  the  German  singing  societies  in 
the  country.  He  is  also  President  of  the  Erie 
County  Bar  Association.  During  his  incumbency  of 
the  office  he  now  holds,  the  celebrated  Tracy  will 
case  was  tried,  and  the  almost  equally  famous  Le 
Grand  Marvin  case.  Either  of  these  would  have 
been  sufficient  to  establish  the  reputation  of  the  Sur- 
rogate before  whom  they  were  heard.  On  October 
7,  1874,  Mr.  Stern  married  Miss  Ida  B.  Bullymore, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Charlotte  Langdon  Bully- 
more,  both  natives  of  England.  Mr.  Bullymore  is 
deceased,  but  his  widow  now  resides  in  Buffalo. 
Both  of  the  parents  of  Mr.  Stern  are  also  residing 
in  the  same  place. 


BOULD,  DR.  WILLIAM  B.,  a  prominent  physi- 
cian of  Lockport,  was  born  at  Cambria  Centre, 
Niagara  County.  New  York,  on  October  28, 
1821.  His  father,  John  Gould,  was  a  native  of  Can- 
ada, and  his  mother,  Marinda  (Bridge)  Gould,  was 
born  in  Vermont.  His  paternal  great-grandfather 
w  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Dr.  Gould 
received  a  good  education  in  the  schools  of  Niagara 
and  Orleans  Counties.  He  began  the  study  of  med- 
icine in  1844  in  the  office  of  Dr.  J.  S.  Shuler,  of 
Lockport,  attended  three  courses  of  lectures,  two 
at  the  Buffalo  Medical  College,  and  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1848.  The  following  year  he 
spent  in  practice  with  his  preceptor.  In  1850  he  lo- 
cated in  Lockport,  where  he  has  since  resided,  act- 
ively and  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  Dr.  Gould  was  one  of  the  Commis- 
sioners appointed  by  the  late  Governor  John  T. 
Hoffman  to  locate  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  which 
was  erected  in  Buffalo,  and  he  was  for  some  years 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Managers  since  the  or- 
ganization of  that  meritorious  institution.  He  has 
been  connected  with  the  Niagara  County  Medical 


Atlwrficf^ltehmy&Enij'i'avmaCoMY 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Society  since  1848,  and  has  at  different  times  suc- 
cessfully tilled  the  offices  of  Treasurer,  Censor,  and 
President  of  that  body.  Dr.  Gould's  standing  in 
the  medical  profession  is  of  the  highest  rank,  and  a 
successful  practice  of  over  forty  years  has  won  for 
him,  in  an  exceptional  degree,  the  esteem  and  love 
of  the  community  in  which  he  resides.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational  Church 
of  Lockport  since  his  residence  there.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  1851,  to  Miss  Julia  Pitch,  formerly  of  New 
Canaan,  Connecticut,  who  died  January  23,  1889. 


KITTINGER,  MARTIN  S.,  M.D.,  for  upwards  of 
thirty  years  an  active  practitioner  of  medicine 
and  surgery  at  Lockport,  ex-President  of  the 
Niagara  County  Medical  Society,  and  late  Surgeon 
and  Major  in  the  One  Hundredth  Regiment,  New 
York  Volunteers,  is  a  son  of  the  late  Samuel  and 
Dorothy  (Van  Lyke)  Kittinger,  both  natives  of 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  at  Cuba,  Erie 
County,  New  York,  April  12,  1827.  His  parents  re- 
moved to  Niagara  County  when  he  was  but  a  child 
and  in  the  schools  of  that  county  he  received  his 
education.  During  the  first  two  or  three  years  of 
his  manhood  he  taught  school,  but  being  attracted 
to  the  profession  of  medicine  he  began  its  study 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  William  B.  Gould,  a 
leading  physician  of  Lockport,  and  after  due  prep- 
aration entered  the  New  York  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  (the  Medical  Department  of  Colum- 
bia College)  where  he  pursued  the  full  course  of 
instruction,  and  was  graduated  in  1853  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  After  practicing 
three  years  he  judiciously  followed  the  custom 
which  then  prevailed  among  the  wealthier  and 
more  enthusiastic  students,  and  visited  Europe, 
making  the  tour  of  the  larger  capitals.  He  studied 
in  the  hospitals  and  clinics  at  London,  Paris,  Vien- 
na and  Berlin,  paying  special  attention  to  diseases 
of  the  eye  and  ear,  and  in  the  meantime  mastered 
the  German  language,  of  which  he  is  a  great  admirer 
and  reader.  In  1858  he  returned  to  America,  and, 
at  the  suggestion  of  his  preceptor  and  friends,  es- 
tablished himself  in  general  practice  at  Lockport, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  enjoying  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  foremost  in  the  profession.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  Dr.  Kittinger  attained  high 
distinction  for  his  skill  and  bravery  as  a  Field 
Surgeon.  He  entered  the  army  in  October,  1861,  as 
Surgeon,  with  the  rank  of  Major,  of  the  One  Hun- 
dredth Regiment,  New  York  Volunteers,  and,  after 
serving  with  this  command  in  the  Peninsula  cam- 
paign, under  General  McClellan,  was  detached  and 


assigned  to  duty  as  Chief  Operating  Surgeon  of  the 
Tenth  Army  Corps.  He  was  present  during  the 
seven  day's  fight  before  Richmond,  and,  hero- 
ically preferring  death  or  capture  by  the  enemy  to 
evasion  of  duty,  he  voluntarily  remained  with  the 
wounded  and  dying  at  White  Oak  Swamp  and  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Confederates.  After  endur- 
ing the  horrors  of  Libby  Prison  for  two  months  he 
was  exchanged  and  at  once  returned  to  duty  with" 
his  corps.  While  serving  in  the  army  Major  Kit- 
tinger held  several  responsible  positions  besides 
those  named,  among  them  that  of  Chief  Medical 
Adviser  at  Morris  Island,  and  also  President  of  the 
Medical  Examining  Board,  United  States  Army 
Surgeons.  In  both  these  positions  he  won  high 
commendation  from  his  superior  officers.  In  the 
spring  of  1865,  the  war  being  virtually  over,  he  re- 
signed his  commission  in  the  army,  and,  returning 
to  Lockport,  resumed  his  private  practice.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Niagara  County  Medical  Society, 
has  been  several  times  its  President,  and  is  promi- 
nently connected  with  other  representative  medical 
bodies,  both  State  and  National.  He  is  highly  es- 
teemed in  professional  circles  not  only  for  his  emi- 
nent scientific  attainments,  especially  in  the  line  of 
surgery,  but  also  for  his  many  intellectual  and  so- 
cial qualities.  He  has  been  twice  married.  First, 
in  1865,  to  Miss  Laura  M.  Day,  of  Albion,  New 
York,  who  died  in  1872  ;  and  second,  in  1876,  to  his 
present  wife,  formerly  Miss  E.  M.  Lackor,  of  Lock- 
port. 


Mc  ENTIRE,  JOHN  E.,  a  leading  citizen  and 
wealthy  and  enterprising  contractor  of  Buffalo, 
and  General  Manager  of  the  Buffalo,  Lacka- 
wanna and  Pacific  Railroad — the  extension  of  the 
"  Canada  Pacific  "  to  Buffalo — was  born  at  White 
Lake,  Ontario,  October  15, 1844.  He  received  a  good 
common  school  education  in  his  native  village,  and 
when  about  fifteen  years  of  age  was  apprenticed  to 
the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  mastered  so  readily 
that  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  was  declared 
out  of  his  time  and  permitted  to  work  as  a  journey- 
man. The  place  of  his  birth  was  quite  in  the  woods, 
and  from  his  earliest  days  he  was  no  stranger  to  the 
hunting  and  trapping  which  they  afforded  in  such 
abundance.  Finding  himself  master  of  his  calling 
he  did  not  chose  to  continue  it  just  then  but  at  once 
went  into  the  employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany, for  which  he  collected  furs  from  the  Indians 
all  round  the  Hudson's  Bay  region.  After  following 
this  employment  some  three  years  or  so,  he  gave  it 
up  to  emigrate  to /'the  States,"  having  received  a 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


good  offer  to  go  to  work  at  his  trade  at  Waterbury, 
Connecticut.  An  experience  of  two  years  at  this 
point  sufficed  to  give  him  all  he  required  to  know  in 
relation  to  the  American  way  of  working,  making 
contracts,  etc.,  etc.,  and  to  beget  in  him  a  firm  con- 
viction that  he  was  perfectly  competent  to  engage 
in  business  as  a  contractor.  His  first  contract,  that 
for  the  woodwork  on  the  section  of  the  old  Boston, 
Hartford  and  Erie  Railroad  extending  from  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut,  to  Fishkill  on  the  Hudson,  was 
completed  successfully  when  he  was  but  twenty- 
three  years  old.  It  was  followed  by  a  contract  for 
the  woodwork  on  a  portion  of  the  Holyoke  and 
Springfield  Road,  and  later  by  a  contract  for  similar 
work  on  the  Providence  and  Springfield  Railroad. 
The  prompt  and  satisfactory  manner  in  which  he 
completed  these  several  contracts  gave  him  addi- 
tional confidence  in  his  abilities  in  this  line,  and  with 
a  view  to  broadening  his  field  of  operations  he  re- 
moved to  New  York  City  in  1872,  and  was  immedi- 
ately successful  in  securing  the  contract  for  the 
timber  work  on  the  Fourth  Avenue  Improvement, 
the  City  underground  section  of  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral and  Hudson  River,  the  New  York,  New  Haven 
and  Hartford,  and  the  New  York  and  Harlem  Rail- 
roads. His  next  great  contracts  covered  all  the 
timber  work  on  the  Lackawanna  and  West  Shore 
Roads  when  they  were  building  into  Buffalo,  to 
which  city  he  removed  in  1882,  the  better  to  care 
for  his  interests  in  that  section,  then  becoming  of 
considerable  magnitude.  After  building  all  the 
trestles  on  these  two  lines  he  constructed  those  of 
the  Lehigh  Yalley  line:  and  later,  the  extensive  im- 
provements at  the  Tifft  farm,  at  Buffalo,  a  tract  of 
land,  six  hundred  acres  in  extent,  owned  by  the 
Lehigh  Yalley  Railroad  Company  for  terminal  facili- 
ties for  handling  coal  and  other  heavy  freight  at 
that  point,  and  upon  which  $1,000,000  was  expended 
in  buildings  and  alterations.  He  was  now  well 
known  and  firmly  established  in  his  business,  and 
his  work  gradually  extended  to  all  parts  of  the 
United  States,  in  a  number  of  cases  covering  some  of 
the  largest  contracts  of  their  kind  ever  awarded. 
Among  the  more  recent  important  contracts  which 
he  has  successfully  carried  to  completion  may  be 
mentioned  those  for  the  building  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad  from  the  Missouri 
River  to  the  Mississippi  River:  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington and  Northern  Railroad  from  Prairie  du 
Chien  to  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin;  the  Charleston, 
Cincinnati  and  Chicago  Railroad  in  North  Carolina 
and  South  Carolina;  and  the  line  of  railroad  be- 
tween Fort  Madison  and  Kansas  City.  This  last, 
covering  a  road  two  hundred  and  thirteen  miles 
in  length,  required  the  construction  of  some  two 


hundred  and  sixty  bridges,  a  number  of  which  were 
over  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  costing  from 
$40,000  to  $00,000  each.  The  terms  of  the  contract 
rendered  it  obligatory  on  Mr.  Mclntire  to  finish  two 
bridges  a  day,  and  this  task  was  successfully  accom- 
plished. In  the  construction  of  this  road  nineteen 
thousand  piles  were  used  and  over  twenty-two  mil- 
lion feet  of  lumber.  Among  other  roads  for  which 
he  has  been  a  contractor  are  the  Chesapeake  and 
Ohio,  the  Memphis  and  Savannah,  the  New  Haven 
and  Northampton,  the  Hampton  Plain  (for  A.  T. 
Stewart),  the  Flatbnsh  and  Coney  Island  and  the 
Manhattan  Beach.  He  also  built  the  Lehigh  Yalley 
Railroad  coal  terminal  and  retail  coal  pockets,  at 
Chicago,  Illinois.  One  of  his  latest  contracts  covers 
the  work  of  depressing  the  tracks  in  Fourth  Avenue 
through  the  twenty-third  and  twenty-fourth  wards, 
New  York  City — a  continuation  of  the  work  for- 
merly executed  by  him  known  as  the  Fourth 
Avenue  Improvement,  and  previously  mentioned. 
The  number  of  workmen  employed  by  Mr.  Mclntire 
in  his  various  enterprises  and  constructions  would 
constitute  a  respectable  army,  and  this  fact,  together 
with  the  admirable  system  of  discipline  by  which 
tbejr  are  directed  and  controlled,  gives  a  semi-mili- 
tary character  to  his  position  as  their  chief,  and  has 
earned  for  him  the  title  of  "Colonel,"  by  which  he 
is  now  generally  known.  There  is  no  unwarranted 
assumption  of  rank  in  this,  nor  is  there  anything  of 
the  military  martinet  about  the  man.  Those  closest 
to  him  know  how  sincerely  he  is  the  friend  of  all 
who  are  or  may  have  been  in  his  employ;  and 
these  latter,  from  the  chief  assistant  to  the  humblest 
laborer,  realize  that  the  severest  task  imposed  upon 
them  is  inferior  to  that  which  weighs  upon  the 
directing  mind — that  of  their  friend  as  well  as  em- 
ployer. "  the  Colonel."  Mr.  Mclntire's  interests 
keep  him  traveling  nearly  all  the  time,  superintend- 
ing his  various  contracts.  He  has  little  time  at 
present  for  the  pleasures  of  social  life;  but  when 
opportunity  permits  he  takes  the  highest  delight  in 
spending  his  leisure  at  his  elegant  home  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Prospect  and  Porter  Avenues  in  Buffalo, 
where,  with  his  interesting  family,  he  finds  all  needed 
rest  and  recreation  from  his  absorbing  toil.  He  is 
fond  of  making  little  trips  on  the  water,  and  is  the 
owner  of  a  steam-yacht  in  which  he  takes  great 
pride.  He  is  also  fond  of  a  quiet  spin  behind  a  good 
roadster,  and  has  owned  several  fine  specimens  of 
horse-flesh,  notably  the  famous  trotting  horse 
"  Beauregard"  with  a  record  of  2.21.  Mr.  Mclntire 
has  done  work  in  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union, 
and  having  weighed  the  matter  carefully,  gives  Buf- 
falo the  preference  as  a  business  centre,  or  rather  as 
a  commanding  central  point  from  which  to  do  busi- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ness.  His  favorite  argument  with  those  who  wonder 
why  he  does  not  make  his  home  and  headquarters 
in  New  York  City,  is:  "Buffalo  is  the  best  located 
city  in  the  United  States.  You  can  close  up  your 
business  in  Buffalo  any  evening  and  before  banking 
hours  on  the  following  morning  reach  Chicago,  New 
York,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Washington, 
Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  Detroit,  Toronto,  Montreal, 
Ottawa,  Cleveland,  Toledo,  or  any  city  within  a 
radius  of  five  hundred  miles  of  here."  He  is  now 
engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  new  Buffalo  City 
Kcservoir — a  work  involving  the  expenditure  of 
over  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars.  Since  taking 
up  his  residence  in  Buffalo  he  has  identified  himself 
in  every  way  with  that  city's  interests  and  develop- 
ment. He  is  public  spirited  and  helpful  on  all  occa- 
sions, and  in  a  quiet  way  has  dispensed  a  great  deal 
of  charity.  In  1883  he  was  the  first  to  contribute  a 
goodly  sum  to  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  from  the 
Hood  in  the  Ohio  Yalley,  and  at  his  own  expense 
superintended  the  distribution  of  Buffalo's  fund  to 
the  relief  committees  along  the  river.  These  and 
many  other  of  his  benevolent  deeds  have  been  noted 
and  most  kindly  commented  upon  byr  the  local  press, 
and  his  example  in  this  and  other  praiseworthy- 
regards  has  been  held  up  for  others  to  imitate.  "A 
more  generous,  liberal-minded  citizen  is  not  in  Buf- 
falo," writes  the  editor  of  one  of'  the  leading  Buffalo 
newspapers,  "for  his  hand  is  open  to  every  local 
charity,  as  well  as  in  aid  of  sufferers  abroad."  In 
the  prosecution  of  his  many  contracts  he  keeps  an 
army  of  a  thousand  men  steadily  employed,  and  as 
he  is  a  kind  employer  and  pays  the  highest  market 
wages,  he  has  the  love  and  faithful  service  of  every 
man  under  him.  He  has  not  had  time  to  give  any 
special  attention  to  political  matters,  but  he  is  never 
too  much  occupied  to  devote  his  best  efforts  and 
assistance  to  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of 
the  city  of  Buffalo.  Colonel  Mclntire  married, 
in  1874,  Miss  Adelaide  Jennings,  daughter  of  the 
late  Dr.  A.  F.  Jennings,  of  Fredonia,  New  York, 
and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Clara  A. 


ADAMS,  SAMUEL  CARY,  an  esteemed  lawyer 
of  Buffalo,  ex-member  of  Assembly,  and 
prominent  in  local  politics  in  Erie  County  for 
more  than  forty  years,  was  born  in  the  little  village 
of  Federal  Stores,  Columbia  County,  New  York, 
December  22,  1820.  When  he  was  three  years  of 
age  his  parents  removed  to  Collins  Centre,  Erie 
County,  and  of  this  place  he  remained  a  resident 
for  nearly  forty  years.  He  enjoyed  good  educa- 
tional advantages  in  his  youth,  and  when  of  age  be- 


gan to  take  an  active  interest  in  politics.  The  first 
office  he  held  was  the  honorable  one  of  Superinten- 
dent of  Schools  of  the  town  of  Collins,  to  which  he 
was  elected  in  1847,  and  in  which  he  remained  un- 
til 1832.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  a  Super- 
visor of  the  county,  and  served  in  the  Board  two 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  his  last  term  in  this  of- 
fice he  was  chosen  Clerk  of  the  Board,  and  filled 
this  position  during  1854  and  1855.  In  1857  he  re- 
ceived the  nomination  for  the  State  Assembly  in  the 
Fourth  District  of  Erie  County  and  was  elected  by  a 
flattering  majority.  Although  serving  but  one 
term  in  this  body,  he  won  an  excellent  reputation  as 
an  able  and  conscientious  legislator,  and  faithfully 
attended  to  the  interests  of  the  people  of  the  whole 
State,  as  well  as  to  the  wants  and  necessities  of  his 
large  constituency.  A  year  after  the  expiration  of 
his  term  in  the  Assembly  he  was  appointed  Deputy 
Countyr  Clerk  of  Erie  County,  and  discharged  the 
duties  of  that  office  with  high  acceptability  to  the 
people  until  1865,  when  he  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment of  Deputy  Collector  of  Customs  at  the  port  of 
Buffalo.  His  service  of  two  years  in  the  Collector's 
department  was  marked  by  the  same  praiseworthy 
devotion  to  duty  which  had  always  previously  dis- 
tinguished his  official  conduct ;  and  his  resignation 
and  retirement,  in  1867,  was  a  matter  of  sincere  re- 
gret to  the  entire  business  community,  in  which  he 
was  deservedly  very  popular.  In  the  fall  of  1867 
Mr.  Adams,  being  placed  in  nomination  for  the  office 
of  Supervisor  in  the  Tenth  Ward,  in  Buffalo,  in 
which  he  had  resided  since  coming  to  the  city,  was 
elected  and  served  the  full  term  of  one  year.  From 
the  time  of  his  entry  into  public  life  the  official  po- 
sitions held  byr  Mr.  Adams  were  such  as  to  devolve 
upon  him  duties  requiring  a  considerable  acquain- 
tance with  the  law  and  a  familiarity  with  legal 
forms.  As  his  business  continued  to  be  of  this  na- 
ture he  determined  to  apply  for  admission  to  the 
bar.  At  the  General  Term  held  at  Buffalo  in  No- 
vember, 1863,  he  presented  himself  for  examina- 
tion, and  was  duly  admitted.  Since  then  he  has 
practiced  without  intermission,  and  has  won  a  high 
reputation  among  his  colleagues  as  a  careful  and 
painstaking  lawyer.  His  long  and  varied  experi- 
ence in  public  positions  has  ripened  his  powers  of 
observation  and  judgment  to  an  unusual  degree, 
and  given  him  a  capacity  for  the  transaction  of 
business  far'greater  than  could  have  been  acquired 
by  a  training  wholly  professional.  That  these 
qualities  have  been  noted  by  the  general  public  is 
abundantly  proven  by  the  large  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice which  Mr.  Adams  has  built  up  since  he  has  de- 
voted his  whole  time  and  energies  to  the  law.  He 
has  to  some  extent  made  a  specialty  of  real  estate 


132 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


law,  and  is  considered  to  be  an  authority  upon  that 
subject.  He  is  now  and  has  been  for  many  years 
attorney  and  counsel  for  the  widely-known  and 
wealthy  firms  of  Pratt  &  Co.  and  Pratt  and  Letch- 
worth,  of  Buffalo,  New  York.  An  important  por- 
tion of  his  practice  is  in  the  care  of  large  estates,  a 
department  in  which  he  has  won  high  reputation 
for  excellent  and  judicious  management.  Apart 
from  bis  specialties  be  has  an  extensive  clientage, 
who  find  in  him  a  prudent  and  trustworthy  coun- 
sellor; and  bis  practice,  taken  as  a  whole,  absorbs 
all  the  time  be  is  able  to  devote  to  it.  As  one  who 
has  held  important  public  positions,  and  is  known 
to  be  above  selfish  motives  where  the  interests  of 
the  people  are  involved,  he  is  looked  up  to  for  ad- 
vice and  direction  by  his  fellow  citizens,  irrespec- 
tive of  party,  and  in  social  as  well  as  professional 
life  is  alike  respected  and  honored. 


BLACKHAM,  DR.  GEORGE  EDMUND,  a  prom- 
inent physician  of  Dunkirk,  was  born  in  Jer- 
sey City,  New  Jersey,  August  28,  1846.  His 
father,  David  Blackham,  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland, 
came  of  a  family  which  had  been  Irish  Protestants 
for  many  generations,  although  the  name  indicates 
that  it  must  have  been  of  Anglo-Saxon  origin.  His 
mother,  Susan  Nolan,  was  also  a  native  of  Dublin, 
and  came  of  a  family  purely  Irish  on  the  paternal 
side  and  of  French  Huguenot  descent  on  the  ma- 
ternal. The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  five  children,  having  one  brother  and  two 
sisters  living,  the  other,  a  sister,  having  died  in  in- 
fancy. When  be  was  about  four  years  of  age  the 
family  moved  to  Dunkirk,  New  York,  the  western 
terminus  of  the  then  unfinished  New  York  and  Erie 
Railroad.  He  was  a  delicate  child,  given  more  to 
reading  and  to  study  of  the  natural  sciences  than  to 
the  sports  common  to  boyhood.  His  education 
was  received  at  home  and  in  a  private  school  kept 
by  his  uncle,  George  Blackham,  a  man  of  original 
genius  and  great  force  of  character,  and  to  whose 
teaching  and  influence  he  owes  much  of  the  success 
that  has  attended  him  in  life.  His  father  was  one 
of  the  victims  of  the  great  financial  crash  of  1857, 
and  the  family,  consequently,  found  themselves  in 
such  straightened  circumstances  that  our  subject 
was  compelled  to  leave  his  studies  and  begin  to 
earn  his  own  living  before  the  age  of  fourteen.  His 
first  occupation  was  as  clerk,  or  boy,  in  a  small 
drug  store.  He  afterward  went  into  the  employ  of 
the  Erie  Railway  Company,  which  he  served  for 
many  years  in  various  capacities  of  gradually  in- 
creasing importance,  from  office  boy  to  chief  clerk 


of  a  division.  One  year  was  spent  at  the  bench  in 
the  machinery  department,  acquiring  some  practi- 
cal knowledge  of  locomotive  construction,  and  a 
longer  period  in  the  engineer  corps  in  the  location 
and  construction  of  new  branch  lines.  In  the  fall 
of  1864  he  enlisted  as  private  in  Company  I,  187th 
New  York  State  Volunteers,  being  then  just  eighteen 
years  of  age.  The  regiment  was  at  once  sent  to 
the  front  and  assigned  to  the  2nd  Brigade,  1st  Divi- 
sion, 5th  Armj"  Corps,  and  took  part  in  all  the 
battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from  Hatcher's 
Run  to  Appomattox.  Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the 
regiment  at  City  Point,  Virginia,  lie  was  promoted 
to  be  Regimental  Hospital  Steward  and  served  in 
that  capacity  till  mustered  out  of  service  after  the 
final  close  of  the  war.  The  hardships  incident  to 
his  brief  but  arduous  army  life  told  severely  on  him 
and  a  severe  attack  of  army  fever  followed.  After 
a  year  had  passed  he  was  able  to  take  up  the  study 
of  medicine,  at  first  in  the  office  of  Dr.  J.  C.  Matte- 
son,  of  Dunkirk,  New  YTork,  and,  after  Dr.  Matte- 
son's  death,  in  the  office  of  the  late  Samuel  M. 
Smith,  M.D.,  of  the  same  place.  In  February, 
1870,  he  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Buffalo, 
New  York.  He  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Niagara  Fails,  New  York,  and  after- 
wards at  Dunkirk,  New  York,  till  ill  health,  the  re- 
mains of  his  army  life,  compelled  him  to  relinquish  it 
for  a  time,  and  he  returned  to  the  service  of  the 
Erie  Railway  Company,  continuing  his  medical 
studies,  in  the  meantime,  after  office  hours.  In 
1882  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Dunkirk,  New  Y'ork,  devoting  himself  specially  to 
ophthalmology  and  otology,  for  which  he  had  been 
preparing.  Having  thus  found  bis  life  work  he  has 
continued  at  it  with  steadily  increasing  success  and 
satisfaction.  His  studies  in  his  favorite  branches 
of  practice  have  included  special  courses  in  the 
New  York  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary,  and  the  Post 
Graduate  Medical  School.  He  has  a  large  practice 
in  bis  chosen  specialty,  extending  over  two  counties: 
having  besides  this  a  considerable  general  practice. 
Professionally,  particularly  in  his  special  line  of  prac- 
tice, he  has  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  public 
in  a  very  marked  and  flattering  degree,  winning  such 
by  the  sense  of  his  professional  skill  xinited  with  his 
personal  qualities.  Dr.  Blackham  has  long  been 
known  as  a  worker  with,  and  a  writer  on,  the  mic- 
roscope. He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Amer- 
ican Society  of  Microscopists  in  1878,  Vice-President 
in  1881,  and  President  in  1882.  He  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science  in  1876,  was  elected  a  Fellow  in 
1883,  and  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Micro- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


scopical  Society  of  London,  England,  in  1879.  He 
is  a  member,  regular  or  honorary,  of  several  of  the 
local  scientific  societies  in  the  United  States,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Chautauqua  County  Medical  So- 
ciety. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fra- 
ternity, of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  of  the 
League  of  American  Wheelmen.  On  November  11, 
1886,  Dr.  Blackham  was  married  to  Edith  M., 
daughter  of  A.  A.  Annas,  Esq.  of  Fredonia,  New 
York,  which  he  considers  the  wisest  and  happiest 
act  of  his  life.  An  enthusiastic  and  uncompromis- 
ing Republican  in  politics,  Dr.  Blackham  has  newr 
held  or  desired  public  office,  though  he  once  ac- 
cepted a  nomination  as  Excise  Commissioner  and 
failed  of  election  ;  his  lack  of  faith  in  the  beneficent 
influence  of  unlimited  license  not  being  acceptable 
to  that  influential  element  in  politics  which  depends 
on  the  saloons  for  its  existence.  While  not  an  advo- 
cate of  prohibition  or  total  abstinence,  he  is  a  be- 
liever in  personal  temperance  and  in  the  minimiza- 
tion of  the  number  of  drinking  saloons  and  of  their 
political  influence.  He  is  at  present,  and  for  the 
past  two  years  has  been,  the  President  of  the  Young 
Men's  Association  of  Dunkirk,  a  non-sectarian, 
non-partisan  organization  whose  sole  purpose  is  the 
improvement  of  the  city  in  every  possible  way. 


SCHEU,  SOLOMON,  a  distinguished  citizen  of 
Buffalo  and  ex-Mayor  of  that  city,  was  born 
Janua-ry  6,  1822,  near  the  village  of  Standen- 
buehl,  in  Bavaria.  His  family  were  descendants  of 
the  French  Huguenots,  who,  after-the  revocation  of 
the  Edict  of  Nantes,  settled  in  Bavaria,  which  be- 
came the  home  of  several  generations  of  the  name. 
Henry  Jacob  Scheu,  the  father  of  Solomon,  was  a 
landed  proprietor  near  the  village  where  he  was 
born,  and  the  boy  was  brought  up  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen.  As  was 
the  case  with  so  many  of  the  earlier  Huguenots, 
members  of  his  father's  family — an  uncle  and  two 
brothers — had  emigrated  to  America,  and  the  de- 
sire to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  great  Republic  gained 
possession  of  young  Solomon,  and  with  such  force, 
that,  in  1839,  he  followed  them.  The  journey  was 
a  long  one  in  those  days,  and  the  French  sailing 
vessel,  on  which  he  took  passage,  occupied  forty- 
nine  days  in  the  voyage  to  New  York,  where  his 
uncle  and  one  of  his  brothers  were  at  this  time  set- 
tled in  business.  Solomon  remained  for  a  while 
with  them,  looking  about  him,  in  the  meantime, 
for  suitable  employment ;  and  at  length,  by  the  ad- 
vice of  his  uncle  that  he  should  learn  a  trade,  and 
thus  ensure  some  provision  for  the  future,  he  be- 


|  came  apprenticed  to  a  baker.  Having  thus  adopted 
a  calling,  the  young  man  devoted  himself  to  its 
pursuit  with  all  the  energy  and  determination  which 
continued  to  characterize  his  whole  life.  He 
worked  in  New  York  for  about  five  years,  earning 
only  his  bare  living,  but  gaining  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  a  business  which  was  afterwards  to  become 
the  source  of  his  fortune.  It  was  now  the  winter  of 
1844,  and  the  monotony  of  the  .young  man's  life  was 
broken  by  a  visit  from  Mr.  Nicklis,  of  Buffalo,  who 
brought  to  him  a  message  from  his  brother,  Jacob 
Scheu,  inviting  him  to  visit  that  city.  A  family 
consultation  was  held,  and  it  was  decided  that 
Solomon  should  accept  the  invitation.  The  winter 
journey  was  in  those  days  a  long  one.  "Hudson 
river  was  frozen  over,  and  there  was  no  railroad 
along  the  shore,  so  the  trip  to  Buffalo  was  made  by 
way  of  a  steamer  to  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  thence 
by  the  Housatonic  Railroad  to  Albany,  and  from 
there  by  the  several  roads  that  were  subsequently 
merged  into  the  New  York  Central  Railroad.  In- 
stead of  making  the  trip  in  twelve  or  thirteen 
hours,  as  now  may  be  done,  three  days  were  con- 
sumed in  the  journey.  One  day  to  reach  Albany, 
another  to  get  to  Auburn,  and  the  third  to  make 
Buffalo."  Mr.  Jacob  Scheu,  who  is  still  living 
(1889)  had  resided  in  Buffalo  a  number  of  years, 
being  engaged  both  in  the  lumber  and  the  grocer}^ 
business,  and  as  soon  as  Solomon  arrived,  he  gave 
him  something  to  do.  Between  the  brothers  there 
was  displayed  perfect  confidence,  to  that  degree 
that  there  was  not  even  a  question  of  stipulated 
compensation  in  the  engagement.  Solomon  re- 
mained in  Jacob's  employ  for  a  year,  and  then  ac- 
cepted an  offer  to  return  to  the  practice  of  his  trade, 
in  the  service  of  Mr.  Spencer,  who  once  kept  the 
Spencer  House  in  Buffalo.  In  1846  Solomon's  fath- 
er, with  the  remainder  of  the  family,  emigrated 
from  Bavaria,  and  settled  in  Buffalo.  Mr.  Scheu, 
the  elder,  was  possessed  of  some  means,  and,  finding 
that  Solomon  was  inclined  to  start  in  business  for 
himself,  he  advanced  money  enough  to  buy  a  couple 
of  barrels  of  flour,  and  lard  and  butter  sufficient  to 
work  it  up ;  Jacob  Scheu  supplied  a  horse  and 
wagon,  which  was  driven  by  William  Scheu,  an- 
other brother,  and  after  this  small  fashion,  Solomon 
opened  a  bakery  on  his  own  account  on  Spring 
Street.  The  location  proved  to  be  a  poor  one  for 
the  business,  and  in  1847  Mr.  Scheu  leased  an  old 
bakery  on  Water  Street,  between  Commercial  and 
Norton  Streets.  This,  being  near  the  canal,  was 
the  centre  of  business  at  the  time,  but  the  leased 
premises  proved  to  be  too  small,  and  an  arrange- 
ment was  made  with  the  landlord  by  which  the 
property  was  improved,  the  cost  being  added  to  the 


'34 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


rent,  when  Mr.  Sclieu  soon  found  himself  control- 
ling a  large  and  profitable  business,  lie  continued 
to  run  this  establishment  during  the  next  three 
years,  and  then  sold  out  to  Sprigman  &  Bowers. 
Having  formed  the  opinion  that  there  was  a  better 
opportunity  for  him  in  the  general  grocery  line, 
Mr.  Scheu  now  started  a  trade  in  supplies  for  boat- 
men and  forwarders,  at  the  corner  of  Canal  and 
State  Streets,  whei-e  he  remained  for  two  years.  He 
prospered  in  this  business,  but  his  views  were 
changing  as  new  demands  presented  themselves, 
and  he  sold  out,  and  started  a  saloon,  eating-house 
and  billiard-rooms  in  the  basement  of  what  was  ! 
known  as  Hanenstein's  Block,  on  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Mohawk  Streets  ;  and,  about  the  same 
time,  so  had  his  affairs  prospered,  he  bought  a  resi- 
dence on  Genesee  Street,  where  he  removed,  and 
where  he  continued  to  reside  for  some  years.  Mr. 
Scheu's  new  business  naturally  brought  him  into 
frequent  contact  with  politicians,  thus  giving  him  a 
personal  interest  in  local  politics,  soon  to  bear 
fruit.  A  new  City  Charter  had  just  been  adopted, 
under  which  the  city  of  Buffalo  was  divided  into 
thirteen  wards,  instead  of  five,  as  had  hitherto  been 
the  case.  An  election  was  occurring  in  the  fall  of 
1853,  and  Mr.  Scheu  was  urged  to  accept  the  nom- 
ination for  Alderman  of  the  Sixth  Ward,  on  the 
Democratic  ticket.  He  consented,  and  was  elected, 
and  re-elected  in  1854.  His  career  as  an  Alderman 
was  notable  for  his  earnest  and  successful  work, 
against  powerful  and  prolonged  opposition,  in  favor 
of  locating  the  Washington  Market  of  Buffalo  on 
its  present  site.  From  1860  to  1865  Mr.  Scheu  kept 
out  of  politics  and  devoted  himself  closely  to  the 
increasing  business  which  was  rapidly  making  him 
a  man  of  wealth.  He  purchased  the  Malt  house 
premises  at  the  corner  of  Hudson  and  Third 
Streets,  and  continued  to  carry  on  a  large  malting 
business  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  In  18C5  his 
old  constituents,  the  Sixth  Ward  Democrats,  earn- 
estly besought  him  to  run  for  Alderman,  and  he  was  ! 
again  induced  to  consent,  and  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Common  Council  for  1866-67.  During 
the  latter  year  Mr.  Scheu  was  a  prominent  candi- 
date for  the  office  of  Sheriff  of  Erie  County,  the  po- 
sition which  was  filled  four  years  later  by  Grover 
Cleveland.  The  deals  of  the  period  rendered  it  de- 
sirable to  get  Mr.  Scheu  out  of  the  race  for  this  of- 
fice, and  his  name  was  placed  before  the  State  Con- 
vention for  the  position  of  State  Prison  Inspector. 
So  adroitly  and  secretly  was  the  whole  business 
managed,  that  Mr.  Scheu  was  not  even  informed  of 
the  movement  until  the  Convention  had  adjourned, 
after  placing  his  name  on  the  ticket.  He  was  duly 
elected,  and,  as  usual,  was  re-elected  in  1870,  serv- 


ing altogether  in  this  important  position  during  a 
period  of  six  years.  Retiring  in  1874  Mr.  Scheu 
again  sought  to  give  his  whole  time  to  the  constant- 
ly increasing  cares  of  his  business,  and  for  three 
years  was  permitted  a  resting-spell  from  political 
service.  In  1877  the  Democracy  of  Buffalo  de- 
manded that  Mr.  Sclieu  should  be  their  candidate 
for  Maj  or,  and  he  was  nominated  without  opposition, 
and  triumphantly  elected  after  a  spirited  and  even 
bitter  contest.  His  two  years  of  service  in  this  of- 
fice were  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  the  munic- 
ipality, and  his  duties  were  discharged  to  the  en- 
lire  satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  He  was  re- 
nominated for  the  office  in  1879,  but  met  with  de- 
feat at  the  polls  by  a  small  majority.  In  1887  Mr. 
Scheu  was  again  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  the 
same  office,  but  the  Republicans  were  successful, 
and  Hon.  Philip  Becker  was  elected.  Besides  the 
official  positions  so  ably  and  satisfactorily  filled  by 
Mr.  Scheu,  he  was  many  times  a  delegate  to  State 
and  National  Conventions  ;  and,  in  particular,  was 
a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention  at  St.  Louis 
which  renominated  President  Cleveland,  of  whom 
he  was  a  staunch  friend.  On  the  announcement  of 
his  death  the  following  despatch  was  received  from 
President  Cleveland  : 

Washington,  Nov.  23,  1888. 
Mrs.  Solomon  Scheu,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.: 

I  beg  of  you  to  accept  my  sincere  condolence  on 
the  death  of  your  husband  and  my  friend,  with  the 
assurance  that  I  share  your  affliction. 

Grover  Cleveland. 

Mr.  Scheu  was  a  man  of  wide  and  important  re- 
lations among  men  :  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Or- 
der, the  Park  Commission  of  Buffalo,  and  of  the 
Orpheus,  Liedertafel,  German  Young  Men's  and 
Buffalo  Literary  Associations.  He  was  married  in 
1847  to  Miss  Minnie  Rinck,  daughter  of  the  late 
William  Rinck,  who  was  at  one  time  a  lieutenant 
in  the  army  of  Napoleon  I.  Mrs.  Scheu  was  born 
in  Germany,  and  came  to  this  country  with  her  par- 
ents when  she  was  only  four  years  old.  From  this 
marriage  there  were  born  seven  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, six  of  the  sons  being  still  alive:  Jacob  W., 
Solomon,  Jr.,  Edward  L.,  Augustus  F.,  Charles  H. 
and  Albert  P.  Scheu.  Of  these,  Jacob  and  Edward 
are  residents  of  New  York  City.  Mr.  Scheu  died 
at  his  residence  on  Goodell  Street,  Buffalo,  at  ten 
minutes  of  six  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  November 
23,  1888.  He  had  been  stricken  with  paralysis  a 
week  previous,  and  only  his  vigorous  constitution 
and  powerful  vitality  had  enabled  him  to  hold  out 
so  long. '  Surrounding  his  bed,  as  the  tide  of  life 
slowly  ebbed,  were  his  wife,  his  six  sons,  his  broth- 
ers Jacob  and  William,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Elizabeth. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


135 


Wandle.  The  Buffalo  Commercial  Advertiser,  in  edi- 
torial comment,  on  the  day  following  his  death, 
said  of  Mr.  Scheu  :  "He  was  an  upright,  public- 
Spirited,  prosperous  German-American.  By  in- 
dustry and  intelligent  business  methods  he  amassed 
a  fortune  during  his  residence  of  forty-four  years  in 
Buffalo,  and  by  his  liberality  and  shrewd  political 
sense  he  became  an  influential  and  trusted  leader 
of  the  Democratic  party  of  this  county.  Through 
all  his  public  life,  as  through  his  business  life,  he 
carried  a  well-earned  reputation  for  probity  and  fi- 
delity unspotted,  and  this  good  name  is  the  much 
prized  heritage  of  his  six  sons." 


STOCKWELL,  HON.  JAMES  K.,  Mayor  of  Os- 
wego, was  born  at  Wilson,  Niagara  County, 
New  York,  October  25,  1844.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Stephen  Stockwell  (who  married  Lucy 
Bishop)  was  a  soldier  in  the  American  Army  during 
the  War  of  1812,  serving  at  Sackett's  Harbor  and 
vicinity.  At  its  close  he  settled  in  Niagara  County 
and  engaged  in  clearing  land  and  farming.  Mr. 
Stockwell's  father,  Ralph  Stockwell,  second  son  of 
the  foregoing,  was  born  in  Jefferson  County  and 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Mary  Jane 
Streeter,  daughter  of  Reuben  P.  Streeter,  who  with 
his  wife,  moved  from  Herkimer  County  to  Wilson, 
Niagara  County,  when  the  latter  region  was  a  wilder- 
ness. The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest  of 
five  children,  four  boys  and  one  girl.  He  was  born 
and  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools.  When  he  was  fourteen 
years  old  his  mother  died.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  entered  the  Lockport  Union  School,  where  he 
studied  the  higher  English  branches  for  two  years. 
In  August,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-third 
Battery,  New  York  Independent  Light  Artillery,  in 
which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  Rebellion.  On 
leaving  the  service  he  attended  Byrant  and  Strat- 
ton's  Commercial  College,  at  Buffalo,  New  York, 
during  one  course,  and  then  engaged  in  teaching,  as 
principal  of  an  unclassified  school  at  Lewiston, 
New  York.  In  this  position  he  remained  about  two 
years,  and  while  holding  it  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine in  the  office  of  Dr.  George  P.  Eddy,  Jr.,  a  lead- 
ing physician  of  Lewiston.  In  1869  he  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York  City,  and  in 
1870  he  received  the  same  degree  from  the  Buffalo 
Medical  College.  In  search  of  fame  and  fortune  he 
went  to  Lansing,  Michigan,  but  after  a  stay  of  two 
months  in  that  flourishing  locality,  during  which 
time  he  had  two  patients,  one  being  a  valuable 


coach  dog  with  a  broken  leg,  he  returned  to  New 
York,  and  established  himself  at  Oswego,  where  he 
bought  the  practice  of  a  retiring  physician  (Dr.  E. 
M.  Curtiss)  and  engaged  at  once  in  a  profitable 
business.  Mr.  Stockwell  polled  his  first  vote  in 
1865  in  support  of  the  nominees  of  the  Republic  an 
party.  Since  then  he  has  always  consistently  up- 
held the  principles  of  this  party  and  has  taken  a 
warm  interest  in  politics,  although  neither  seeking 
or  holding  public  office  until  March,  1889,  when  he 
was  nominated  by  the  Republicans  and  elected 
Mayor  of  Oswego.  On  December  7,  1870,  Dr. 
Stockwell  married  Margaret  A.  Fleming,  eldest 
child  of  John  Fleming,  (a  native  of  the  North  of 
Ireland,)  and  his  wife,  Margaret  Miller  of  Lewiston, 
New  Y'ork,  who  came  from  Edinburgh,  Scotland. 


DICK,  REV.  ROBERT,  of  Buffalo,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 12,  1814.  in  Bathgate,  Linlithgowshire,  or 
West  Lothan,  Scotland.  He  was  the  fourth 
son  and  ninth  child  of  James  Dick  and  Janet  Brown, 
who,  married  in  1799,  so  trained  their  five  sons  and 
six  daughters  that  every  one  of  them  became  "  co- 
workers with  God,"  and  four  of  the  sons  Christian 
ministers.  The  eleven  all  married  and  reared  such 
families,  that,  in  1885,  while  six  of  them  were  still 
living,  they  and  their  offsprings  numbered  361  souls. 
In  1821  the  entire  family  sailed  from  Scotland  and 
landed  at  Quebec,  on  their  way  to  Lanark,  Upper 
Canada,  now  Ontario.  The  accompanying  immi- 
gration, of  that  and  the  preceding  year,  of  Scotch 
families  was  sufficient  to  fill  up  the  townships  of 
Ramsay,  Lanark  and  Dalhousie,  then  a  wilderness 
of  stalwart  trees,  marred  only  by  the  surveyor's 
"blaze,"  and  his  "three  notches,"  indicating  be- 
tween which  and  through  which  trees  his  "  conces- 
sion" and  "proving  lines"  ran.  These  "conces- 
sion lines  "  ran  parallel  to  each  other  a  distance  of 
ten  miles,  and  nearly  a  mile  apart.  Upon  them 
were  wooden  posts  driven  into  the  ground,  which 
marked  each  concession  into  200  acre  lots.  Guided 
by  these  lines  and  posts,  each  settler  selected  his 
wilderness  home.  The  selection  of  the  Dick  fam- 
ily was  lot  13,  on  the  10th  line  of  Lanark.  The 
choice  was  made  blindly  enough,  but  providentially 
it  proved  better  than  the  average.  Here,  in  his 
eight  year,  by  lifting,  with  what  strength  he  had,  his 
axe  against  the  forest,  Robert  Dick  commenced  the 
life  of  a  backwoodsman.  In  its  work  of  chopping, 
logging,  burning,  potash-making,  rail-splitting, 
fence-building,  hoeing,  reaping,  mowing,  at  fourteen 
he  acknowledged  no  superior.  Often  challenged  to 
test  feats  in  all  these  forms  of  toil,  he  always  ac- 


136 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


cepted  the  challenge,  jet  never  suffered  defeat. 
The  necessity  for  labor  so  pressed  upon  young  and 
old  that  day-schooling  was  early  out  of  his  reach. 
But  knowledge  he  would  have,  and  therefore  or- 
ganized in  the  "Ingle-corner"  a  night-school  of 
one  :  and  lighting  it  up  with  the  cheerful  blaze  of 
resinous  and  dry  wood,  he,  in  that  grand  school, 
wherein  he  was  both  scholar  and  teacher,  ploughed 
through  the  Scotch  "Gray's  Arithmetic."  and  then 
the  American  one  of  Adams — improved  in  writing, 
reading,  English  grammar,  composition ;  and  made 
a  beginning  in  algebra  and  geometry.  On  Sab- 
baths he  gathered  theology,  chiefly  from  the  Bible — 
hindered  some  but  helped  more  by  the  productions 
of  the  Westminster  divines,  Boston,  Baxter,  Bun- 
van,  Milton,  Owen,  Ambrose,  Erskine,  Polock  and 
the  like.  At  eighteen  his  thirst  for  a  college  course 
became  intense.  To  attain  the  prerequisite  Latin 
he  commenced  its  study  at  Smith's  Falls,  under  Neil 
Dunbar,  and  continued  it,  in  connection  with  Greek, 
under  Robert,  now  Rev.  Dr.  Crawford,  late  of 
Deerfield,  Massachusetts,  but  then  a  junior  in  Wil- 
liams College.  The  professors  of  the  college  kindly 
permitted  him,  while  yet  a  sub-freshman,  to  attend 
all  their  lectures  in  philosophy  and  chemistry, 
which  to  him  were  a  feast  of  fat  things.  At  twenty- 
two  lie  became  a  freshman  in  what  is  now  Madison 
University,  in  order  to  be  with  his  brother  William, 
who,  two  years  his  elder,  was  then  preparing  to  en- 
ter. At  twenty-three  he,  his  brother  and  seventeen 
other  students  were  suspended  by  the  Faculty,  of 
which  Rev.  Dr.  Nathaniel  Kendrick  was  President, 
because  they  refused  to  abandon  an  Anti-Slavery 
Society  they  had  formed  among  themselves  as  stu- 
dents. The  Faculty  prevailed  on  fourteen  of  them 
to  abandon  the  society.  Culver,  the  noted  abolition 
Baptist  minister,  withdrew  his  son  Charles.  An- 
other, Voorhees,  went  westward  in  disgust,  leaving 
the  two  Dicks  alone  members  of  the  society,  the 
younger  being  the  Secretary.  They  prepared  their 
lessons  and  met  with  their  classes  as  aforetime, 
calmly  waiting  in  daily  expectation  of  being  ex- 
pelled by  the  Faculty.  When  longer  thus  waiting 
seemed  folly,  Dr.  Kendrick  was  called  upon  and 
respectfully  requested  to  inform  the  suspended 
brothers  when  further  action  would  be  taken  by 
the  Faculty  in  their  case.  The  answer  was,  "No 
further  action  is  intended." — "  But,  doctor,  you 
know  that  in  order  to  enter  another  college  we  must 
be  separated  from  this ;  and  certainly,  if  our  sus- 
pension was  just,  our  expulsion  is  now  imperative  ; 
viewed  from  whatever  side  that  is  reasonably  pos- 
sible." To  this  the  doctor  answered,—"  The  Facul- 
ty do  not  propose  to  take  any  further  action  in  the 
case."    "Then,  doctor,  must  we  remain  suspended 


here  as  long  as  life  be  vouchsafed  unto  us?"  The 
reply  was.  "  That  is  not  necessary  :  you  can  ask 
to  be  dismissed."  "  Are  we  to  understand  that  not- 
withstanding ourunwavering  adhesion  to  the  course 
which  led  you  to  suspend  us,  we  can  obtain  for  the 
askinsr,  letters  of  such  honorable  dismission  as  will 
enable  us  to  enter  any  other  college?"  The  answer 
was,  "Yes."  The  letters  were  asked  and  granted; 
and  on  them,  after  examination,  both  brothers  were 
admitted  to  Hamilton  College,  in  the  Presidency  of 
Dr.  Penney  ;  William  to  the  freshman,  and  Robert 
to  the  sophomore  class  because  of  his  advanced 
standing  in  mathematics,  though  deficient  in  the 
languages;  of  which  defect  he  was  so  conscious 
that  he  voluntarily  took  the  freshman  year  a  sec- 
ond time,  determined,  if  possible,  to  make  progress 
in  Latin  and  Greek,  as  easy  to  him  as  attainments 

1  in  philosophy  and  mathematics.  This  proved  to  be 
impossible.  The  lawless  irregularities  of  classical 
Greek  were  too  numerous  for  his  verbal  memory. 
Any  given  batch  of  them  he  could  learn  easily 
enough— the   trouble   was,  what  he  learned  this 

:  week  was  gone  the  next.  After  five  years  of  faith- 
ful effort,  three  of  them  in  college,  he  gave  it  up. 
Continuing  his  other  studies,  he  accepted  a  call 

:  from  a  church  whose  pastor  was  leaving  for  the  far 
west.  As  a  student  he  had  preached  very  often 
under  a  church  license  from  pulpits  and  platforms, 
and  to  mass  meetings  on  the  streets,  and  often  at  a 
moment's  call,  as  when  in  his  freshman  year.  The 
deacons  of  a  Baptist  church,  a  Sabbath  day's  jour- 

I  ney  from  Madison  University,  who  had  gathered  a 
splendid  assembly  to  hear  a  sermon  from  a  notable 

I  divine,  called  on  him,  at  the  last  minute,  in  despera- 
tion, as  the  notable  had  failed  to  come,  while  no 
professor,  theological  or  college  student  of  Hamil- 
ton Collegiate  or  Theological  Seminary'  could  be  in- 
duced to  preach  in  his  stead — not  one  of  them  hav- 
ing brought  a  sermon.  Under  these  circumstances 
the  freshman  dared  not  say  "no,"  and  hence  the 
ridiculous  spectacle  of  professor,  theological  and 
collegiate  students  of  every  class  forcing  the  boy 
freshman  to  preach  to  a  vast,  waiting  assembly, 
because  not  one  of  them  had  a  sermon  to  preach 
that  he  could  carry  in  his  pocket.  His  call  to  the 
ministry  at  the  age  of  sixteen  was  to  the  work  of 
an  evangelist,  in  the  broadest  sense ;  which  con- 
sists in  being  a  co-worker  with  Christ  in  destroying 
the  works  of  the  devil,  no  matter  what  their  form, 
whenever  or  wherever  found.  Then,  accepting 
this  as  his  life  work,  after  four  years  more  than  half 
a  century,  it  is  still  his  chosen  pursuit.  Yet,  never 
in  all  these  years  did  he  ever  make  money,  much  or 
little,  a  condition  of  work;  not  even  in  his  four 

I  years  of  pastoral  work,  nor  in  his  four  years  of 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


lZ7 


strictly  home  mission  work.  During  these  eight 
years  lie  accepted  and  used  the  support  voluntarily 
tendered,  and  for  the  rest  made  his  hands,  as  did 
Paul  at  times,  minister  to  his  wants.  At  other 
times  it  was  his  services  as  an  educator  in  school 
or  academy,  or  as  an  appointed  superintendent  of 
education.  His  home  mission  work  of  four  years 
wa.s  performed  in  Canada,  County  of  Lanark,  and 
chiefly  in  the  townships  of  Lanark,  Darling,  Ram- 
say and  Packeuham.  In  1847  and  '8,  with  his 
brother,  William  Dick,  he  conducted  an  academy 
in  Brockville,  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and 
preached  nearly  every  Sabbath.  In  Brockville  he 
helped  organize  the  first  Division  of  the  Sons  of 
Temperance  in  Canada,  and  also  the  Grand  Division 
of  Canada;  but  tins  only  on  the  assurance  that  if 
lie  found  auy  of  their  secrecies  to  work  evil  to  non- 
members  lie  should  be  at  liberty  to  make  it  known 
everywhere.  He  found  nothing  of  the  kind;  but 
so  much  promise  of  good  to  all  men,  that,  leaving 
Brockville  and  becoming  a  citizen  of  Toronto,  he 
organized  the  first  Division  there ;  as  also  in  Co- 
burgh,  Bowmausville,  Oshawa,  Markham,  New- 
market, Brampton,  Hamilton,  Gait,  Guelph,  and  in 
most  of  the  intermediate  villages— fifty-nine  Di- 
visions in  all.  In  this  work  he  spent  a  year,  lectur- 
ing nearly  every  night,  and  preaching  nearly  every 
Sabbath.  After  this,  to  "  minister  to  his  wants  and 
them  that  were  with  him,"  he  commenced  the 
work  of  publishing  books  for  the  promotion  of  bib- 
lical knowledge.  First,  Simmon's  "  Scripture  Man- 
Hal,"  or  the  "  Bible  Ledgerized  ;"  and  then  his  "  La- 
conic Manual."  Of  these  two  works,  each  a  dollar 
book,  excellent  value,  he  published  and  sold  20,000 
copies  in  Canada  ;  and  in  addition  other  religious 
works,  all  by  a  self-supporting  system  of  colportage, 
which  he  organized.  Through  all  these  years,  from 
his  conversion  and  call  to  the  work  of  an  evangelist 
at  sixteen,  he  had  labored  earnestly  for  the  lower- 
ing and  the  disappearing  of  all  separating  walls  be- 
tween God's  dear  children,  known  to  each  other  as 
co-workers  with  God ;  and  seeing  it  possible  to  do 
still  more  in  this,  his  special  evangelistic  work,  he 
determined  to  commence  the  issue  of  a  monthly^ 
journal.  Therefore,  in  1854,  he  published  in  the 
city  of  Toronto  the  first  number  of  the  Gospel 
Tribune,  a  monthly  inter-denominational  journal, 
which  he  continued  till  1858  ;  and  for  which  he  in- 
vented his  typographical  book-keeping  and  machine 
mailing  system.  Recognizing  this  as  the  answer 
to  his  prayer  that  he  might,  by  his  own  efforts,  have 
all  needful  family  sustenance,  and  be  free  for 
whatever  work  for  Christ  seemed  most  necessary 
for  the  overthrow  of  the  works  of  the  devil ;  and 
seeing  that  his  invention  made  the  whole  continent 


his  parish,  he  spread  its  map  before  him,  and,  know- 
ing that  his  abolitionism  could  not  be  "  tied  up  in  a 
napkin,"  and  hence  that  he  could  not  journey  south 
of  Maryland,  he  moved  to  Buffalo  as  the  best  centre 
for  his  parish — publishers  being  his  parishoners. 
At  the  end  of  thirty  years  he  believes  the  choice 
was  wisely  made,  and  hence  proposes  to  spend  the 
rest  of  his  days  in  Buffalo,  the  chosen  centre  of  his 
continent  of  work.  In  the  city  itself,  from  1860  to 
1876,  he  did  a  great  deal  of  evangelistic  work,  in  its 
■'highways  and  hedges," — often  preaching  even  in 
saloons  when  permitted,  endeavoring  to  pluck 
men  "as  brands  from  the  burning."  This  work 
compelled  him  to  see  that  the  unlawful  sale  of  in- 
toxicants on  the  Sabbath  by  the  city's  1,600  saloons 
made  them  moral  and  physical  slaughter-houses, 
the  unlawful  work  of  which  must  be  stopped,  if 
the  multitudes  they  demoralized  were  to  be  saved 
from  ruin.  He  therefore,  in  1876,  induced  one  hun- 
dred good  men  and  true  to  help  organize  a  "Law 
and  Order  Society,"  each  one  pledged  in  the  sum  of 
•ft  100,  made  payable  to  a  committee  of  three  chosen 
by  the  "Hundred,"  in  ft5.00  calls,  as  needed  from 
time  to  time.  The  committee  chose  a  lawyer,  and 
made  it  their  first  duty  to  see  that  Buffalo's  1,600 
saloons  were  closed  on  Sabbath,  as  the  law  required. 
Their  ell'orts  stirred  the  city  to  its  depths.  Violators 
were  put  on  trial  before  the  Police  Justice.  Blood 
and  thunder  curses  against  this  Law  and  Order 
Hundred  were  heard  on  every  side.  Their  answer 
was,  more  charges  for  violation  of  the  Sunday  law. 
Some  convictions  were  secured,  and  one  license 
cancelled.  But  as  a  new  license  was  immediately 
granted  to  the  brewer  who  supplied  the  saloon  with 
its  beer,  he  simply  made  the  convicted  man  his 
bartender  or  clerk,  and  the  saloon  was  equipped  as 
before.  The  average  license  fee  was  only  ft 30,  aud 
the  loss  to  the  violators,  who  had  banded  together, 
was  only  ft30,  not  two  cents  to  each.  Hence,  to 
make  them  respect  the  law  by  this  mode  of  action, 
it  was  clear  convictions  must  be  secured  in  rapid 
succession ;  and  so  forty  were  charged  at  once  be- 
fore the  Commissioners  of  Police,  and  immediate 
trial  pressed.  When,  lo,  the  spokesman  of  the  Po- 
lice Commissioners,  with  his  blandest  smile,  as- 
sured the  Law  and  Order  men  that  it  would  be  quite 
impossible  for  them  to  find  time  to  try  more  than 
two  cases  a  week.  When  shown  that  the  violators 
of  law  could  stand  that  till  doomsday,  as  it  involved 
the  loss  to  each  of  them  of  only  two  cents  a  week, 
it  was  still  persisted  in  that  two  a  week  was  all  that 
could  be  tried.  To  this  the  Law  and  Order  men 
replied  in  substance  :  "  If  it  is  your  settled  purpose 
to  thus  lean  back  in  your  harness,  some  way  must 
be  found  to  make  it  seem  advisable  to  you  to  use 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


your  harness,  as  we  all  know  it  was  made  to  be 
used.  You  know,  what  everybody  in  Buffalo 
knows,  that  the  saloons  are  open  every  Sunday  in 
gross  violation  of  law.  You  have  at  your  command 
an  efficient  Superintendent  of  Police,  who  knows, 
as  we  all  know,  that  the  saloons  are  open  on  Sun- 
day ;  and  who  says,  if  you  give  him  the  order  to 
keep  them  closed  on  Sunday,  he  will  close  them  all 
in  twenty-four  hours.  You  can  give  him  the  order 
in  one  minute.  You  have  time  enough  for  that ;  do 
it:  let  him  know  that  you  mean  it;  and  we  all 
know  that  the  work  will  be  done."  As  nothing 
could  move  the  Commissioners  of  Police  from  the 
position  they  had  taken,  that  fact  was  published  on 
the  following  day,  and  every  one  of  the  forty 
charges  withdrawn.  To  drag  on  and  worry  two 
transgressors  a  week  could  achieve  no  good,  and 
was  therefore  a  useless  infliction  of  penalty,  from 
which  the  merciful  always  shrink.  At  the  same 
time  the  announcement  was  made  that  a  mandamus 
would  be  asked  commanding  the  Commissioners  of 
Police  to  prevent  their  licensed  saloons  from  openly 
violating  the  Sunday  law.  Promptly  enough  the 
alternate  mandamus  was  secured,  and  for  a  time 
the  saloons  were  closed.  Soon,  however,  all  were 
open  again.  And  when  the  time  came  for  the  per- 
emptory mandamus,  it  was  denied;  first  by  the 
lower  Court,  then  by  the  Supreme  Court,  and  finally 
by  the  Court  of  Appeals.  Further  in  this  direction 
it  was  not  possible  to  go.  During  this  long  and  se- 
vere struggle  for  law  and  order  the  1,600  saloon 
keepers  all  regarded  Robert  Dick  as  the  head  and 
front  of  the  offending.  If  that  involved  sin,  he 
cannot  plead  "  not  guilty."  Meantime  he  has  been 
laboring  for  a  state  of  things  which  will  make  the 
attainment  of  the  end  he  sought  possible,  which 
cannot  be  till  the  political  bosses,  Democratic  and 
Republican,  cease  to  control  so  largely  the  action  of 
the  municipal  authorities.  By  the  crucial  exper- 
iences of  some  very  dear  friends,  reinforced  by  the 
overflow  of  hearts  griefs  iunumerablt'f.Mr.  Dick  was 
early  led  to  teach,  that,  as  a  rule,  the  obligations  of 
betrothal  and  marriage  should  ever  be  held  as  alike 
interminable.  That  laxer  views  begat  irrational 
courtships,  the  precursors  of  broken  vows,  sorrows 
and  anguish.  He.  therefore,  in  early  youth  chose 
an  helpmeet  for  life ;  rationally,  dispassionately. 
Hence,  he  never  visited  another — never  wore  "  the 
mitten  ;"  and  in  1890,  when  both  are  alike  76,  and 
have  cheerily  passed  their  "  golden  wedding,"  he 
still  believes  that  God  planned  and  appointed,  that 
through  betrothal  as  exclusive  and  lasting  as  mar- 
riage vows,  wisely  assorted  pairs  should  enter 
wedlock,  while  yet  young ;  content,  as  to  style,  to 
begin  where  their  most  worthy  progenitors  began. 


and  not  where  they  left  off.  By  the  wealthiest  but 
wisest  Father,  the  first  wedded  pair  were  forced  to 
begin  life  in  our  sinful  word,  when  all  they  had  was 
a  fig-leaf  apron  apiece.  They  pulled  together,  and, 
providentially,  soon  had  substantial  leather  gar- 
ments. In  our  day  is  there  a  sober,  industrious  pair 
who  could  not  do  as  grandly  ?  Well,  therefore,  has 
Mr  Dick  long  held,  and  often  said,  that  the  young 
man  who  is  not  married  at  twenty-five  owes  the 
world  an  apology.  Yet  it  was  not  in  his  plan  to 
marry  so  early.  Being  at  that  age  a  student  in 
college,  he  deemed  himself  to  have  in  that  fact  a 
sufficient  apology.  The  father  of  his  betrothed, 
however,  who  was  a  worthy  elder  in  the  Presbyter- 
ian church  in  Canada,  where  twelve  years  before 
Mr.  Dick  formed  an  attachment  for  his  daughter, 
viewed  the  matter  differently,  from  the  fact  that  af- 
ter having  spent  a  number  of  years  with  his  family 
in  the  centre  of  New  York  State,  he  was  about  to 
return  with  his  wife  and  children  to  his  farm  home 
in  ( 'anada.  He  therefore  said,  "  My  youngest  is  be- 
trothed to  you,  with  our  approbation.  She  is  now 
a  student,  and  properly  enough  a  member  with 
yourself,  two  brothers  and  three  sisters,  of  a  devoted 
Christian  family.  I  know  you  all  well  as  worthy  of 
my  highest  confidence.  Yet,  knowing  that  I  may 
be  reflected  upon  for  leaving  my  youngest  child, 
even  thus  surrounded,  I  will  know  that  I  can  never 
be  without  an  answer  if,  before  I  and  my  fam- 
ily return  to  Canada,  your  betrothal  is  legalized. 
The  minister  of  the  church  with  which  the  family 
worshiped  was  consulted.  He  coincided  with  the 
father's  views,  and  officiated  in  giving  them  effect. 
From  that  day  to  this  Mr.  Dick  has  never  once  re- 
gretted his  concurrence.  He  is  still  living  joyfully 
with  the  wife  of  his  youth,  known  to  him  at  four- 
teen as  Mary  Muir,  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Muir, 
then  the  nearest  neighboring  farmer,  and  a  worthy 
elder,  as  already  stated,  in  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Three  years  after  these  nuptials,  during  a  successful 
pastorate  in  Ames,  near  Sharon  Springs,  their  first 
child,  a  son,  was  born.  He  lived  to  be  a  favorite 
with  his  companions,  but  away  from  God.  At  Lin- 
coln's second  call  he  enlisted  against  the  Rebellion, 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Hundredth  New  York  Volunteers. 
Afterwards  he  became  a  Captain  in  the  Twelfth  New 
York  Cavalry.  When  unfit  for  duty  he  returned 
home  ;  struggled  for  some  years  against  chronic 
ailments  contracted  in  the  exposures  of  the  march ; 
he  finally  became  a  man  of  prayer ;  and  now  the 
ashes  of  James  Albert  Dick  rest  in  Forest  Lawn. 
Robert  Thomas,  the  brother  of  James  Albert,  who 
is  well  known,  also  shouldered  a  musket,  when  Lee 
invaded  Pennsylvania.  Though  under  age,  he 
claimed  to  be  old  enough  ;  filled  the  place  of  a  man 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


139 


who  could  not  go,  in  the  ranks  of  the  Seventy- 
fourth  New  York  Militia,  and  hurried  towards  Get- 
tysburg to  help  drive  Lee  back  across  the  Poto- 
mac. They  reached  Clear  Spring  Gap,  within 
sight  of  the  Potomac,  and  within  hearing  of  the 
Gettysburg  guns,  before  the  battle  commenced. 
To  them  and  a  Pennsylvanian  regiment  was  as- 
signed the  duty  of  preventing  Lee's  foragers  from 
operating  in  the  valley  to  which  their  Gap  led. 
They  performed  the  duty  well ;  for  they  so  filled 
the  Gap  between  the  trees  with  proof  of  prepared- 
ness for  battle  as  to  turn  back  10,000  of  Lee's  troops 
who  sought  to  pass  through  the  Gap.  This  occurred 
on  the  Sabbath  morning  after  Lee's  proud  army  of 
invasion,  rolled  in  blood  at  Gettysburg,  in  frag- 
ments was  hurrying  back  to  recross  the  Potomac 
into  Rebeldom  at  Williamsport.  On  the  same  day 
these  two  emergency  regiments  were  relieved  by 
veteran  troops.  As  they  left  their  post  Robert  was 
allowed  to  go  with  his  father  and  the  Chaplain  of 
the  regiment,  the  great-hearted  Dr.  Heacock,  to 
spend  the  night  in  a  hotel.  On  the  morrow  he  was 
again  with  his  regiment,  with  which  he  was  soon 
ordered  to  New  York  City,  to  help  quell  the  riot  in 
which  so  man}-  colored  people  suffered,  to  the  last- 
ing infamy  of  the  brutal  rioters.  The  woe  of  those 
days  is  past ;  may  it  not  be  that  another  corueth. 
The  first-born  sister  of  these  brothers  died  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  months,  and  before  the  second 
son  was  born.  Their  youngest  sister,  Mary  F., 
died  in  her  twentieth  year.  Her  remarkable  death 
is  thus  graphically'  described  by  an  eye  witness: 

"  Her  spirit  ascended  to  God  in  a  marvelous  ecstasy 
of  heavenly  illumination,  which  filled  every  feature 
of  eye  and  face  to  overflowing  with  expressions  of 
adoration,  joy,  astonishment,  worship  and  glory, 
such  as  nothing  can  account  for  that  falls  short  of 
the  sublime  conception  that  during  those  moments 
her  spirit  was  so  released  from  the  body  as  to  en- 
able her  to  be,  in  very  deed,  a  partaker  of  the 
world  to  come  ;  so  that  she  saw  heaven  opened,  as 
did  Stephen,  Paul  and  John.  All  they  saw  could 
not  have  changed  their  countenances  more  than  the 
transformation  wrought  on  hers  by  what  she  saw. 
Between  her  parents,  reclining  in  an  easy  chair,  she 
had  spoken  parting  words  to  each  member  of  the 
family  in  turn.  Her  last  words,  pointing  upwards, 
were,  '  Meet  me  there  !'  Her  pulse  and  breathing, 
carefully  watched  byr  her  father,  seemed  to  cease 
together;  so  that  he  had  opened  his  lips  to  say. 
'  Mary  is  dead,'  when  the  manifestations  above  in- 
dicated came  suddenly  as  the  lightning  flash,  con- 
tinued the  duration  of  several  flashes,  and  then 
went  as  suddenly  as  they  came.  With  that  glory 
which  produced  the  transformation  of  her  counte- 
nance, she  must  have  bounded  from  her  tenement  of 
dust.  For  when  we  looked  there  was  nothing  in 
our  hands  but  a  limp,  expressionless  corpse.  It 
rests  beside  the  ashes  of  her  brother." 

The  second  daughter,  Jennie  E.,  graduated  from 


the  Central  School  in  1868.  In  1872  she  became 
the  wife  of  Arthur  M.  Barker,  the  only  son  of  Pro- 
fessor J.  W.  Barker,  whose  sudden  death  Buffalo 
so  sorrowfully  mourned.  The  son,  on  graduating 
from  Buffalo  Medical  College,  immediately  com- 
menced the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  city,  the 
home  of  his  youth,  where  he  was  best  known.  This, 
so  generally  deemed  unwise,  in  his  case  has  proved 
the  reverse.  It  is  well  when  the  boy  thus  entails 
no  discredit  on  the  man.  Dr.  Barker's  family  fur- 
nishes a  happy  home  for  his  widowed  mother,  who, 
well  provided  for  by  the  industry  and  care  of  her 
husband,  while  living,  is  thus  doubly  blest  in  her 
great  sorrow.  The  only  child  in  the  family  is 
Harry,  a  sou  now  twelve  years  old.  Thus  entering 
upon  1888 — everything  full  of  comfort  and  promise, 
Dr.  Barker's  family  and  relatives  are  plunged  into 
the  deepest  grief.  Unexpectedly,  to  all  save  himself, 
the  fond  father,  the  true  husband,  the  only  son  of 
his  widowed  mother,  dies  suddenly  of  heart  disease, 
universally  mourned  by  the  Buffalo  medical  frater- 
nity, and  by  his  patients  tearfully  remembered  as  the 
"  beloved  physician."  Nor  was  this  all;  Robert  T. 
Dick,  his  brother-in-law,  soon  followed.  They  rest  to- 
gether in  Forest  Lawn.  Surely  this  life  draws  all  its 
significance  from  the  "life  to  come."  As  to  success 
in  life,  Mr.  Dick,  from  his  sixteenth  year,  has  held 
that  it  cannot  be  measured  by  what  begins  and  ends 
here.  Eternal  results  alone  are  the  measure  of  each 
life's  success.  The  success  of  gaining  the  whole 
world  is  a  failure  if  the  gainer's  soul  is  lost..  Be- 
yond this,  success  must  be  measured  by  the  num- 
ber of  fellow  immortals  each  has  plucked  from  the 
burning,  or  aided  to  escape  therefrom.  The  earn- 
ings of  Mr.  Dick's  brain  and  hands  have  not  only 
been  sufficient  for  family  sustenance — securing  to 
him  the  position  for  which  he  prayed — but  in  addi- 
tion have  enabled  him  to  expend  many  thousands  in 
aiding  others  to  be  also  co-workers  with  God. 
And  as  no  one  ever  suffered  any  pecuniary  loss 
through  him.  perhaps  even  the  world  will  accept 
the  belief  of  Mr.  Dick — that  financially  his  life  has 
been  a  success.  He  asked  nothing  beyond  the 
means  of  being  a  self-supporting  evangelist.  Most 
graciously  that  has  been  granted  him,  and  more. 
And  the  prospect  of  the  future  is  equal  to  the  re- 
sults of  the  past.  He  is  ever  learning  more  and 
more  of  his  parish,  and  becoming  therein  more  in- 
tensely interested.  Of  two  lengthy'  delineations  of 
Mr.  Dick's  characteristics,  the  first  sketched  by  L. 
N.  Fowler  and  the  second  by  Prof.  O.  S.  Fowler, 
the  first  paragraph  of  each  is  subjoined  : 
A  Private  Sketch. 
"  You  have  an  uncommon,  strong,  tenacious  and 
vigorous  temperament.     You  are  not  particularly 


140 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


showy,  brilliant  and  inclined  to  display  of  mind. 
Yon  are  adapted  to  hard,  severe  and  Original  think- 
ing: and  disposed  to  take-  hold  of  fundamental 
principles,  and  work  your  way  through  subjects 
requiring  a  rigid  investigation.  You  always  take 
bold  of  the  object  under  inquiry  and  take  the  hard- 
est part  of  it,  and  do  not  spare  yourself  any,  scarce- 
ly. In  this  respect  it  would  be  to  your  advantage, 
by  way  of  giving  display  of  mind,  to  have  more 
w'arm  blood,  ardent  feeling  and  susceptabilitv  of 
mind.  You  have  too  muchof  the  reasoning  intel- 
lect ;  and  you  are  too  much  absorbed  by  those  sub- 
jects which  excite  a  philosophical  turn  of  mind. 
You  have  not  enough  perceptive  talent,  observation, 
knowledge  of  details,  and  ability  to  accumulate 
knowledge  of  facts  and  common  news.  You  are 
shut  out  from  the  world  too  much,  and  live  too 
much  within  yourself." 

A  Public  Sketch.    {Courier 'n  Report.) 

'•  Prof.  Fowler  said  that  the  gentleman  before 
him  had  a  very  large  brain,  it  being  twenty-three 
inches  in  circumference.  Better  yet,  he  has  a  good  j 
body  to  support  it ;  and  these,  together  with  an  un- 
common degree  of  enthusiasm,  lend  him  a  great 
deal  of  power— he  being  able  to  work  with  tremen- 
dous energy.  A  squarely  built  head  always  indi- 
cates an  impulsive  temperament,  which  is,  in  this 
instance,  a  little  too  flashy — a  weakness.  A  long 
and  prominent  organism  indicates  speed  and 
strength.  The  professor  cautioned  Mr.  Dick  to  be 
careful  as  he  grows  older,  as  his  over-excitability  and 
inflammability  would  affect  his  brain.  He  lacks 
faith,  but  his  conscience  is  enormous,  and  benevo-  I 
lence  is  likewise.  It  is  his  desire  to  make  men  hap- 
pier by  making  them  better.  He  can  hardly  help 
being  a  speaker  on  moral  and  religious  subjects,  j 
His  unusual  development  of  the  forehead  would 
show  that  he  reasons  much  with  matter  involving 
conscience  and  right.  His  veneration  is  consider- 
able— but  his  whole  character  runs  in  a  moral  and 
religious  channel.  He  has  so  little  faith  that  he 
will  break  away  from  any  dogmas  or  creeds  run- 
ning not  according  to  his  conscience,  and  he  is 
therefore  a  radical  religionist." 


G1LYNT,  CHARLES  S.,  M.D.,  a  distinguished  phy- 
sician and  surgeon  of  Saratoga  Springs,  and 
widely  known  as  the  founder,  proprietor  and 
medical  chief  of  the  Saratoga  Sanitarium,  one  of 
the  most  successful  institutions  of  its  class  in  the 
United  States,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Hobart, 
Delaware  County,  New  York,  November  29,  1845. 
He  is  of  combined  Scotch  and  English  ancestry, 
and  with  the  fine  physique  common  to  both  these 
races,  he  inherits  the  persistence  and  shrewdness  of 
the  one,  and  the  pluck  and  energy  of  the  other. 
The  family  or  clan  of  Grant  has  been  a  leading  one 
in  Scotland  for  many  generations.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  Dr.  Grant  was  a  scion  of  this  ancient  I 
clan,  and  with  his  wife,  also  a  native  of  Scotland,  I 
came  to  America  in  the  last  century.    One  of  the  | 


children  of  this  worthy  couple  was  Charles 
Grant,  the  father  of  Dr.  Grant,  born  in  Delaware 
County,  New  York,  about  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century.  Charles  Grant  married  Amanda 
M.  Greene,  who  was  a  niece  of  General  Nathaniel 
Greene  of  Revolutionary  fame.  By  this  marriage 
there  were  three  children,  a  son  and  two  daughters, 
all  now  living.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
youngest  of  the  family.  Until  he  was  ten  years  of 
age  he  lived  on  the  parental  farm,  and  got  his  edu- 
cational training  at  the  district  school.  In  1855  his 
father  exchanged  the  farm  for  a  house,  lands  and 
grist  mill  in  the  village  of  Hobart,  to  which  place 
he  removed  with  his  family  in  the  spring  of  1856. 
Here  Charles  attended  the  common  school  for  a 
time,  and  when  sufficiently'  prepared  entered  the 
High  School.  His  later  training  was  had  at  the 
"  Ashland  Collegiate  Institute  and  Business  Col- 
lege," and  the  Fort  Edward  Institute,  each  of 
which  he  attended  through  a  full  course.  While 
still  a  boy  he  obtained  a  clerical  position  in  the 
post  office  at  Hobart,  and  in  this  capacity  made 
(piite  a  local  reputation  as  a  painstaking  and  com- 
petent official,  and  an  obliging  and  agreeable  young 
man.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  under  the  late  Dr.  Solomon 
Greene,  of  Saratoga  Springs.  After  being  well  pre- 
pared by  his  accomplished  preceptor,  he  entered 
the  Albany  Medical  College,  and  while  taking  the 
regidar  courses  of  instruction  at  that  well-known 
institution,  studied  as  a  private  pupil  under  the  late 
Prof.  Alden  March  of  Albany,  one  of  the  ablest  sur- 
geons in  America.  He  was  appointed  and  served 
two  years  as  Assistant  and  House  Physician  of  the 
Albany  City  Hospital,  also  a  term  as  House  Physi- 
cian at  the  Albany  Alms  House  and  Insane  Asylum 
Hospitals.  In  December,  1866,  he  was  graduated  at 
the  Albany  Medical  College  with  the  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Medicine,  taking  the  highest  houors  of  his 
class,  of  which  he  was  chosen  valedictorian.  Seek- 
ing to  still  further  qualify  himself  for  professional 
work  he  afterwards  took  three  courses  of  instruc- 
tion at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  in 
New  York  City,  and  by  every  means  at  his  com- 
mand prepared  for  the  duties  and  exigencies  of  his 
chosen  vocation.  In  1867  Dr.  Grant  began  the  real 
business  of  his  life  at  Weedsport,  Cayuga  County, 
New  York,  by  taking  charge  of  the  medical  and 
surgical  practice  of  his  old  and  firm  friend,  Dr.  Ira 
D.  Brown,  who,  in  that  year,  was  elected  to  the 
State  Legislature.  About  this  period  he  conceived 
the  idea  that  Saratoga  Springs,  with  its  splendid 
natural  resources,  was  a  desirable  locality  in  which 
to  settle  for  practice.  He  mentioned  the  matter  to 
his  father,  and  the  latter,  acting  upon  his  son's  sug-_ 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


141 


gestion,  sold  out  his  business  aud  property  interests  | 
in  Delaware  County,  and  removed  to  the  Springs, 
where,  in  18G7,  Dr.  Grant  opened  an  oftice  and  com- 
menced practice.  Although  young  at  this  time  he 
bad  had  unusual  advantages  for  acquiring  a  sound 
knowledge  of  his  profession.  His  studies  and  ex- 
perience under  the  eye  of  Prof.  March — himself  one 
of  the  most  skillful,  brilliant  and  successful  of 
American  surgeons — had  given  him  a  rare  degree 
of  skill  in  the  actual  practice  of  surgery,  and  by 
subsequent  studies  under  eminent  specialists  he 
had  become  highly  proficient  as  a  gynecologist, 
obstetrician,  electrician,  microscopist,  oculist  and 
aurist.  Genius  has  been  defined  as  a  capacity  for 
persistent  work,  and  judged  by  this  definition  Dr. 
Grant  showed  himself  from  the  very  start  to  be  the 
possessor  of  medical  genius  of  the  highest  order. 
He  worked  early  and  late,  apparently  happy  only 
when  immersed  in  study  or  practice.  An  incident 
in  his  student  life  indicated  the  character  of  the 
young  man  so  clearly,  that  Prof.  March  often  al- 
luded to  it  when  predicting  great  things  in  the  fu- 
ture for  his  talented  and  devoted  young  pupil.  A 
female  patient  in  the  Albany  City  Hospital,  suffer- 
ing in  the  last  stages  of  Bright's  disease  and  almost 
helpless,  expressed  a  desire  to  be  sent  home  to  Lex- 
ington, Michigan,  where,  if  death  came,  she  would 
be  among  her  own  people.  The  heart  of  the  young 
student  was  moved  by  sympathy  for  the  sufferer, 
and  he  volunteered  to  undertake  the  removal.  His'  ■ 
charge  consisted  not  only  of  the  patient  herself,  but 
her  child,  a  boy  of  four  years,  and  household  effects 
and  baggage.  During  the  journey  the  patient  had 
to  be  nursed  and  cared  for  almost  without  intermis- 
sion, and  the  surgical  operation  of  tapping  the  ab- 
domen had  to  be  performed  in  order  to  keep  her 
alive  until  she  reached  her  destination.  On  the  way 
to  Lexington  the  train  met  with  a  serious  accident 
at  Komoka,  which  threatened  the  lives  of  all  on 
board.  With  a  single  eye  to  his  duty  aud  no  other 
thoughts  or  fears  save  those  connected  with  his 
dying  charge,  the  young  student  passed  through 
this  terrible  ordeal  without  realizing  it,  and  first 
became  cognizant  of  the  actual  danger  when  read- 
ing of  the  accident  in  the  Detroit  newspapers  on  the 
following  morning.  In  his  full  twenty  years  of  in- 
creasing professional  work  Dr.  Grant  has  performed 
nearly  every  legitimate  operation  known  to  surgery, 
and,  according  to  the  testimony  of  experts,  with  re- 
sults that  will  compare  favorably  with  the  record  of 
similar  operations  performed  by  any  surgeon  in  any 
country.  Probably  the  greatest  of  his  surgical  op- 
erations— the  one  requiring  the  most  skill,  courage 
and  endurance — was  the  removal  of  the  entire 
lower  half  of  the  left  lung.  This  daring,  and  at  that 


time  entirely  novel  operation,  was  performed  for  the 
cure  of  abscess  and  gangrene  of  the  organ,  and  was 
entirely  successful,  recovery  following.  Owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  patient  was  one  of  the  most  emi- 
nent railroad  men  of  the  country}  this  case  acquired 
considerable  notoriety.  The  summer  residence  of 
the  invalid  was  sixty  miles  from  Saratoga.  To  en- 
able him  to  pay  professional  visits  as  often  as  neces- 
sary a  special  train  was  kept  at  Dr.  Grant's  orders 
for  over  two  months,  and  during  that  period  he  vis- 
ited the  patient  once  or  twice  a  day.  A  series  of 
operations  was  made  necessary',  as  the  lung  tissue 
broke  down  only  by  piecemeal.  A  three  inch  open- 
ing was  made  between  the  ribs,  through  which  the 
decayed  tissue  was  from  time  to  time  removed. 
Most  of  the  operations  were  performed  under  water 
which  had  been  made  antiseptic  by  first  boiling  and 
then  carbolizing  and  listeriuising.  As  an  obstetri- 
cian Dr.  Grant  has  had  a  remarkable  and  most  suc- 
cessful experience.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  em- 
ploy chloroform  and  forceps  in  the  conduct  of  labor, 
and  like  every  innovator  was  subjected  for  a  time  to 
the  most  severe  adverse  criticism.  In  the  more  than 
thirteen  hundred  obstetrical  cases  of  which  he  has 
had  charge  he  has  effected  delivery  with  the  aid  of 
forceps  in  over  five  hundred ;  and  in  eight  hundred  or 
more  cases  while  the  mother  was  under  the  influence 
of  chloroform.  Not  a  few  of  his  successes  in  this 
department  have  been  of  an  extraordinary  character 
and  have  excited  the  warm  plaudits  of  his  profes- 
sional brethren.  His  skill  and  ingenuity  in  con- 
structing an  obstetrical  forceps  that  could  do  no 
injury  to  either  mother  or  child,  and  that  could  be 
used  while  the  patient  lay  naturally  in  bed  and 
without  the  least  exposure,  deserve  and  are  receiv- 
ing the  compliments  of  medical  men  generally',  and 
the  sincere  thanks  and  blessing  of  every  woman  in 
the  land.  In  a  biographical  work  of  this  character 
it  is  obvious  that  no  attempt  can  be  made  to  give 
particulars  of  medical  and  surgical  cases,  however 
extraordinary'  or  successful.  A  mere  enumeration 
of  the  important  cases  successfully  conducted  by 
Dr.  Grant  would  alone  recpiire  far  more  space  than 
can  be  accorded  to  any  single  biographical  sketch. 
In  the  discharge  of  his  professional  duties  he  has 
traveled  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other, 
his  patients,  well  aware  of  the  value  of  his  services, 
hesitating  at  no  expense  to  secure  them.  On  one 
occasion  he  traveled  over  six  thousand  miles,  to  and 
fro,  to  take  charge  of  an  obstetrical  case,  in  this  in- 
stance the  experience  of  those  concerned  teaching 
them  that  the  patient's  safety,  as  well  of  the  life  of 
the  child,  depended  on  the  services  of  this  skilled 
accoucheur.  In  the  conduct  of  his  immense  and  most 
varied  practice  Dr.  Grant  has  had  many  interesting 


142 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


and  even  thrilling  experiences,  but  to  attempt  to  go 
into  them  would  require  a  volume,  which  it  is  no  ex- 
aggeration to  say,  would  make  an  absorbing  study. 
He  has  a  large  acquaintance  among  the  wealthier 
and  most  cultured  people  of  the  land  and  warm 
friends  in  every  section  of  the  country.  Without  any 
other  advantages  to  speak  of  save  his  own  indomit- 
able perseverance  in  study  and  practice,  he  has 
raised  himself  into  the  front  rank  of  American  med- 
ical men  and  is  esteemed  by  the  very  highest,  many 
of  whom  are  his  warm  personal  friends.  From  his 
practice  during  the  last  twenty  years  he  has  earned 
the  extraordinary  sum  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  his  income  of  recent  years 
has  sometimes  reached  as  high  as  twenty  thousand 
dollars.  Dr.  Grant  has  been  a  valued  member  of, 
and  has  held  different  offices  in  all  of  the  regular 
medical  societies  in  his  section  of  the  State.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  As- 
sociation— of  which  he  was  one  of  the  founders — 
and  of  several  others,  but  he  is  so  engrossed  by  his 
practice  that  he  rarely  has  time  to  attend  their 
meetings.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  him  to  be 
kept  hard  at  work  from  seventeen  to  twenty  hours 
a  day  for  weeks  at  a  time,  and  nothing  but  his  iron 
constitution  and  perfect  health1  could  enable  him  to 
perform  so  much  labor.  Scarcely  ever  finding 
"  breathing  time"  he  has  been  forced  to  forego  the 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  of  recording  his  expe- 
riences, and  no  article  from  his  pen  has  ever  ap- 
peared in  any  medical  or  other  journal,  nor  has  lie 
ever  recorded  any  case  whatever.  His  enforced 
silence  in  this  matter  no  less  than  his  enforced  non- 
attendance  at  medical  gatherings,  for  which  the  en- 
grossing nature  of  his  professional  duties  is  alone 
responsible,  is  a  cause  of  sincere  regret  to  him.  but 
for  the  present  appears  to  be  absolutely  unavoidable. 
In  1885  Dr.  Grant  built  the  ^Saratoga  Sanitarium,  | 
which  was  opened  April  1,  188ft  This  institution, 
modeled  after  the  most  famous  of  similar  Euro- 
pean institutions,  is  unique  in  the  perfection  of  its 
accommodations.  The  wide  reputation  of  its  founder 
has  drawn  to  it  patients  from  all  parts  of  the  Union, 
and  it  is  a  pronounced  success ;  in  this  regard  far 
exceeding  the  expectations  of  its  founder,  being  reg- 
ularly filled  to  overflowing,  down  even  to  the  period 
in  the  year  when  most  other  accommodations  in  Sara- 
toga are  closed  for  the  winter.  The  residence  of 
Dr.  Grant,  at  the  corner  of  Woodlawn  Avenue  and 
Walton  Street,  is  one  of  the  noblest  architectural 
ornaments  of  Saratoga,  and  one  of  the  finest  private 
dwellings  in  America.  It  was  begun  on  the  first  j 
day  of  May,  1886,  and  for  two  years  a  large  force  | 
of  men  were  employed  on  its  construction.  Its 
foundation  and  subterranean  walls  are  the  solid 


rock.  The  superstructure  is  a  balloon  frame,  con- 
structed from  heavy  selected  spruce,  sheathed  ex- 
ternally with  one-inch  spruce  and  asbestos,  with  an 
internal  lining  of  asbestos,  creating  two  air  cham- 
bers, faced  externally  with  selected  Glen's  Falls 
pressed  brick,  laid  in  red  mortar,  with  beaded 
joints,  and  the  dressings  at  all  light,  exit  and  en- 
trance openings,  of  graystone,  the  same  as  the 
water-table  crowning  the  foundation  walls  ;  and  in 
solidity  of  construction  it  has  no  superior  in  Amer- 
ica, as  all  its  carrying  forces  foot  upon  the  solid 
rock,  thence  upward  to  the  roof,  not  the  slightest 
vibration  being  perceptible  in  any  of  the  floors, 
while  the  dual  system  of  ventilated  air  chambers 
renders  the  walls  absolutely  impervious  to  external 
heat,  cold  and  moisture,  and  equally  retentive  of 
internal  artificial  heat  in  winter  and  productive  of  a 
delightfully  cool,  refreshing  internal  atmosphere  in 
summer.  The  external  design  is  Elizabethan  com- 
posite, handled  with  characteristic  American  free- 
dom iu  its  details,  picturesquely  broken  and  varied 
in  its  outlines,  presenting  a  strikingly  harmonious 
picture.  Noticeable  external  features  of  this  stuc- 
ture  are  the  broad  and  shadowy  portico,  the  circular 
promenade  around  the  base  of  the  tower,  the  ample 
and  artistic  porte-cochere,  the  spacious  canopied 
balconies  and  the  elevated  promenade  gallery,  all 
beautifully  and  harmoniously  designed,  and  sugges- 
tive of  luxurious  ease.  The  interior  is  charming  and 
artistic  to  the  last  degree.  The  ret  de  chamnee  is  a 
marvel  of  beauty,  treated  in  mahogany,  in  Eastlake 
design,  one-half  of  the  main  part  being  devoted  to  the 
Doctor's  office  suite,  consisting  of  a  ladies'  reception 
room  in  which  a  princess  of  the  blood  royal  might 
be  fittingly  entertained,  a  gentleman's  reception 
room,  beautifully  decorated,  private  office  and  op- 
erating room,  laboratory,  retiring  room  for  en- 
feebled patients,  fitted  up  with  luxurious  divans 
and  easy  chairs,  and  adjoining  baths  and  lavatory 
on  the  sunny  side  of  the  central  grand  staircase 
hall.  On  the  opposite  side  are  arranged  the  parlor, 
reception  room,  library  and  retreat  for  reading  and 
meditation.  The  parlor  suite  and  spacious  hall  are 
connected  by  ample  sliding  doors,  that  when  pock- 
eted transforms  the  entire  suite  and  hall  into  one 
grand  apartment.  At  the  end  of  the  hall  a  broad 
sliding  door  filled  with  a  beveled  mirror,  both  sides, 
glides  noiselessly  out  of  sight,  revealing  a  regal 
dining  hall,  illuminated  by  many  tinted  cathedral 
and  jeweled  glass  windows  of  unique  design,  with 
mural  decoration  of  embossed  Japanese  leather  of 
deep,  rich.  Oriental  coloring,  with  ceiling  treated 
in  soft  tints  and  golden  high  lights,  angle  cliina 
and  silver  closets,  with  bevel  mirrored  doors, 
lofty  chimney  piece  with  mirrors  and  open  grate, 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


H3 


and  antique  brass  furniture,  a  classic  mirrored  ma- 
hogany buffet,  dadoing  of  diversified  paneling  in 
mahogany,  four  feet  high,  with  gilded  radiator 
screens  paneled  in  the  wainscoting,  and  complete 
furniture  of  enriched  mahogany,  upholstered  in 
maroon  embossed  leather,  constitute  the  accessories 
and  attractions  of  this  private  bancpiet  hall,  where 
the  ills  of  humanity  may  be,  for  a  brief  season,  at 
least,  forgotten.  Adjoining  it,  in  the  rear,  are  the 
customary  culinary  offices,  butler's  pantry,  etc., 
■with  every  modern  convenience.  The  grand  stair- 
case hall  is  traversed  in  the  center  by  a  triple  ar- 
cade of  arches,  columns  and  capitals,  daintily  en- 
riched, that  gives  a  beautiful  vista  to  the  broad,  rich 
staircase,  and  is  illuminated  with  a  flood  of  mellow 
light  from  front  and  rear,  reproduced  many  times 
in  intensity  by  mirrored  closet  doors,  flanking  the 
entrance,  consisting  of  a  metropolitan  vestibule  of 
enriched  mahogany.  Midway  between  the  vesti- 
bule and  arcade  is  a  lof  ty  chimney  piece  exquisitely 
carved,  with  beveled  mirrors,  open  grate  with  rare 
furniture  of  metal  in  antique  design:  with  dadoing 
of  mahogany  and  mural  decorations  entirely  unlike 
anything  extant,  having  been  made  expressly  for 
this  work,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  it  will  not  be 
likely  to  be  copied,  as  the  blocks  and  designs  were 
destroyed  as  soon  as  the  work  was  completed.  Its 
effects  are  simply  dazzling,  the  design  being  a  mazy 
labyrinth  of  trailing  vines,  foliage  and  flowers,  in 
alto-relievo  of  mica,  soft  tints  and  gold,  with  ceiling 
of  a  harmonious  treatment.  The  floors  of  the  rez 
de  e/iausse'e  are  encaustic  English  tiles,  many  hued,  for 
office  suite,  tri-colored  parquetry  for  grand  stair- 
case hall  and  dining  hall,  and  axminster  gobelin 
for  parlor  suite.  The  furnishing  of  the  parlor  suite 
is  entirely  original,  each  piece  being  executed  from 
special  designs  and  charmingly  diversified  in  its 
upholstery,  both  in  style  and  coloring.  The  library 
is  fitted  with  stationary  mahogany  cases  to  match 
the  design  of  finish  of  the  apartment.  The  second 
floor  is  devoted  entirely  to  the  private  living  apart- 
ments, chambers,  studio,  reading,  dressing  and 
bath  rooms,  with  chimney  pieces  of  mahogany  and 
open  fire  places,  with  brass  or  iron  furniture,  the 
finish  being  of  cherry.  The  baths  are  finished  in 
red  cedar  and  the  entire  floor  is  beautifully  furnished 
in  mahogany.  The  third  floor  contains  three 
suites  of  bachelor  apartments  and  one  of  the  finest 
private  billiard  parlors  and  chess  rooms  on  the 
American  continent,  appropriately  furnished  and 
decorated  murally  d  la  Francaix,  in  warm  exciting 
coloring  and  tasteful  design.  The  decoration 
throughout  is  entirely  free  from  offensive  severity 
of  colors  and  harsh  contrast,  a  chaste  feeling  of 
refinement  pervading  the  entire  work.    The  illumi- 


j  nation  is  entirely  from  the  side  walls,  thus  avoiding 
drop  lights  from  the  ceilings,  which  so  detract  from 
the  dignity  of  a  handsome  apartment,  and  cast  a 
shadow  where  light  is  most  needed.  Among  the 
special  works  of  art  are  two  superb  upright  pianos 
of  great  volume  and  brilliancy,  with  exquisitely 
wrought  cases.  The  drapery  at  the  light  opening 
is  principally  of  rich  lace.  The  structure  is  com- 
pletely heated  by  steam,  by  one  of  the  most  ap- 
proved systems  in  use,  electricity  being  employed 
for  the  system  of  bells  and  illumination  of  gas.  In- 
deed it  is  a  home  eminently  fit  for  a  millionaire, 
and  a  deserved  reward  for  the  years  of  patient  de- 
votion at  the  shrine  of  iEsculapius,  by  its  already 
eminent  and  fortunate  owner.  Personally  Dr. 
Grant  is  a  man  of  striking  appearance.  Within  an 
inch  of  six  feet  in  heighth,  he  is  of  powerful  build 
and  splendid  proportions,  weighing  about  two  hun- 
dred pounds.  His  regular  features  are  surmounted 
by  a  forehead  of  the  intellectual  type,  and  his  fair 
complexion  and  clear  eves  indicate  prime  physical 
health.  Although  his  general  expression  is  easy 
and  pleasant,  firmness  is  written  in  every  line  of  his 
countenance.  No  one  looking  at  the  man  for  the 
first  time  could  doubt  Ins  power  or  success.  He  is 
evidently  one  of  those  persons  designed  by  nature 
to  achieve  great  things,  and  in  choosing  to  direct 
his  magnificent  energies  towards  the  alleviation  of 
t lie  ills  and  sufferings  of  humanity,  with  all  the 
study,  labor  and  dangers,  privations  and  trials 
which  that  involves,  he  has  shown  himself  to  be 
actuated  by  the  noblest  humane  impulses  and  by  a 
courage,  endurance  and  perseverence  which  would 
do  credit  to  the  bravest  soldiers  on  the  field  of  bat- 
tle. "  Peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  than  war  ;  " 
and  the  victories  of  the  medical  and  surgical  pro- 
fession have  no  occasion  to  stand  uncovered  in  the 
presence  of  the  grandest  won  on  the  field  of  armed 
conflict. 


HODGE,  JOHN,  a  representative  citizen  and  busi- 
ness man  of  Western  New  York,  President  of 
the  Board  of  Education  of  the  city  of  Lockport, 
where  he  has  resided  nearly  thirty  years,  one  of  the 
Commissioners  of  the  Niagara  Reservation,  and  a 
distinguished  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in 
which  he  holds  the  Thirty-third  Degree,  A.  A.  S.  R., 
was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  New  York,  in  1837. 
He  was  a  boy  of  tender  years  when  he  found  his 
way  to  Lockport,  then  little  more  than  a  thriving 
village  ;  and  equipped  with  no  greater  fortune  than 
an  unsullied  name  and  indomitable  pluck,  began  for 
himself  the  battle  of  life.    A  writer  cognizant  of  his 


144 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGR 


APHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


early  struggles  says  of  him  :  "In  his. youthful  am- 
bition he  evinced  a  thirst  for  scholastic  knowledge, 
and  availed  himself  of  the  earliest  opportunity  for 
it-  attainment  at  an  institution  near  the  place  of  his 
birth,  where,  by  precocious  aptitude  and  untiring 
application,  he  soon  achieved  advancement,  and 
laid  firmly  the  foundation  of  that  symmetrical  char- 
acter which  has  since  enabled  him  not  only  to  at- 
tain but  command  success."  At  the  time  he  entered 
it,  Lockport,  although  but  a  village,  possessed  many 
advantages.  As  the  county  seat  of  Niagara  County, 
it  was  a  most  desirable  place  for  one  to  live  in  who, 
like  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  had  in  view  entrance 
to  the  legal  profession  as  the  zeal  of  his  ambition. 
In  its  public  places  might  be  found,  while  the  courts 
were  in  session,  judges  and  lawyers  of  wide  repute: 
and  in  its  bustling  streets,  during  the  same  period, 
officials  of  various  grades,  from  State  Senators  to 
Justices  of  the  Peace,  and  from  Sheriffs  to  writ- 
servers — all,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  airing 
their  temporary  importance  before  their  fellows. 
The  effect  of  proximity  to  scenes  of  this  description, 
especially  upon  a  lad  whose  knowledge  of  the  world 
was  in  its  infancy,  can  easily  be  imagined.  The 
career  of  all  careers  seemed  to  .him  to  lie  in  the  law, 
and  upon  its  study  he  resolv'ed  to  enter.  The  op- 
portunity to  begin  came  to  him  almost  for  the  ask- 
ing, and  he  found  the  study  of  the  ponderous  and 
musty  tomesof  thelawmore  than  congenial ;  indeed, 
almost  fascinating.  But  as  he  progressed  in  his 
legal  studies  the  practical  side  of  his  character  de- 
veloped. By  degrees  he  found  that  his  mind  wan- 
dered from  the  hair-splitting  intricacies  of  the  law 
to  a  comparison  of  its  rewards,  as  he  saw  them, 
with  the  fruits  of  successful  effort  in  the  broad 
fields  of  commerce,  manufactures  and  finance,  in 
which  there  were  numerous  instances  of  country 
boys,  without  superior  education  or  other  advan- 
tages, having  attained  to  wealth  and  eminence. 
For  a  time  there  was  a  mental  wrestle  between  the 
sentimental  and  practical  in  his  nature,  but  the 
struggle  was  ended  by  his  giving  up  Blackstone  and 
Kent  for  the  day-book  and  ledger;  and  while  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that,  through  his  change  of  pur- 
pose, the  legal  profession  lost  one  who  might  have 
risen  to  become  oue  of  its  most  brilliant  ornaments, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  the  business  world  gained 
one  of  its  most  whole-souled,  distinguished  and  suc- 
cessful members.  At  this  critical  period  in  his 
career,  the  turning  point  of  his  fortune,  as  it  were, 
he  became  connected  with  the  Merchant's  Gargling 
Oil  Company,  and,  speedily  proving  his  worth, 
was  finally  advanced  to  the  position  of  Secretary 
and  sole  Manager  of  the  corporation.  The  out- 
come of  his  assiduous  and  intelligent  labors  in  this 


field  was  a  handsome  fortune,  which  lie  has  now 
been  in  the  enjoyment  of  for  some  years,  and  which 
is  still  augmenting  from  its  original  source.  With 
an  affection  for  the  theatre  of  his  early  struggles 
and 'successes  which  reflects  the  highest  credit  upon 
both  his  heart  and  judgment,  Mr.  Hodge  gave  the 
benefit  of  the  first  fruits  of  his  brilliant  business 
success  to  the  city  of  Lockport.  Finding  himself 
the  possessor  of  a  large  surplus  beyond  the  needs  of 
his  immediate  business,  he  employed  it  in  the  erec- 
tion of  a  temple  of  music  and  drama,  which  was 
appropriately  styled  The  Hodge  Opera  House. 
This  beautiful  structure,  built  at  a  cost  of  $125,000, 
was  destroyed  by  fire  soon  after  its  erection.  This 
calamity,  far  from  discouraging  the  enterprise  of 
Mr  Hodge,  seemed  to  spur  it  to  new  endeavor,  and 
the  consequence  was  that  the  Opera  House  was  im- 
mediately rebuilt,  if  anything  on  a  grander  and  more 
expensive  scale  than  originally  projected.  The 
structure  covers  a  city  block.  In  its  erection  Mr. 
Hodge  gave  every  possible  advantage  to  Lockport 
and  its  people.  All  the  material  used  was  bought 
or  contracted  for  in  Lockport,  and  the  labor  of 
building  was  entrusted  wholly  to  residents  of  that 
city.  The  structure  stands  to-day,  after  years  of 
constant  usefulness,  a  stately  monument  to  the  suc- 
cess and  public  spirit  of  its  founder  and  owner,  and 
one  of  the  chief  architectural  beauties  of  the  city. 
Although  a  striking  instance  of  Mr.  Hodge's  devo- 
tion to  the  interests  of  Lockport,  this  is  by  no  means 
the  only  one,  for  it  is  well  known  that  so  far  as  is  pos- 
sible the  various  enterprises  in  which  he  has  direc- 
tion or  a  controlling  voice  are  so  administered  as  to 
secure  to  the  people  of  that  place  every  honest 
advantage  and  profit  possible.  This  beiDg  the  fact, 
it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  Mr.  Hodge  is  popu- 
lar as  well  as  successful.  The  persistent  and  occa- 
sionally arduous  demands  made  upou  his  time  by 
the  extensive  business  interests  over  which  he  pre- 
sides as  manager,  have  not  operated  to  develop 
selfishness  or  to  alienate  him  from  his  fellow  citizens. 
For  years  he  has  been  one  of  the  most  active  and 
prominent  men  in  the  city  in  a  variety  of  fields. 
The  scope  of  his  activities  is  something  wonderful 
and  a  constant  matter  of  surprise  even  to  those  who 
know  his  earnest  and  enterprising  nature  most  in- 
timately. "It  has  frequently  surprised  us"  wrote 
one  of  the  editors  of  a  leading  New  York  weekly 
paper,  alluding  to  the  versatility  of  effort  on  the 
part  of  Mr.  Hodge,  "  that  one  mind  could  compass 
and  discharge  so  faithfully  and  successfully  so  many 
varied  responsibilities."  And  the  same  writer  adds: 
"His  quick  perception,  power  of  organization,  in- 
vincible energy  and  ready  dispatch  may,  perhaps,  in 
some  degree  account  for  his  achievements,  which 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


145 


would  ordinarily  depress  the  will  or  constitution  of 
most  business  men."  In  the  movement  to  obtain 
pure  drinking  water  for  the  city  Mr.  Hodge  was 
active  from  the  start,  and  upon  the  organization  of 
the  Lockport  Water  Supply  Company  was  chosen 
its  President.  He  is  also  President  and  Treasurer 
of  the  Lockport  Street  Railroad  Company.  Treasurer 
of  the  Lockport  and  Buffalo  Railroad  Company,  and 
President  of  the  Glenwood  Cemetery  Association. 
In  1881  he  was  appointed  President  of  the  Board  of 
Education  of  Lockport,  in  recognition  of  his  warm 
interest  in  educational  work,  and  still  holds  that 
office.  To  him  belongs  the  honor  of  having,  during 
1874,  taken  the  initiative  in  the  matter  of  presenting 
a  gold  medal  annually  to  that  member  of  the  Lock- 
port  Union  School  whose  record  entitled  him  or  her 
thereto.  This  medal,  which  has  an  intrinsic  value  of 
ninety  dollars,  is  known  as  the  "Hodge  Medal." 
In  1888  Governor  D.  B.  Hill  of  New  York  appointed 
him  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the 
Niagara  (State)  Reservation,  with  which,  also,  he 
still  remains  connected.  The  New  York  Times, 
commenting  upon  his  appointment  to  the  last  named 
office  said :  ' '  Mr.  Hodge  is  recognized  in  the  western 
part  of  the  State  as  a  representative  business  man 
and  public  spirited  citizen,  and  ranks  high  in  the 
commercial  world."  Among  the  other  corporate 
positions  Mr.  Hodge  has  held  or  holds,  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Presidency  of  the  Union  Printiug  and 
Publishing  Company,  of  the  Lockport  Improvement 
Association,  of  the  Mutual  Aid  and  Accident  Asso- 
ciation of  Rochester,  of  the  Firemen's  Life  Associa- 
tion and  also  of  the  Firemen's  Association  of  New 
York  State,  and  of  the  Home  for  the  Friendless  a1 
Lockport;  also  Directorship  in  the  Cataract  Bank  of 
Niagara  Falls,  in  the  Masonic  Life  Association  of 
New  "iork,  and  in  the  Attica,  Lockport  and  Lake 
Ontario  Railroad  Company.  He  was  at  one  time 
Chief  of  the  Lockport  Fire  Department.  In  works 
of  benevolence  he  is  a  prompt  and  liberal  giver, 
making  no  restrictions  as  to  sect  or  management 
provided  lie  knows  the  cause  is  a  worthy  one,  but 
carefully  avoiding  all  publicity.  In  religious  work 
likewise  he  is  well  known,  beinsira  Trustee  of  one  of 
the  largest  churches  in  Lockport  and  a  generous 
supporter  of  its  charities.  In  the  fraternal  organiza- 
tion known  as  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men he  has  long  held  high  official  position  and  at 
the  present  time  is  Grand  Receiver  of  the  Order  in 
the  State  of  New  York.  Quite  early  in  life  Mr. 
Hodge  conceived  a  favorable  opinion  of  Masonry, 
and  upon  attaining  his  majority  applied  for  admis- 
sion to  this  Order  through  Niagara  Lodge,  No.  375, 
of  Lockport,  by  which  he  was  received  and  raised 
to  the  degree  of  Master  Mason.    He  was  chosen 


Secretary  of  his  Lodge  at  the  next  succeeding  elec- 
tion, and  in  1881  and  1882  sat  in  the  chair  of  Master. 
Having  the  proud  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his 
Lodge  was  enjoying  a  high  degree  of  prosperity,  he 
declined  re-election  as  Master  in  1883.  In  the  year 
preceding  he  was  made  District  Deputy  Grand 
Master  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Masonic  District  of 
New  York,  and,  after  holding  that  office  three  years, 
was  in  June,  1885,  unanimously  elected  Junior 
Grand  Warden  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  "  Empire 
State,"  to  which  exalted  station  he  has  been  in  like 
manner  annually  re-chosen,  and  in  the  opinion  of 
eminent  Masonic  authority  there  is  every  possibility 
that  he  may  yet  be  called  to  preside  as  Grand  Mas- 
ter. In  May,  1881,  he  was  honored  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  Grand  Representative  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Mississippi,  near  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York, 
and  it  is  worthy  of  note,  as  an  illustration  of  the 
thoroughness  of  the  man  in  whatever  he  does,  that 
his  annual  official  reports  to  the  constituent  body 
have  been  deemed  of  such  dignity  as  to  be  published 
in  full  in  the  transactions  of  that  Grand  Lodge.  In 
recognition  of  his  distinguished  services  to  Masonry, 
Lockport  Lodge,  No.  73,  and  Tonawanda  Lodge,  No. 
247,  have  conferred  upon  him  Honorary  Member- 
ship. The  "Capitular  grades"  in  Masonry  were 
received  by  Mr.  Hodge  in  Ames  Chapter,  R.A.M.  at 
Lockport,  in  which  body  he  has  served  as  Treasurer 
since  1880.  The  "cryptic  degrees"  were  conferred 
upon  him  in  Bruce  Council,  No.  15,  R.  and  S.M.. 
over  which  he  presided  for  two  continuous  terms. 
In  May,  1887.  he  was  appointed  Grand  Representa- 
tive of  the  Grand  Council  of  Pennsylvania.  In  180!) 
he  received  the  honors  of  Masonic  Knighthood  in 
Genesee  Commandery  at  Lockport,  and  shortl}- 
afterwards  was  complimented  by  unanimous  elec- 
tion to  honorary  membership  in  Cyrene  Comman- 
dery of  Rochester.  On  the  organization  of  Lock 
City  Lodge  of  Perfection,  A.A.S.R.,  December  25. 
1875,  due  largely  to  his  initiative,  he  was  elected 
thrice  Potent  Grand  Master,  and  presided  most  suc- 
cessfully till  1883,  with  interregnum  in  1881,  when 
he  declined.  The  prosperity  of  this  Lodge  under 
his  wise,  energetic  and  beneticeut  administration 
was  regarded  in  Masonic  circles  as  phenomenal,  and 
it  is  probably  at  the  head  of  this  rite  in  the  western 
part  of  the  State.  Progressing  still  farther  in  the 
"Scottish  Rite"  Mr.  Hodge  reached  the  sixteenth 
degree  in  Rochester  Council  P.  of  J.:  the  eighteenth 
degree  in  Rochester  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix;  and  the 
thirty-second  degree  in  Rochester  Consistory,  S.P. 
R.S.  In  September,  1879,  at  the  annual  session  of 
the  Supreme  Council.  33°,  for  the  Northern  Jurisdic- 
tion of  the  United  States,  held  at  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, the  thirty-third  and  last  degree  was  con- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ferred  upon  him  as  an  honorarium,  in  recognition  of 
his  services  and  zealous  devotion  in  the  walks  of 
Masonry  and  especially  in  the  "  Scottish  Rite." 
Again  in  September,  1888,  the  Supreme  Council 
crowned  him  an  Active  Member,  and  at  the  same 
session  elected  him  Deputy  for  the  State  of  New 
York.  The  organization  of  Masonic  Veterans  of 
Lockport  was  the  result  largely  of  his  individual 
efforts  and  of  this  body  he  was  chosen  first  Presi- 
dent and  still  holds  the  office.  It  is  often  thought- 
lessly asserted  that  the  surroundings  make  the  man; 
that  the  possession  of  rank,  wealth  and  power  is  the 
result  of  chance  or  accident,  or  the  special  gift  of 
the  providential  deity  called  Fortune.  But  there  is 
no  ground  for  these  assertions  in  this  instance,  for 
it  must  be  recognized  that  the  man  shaped  and 
moulded  his  circumstances,  and  that  judgment, 
foresight  and  determined  purpose,  together  with 
the  due  exercise  of  intelligent  reason,  and  not  blind 
chance,  raised  him  to  wealth  and  honors.  No  better 
illustration  of  a  self-made  man  can  be  found  in  bio- 
graphical annals :  and  it  can  be  said  of  Mr.  Hodge, 
as  it  cannot  always  be  said  of  self-made  men,  that 
he  has  not  spoiled  himself  in  the  making.  Though 
possessed  of  wealth,  he  prefersdiard  work  to  idleness 
and  finds  Ins  greatest  pleasure  not  in  personal  enjoy- 
ment but  in  the  happiness  which  he  can  bring  to 
others.  His  honors,  of  whatever  nature,  have  not 
begotten  either  pride  of  person  or  pride  of  achieve- 
ment, for  apart  from  Hie  dignity  pertaining  to  the 
various  official  positions  he  holds,  he  is  the  most 
modest  and  genial  of  men.  In  person  tall  and  of 
distinguished  appearance  and  faultless  in  his  attire, 
he  would  be  a  striking  figure  in  any  assemblage;  and 
from  his  kind  heart  and  charming  manners,  he  is  a 
general  favorite.  Loathing  pretence,  he  does  with 
cheerful  mood  what  others  talk  of  when  their 
hands  are  still,  while  modest  reserve  and  native 
dignity  mark  his  daily  walk  and  conversation. 


DAVENPORT,  HON.  IRA,  member  of  the  Forty- 
ninth  and  Fiftieth  Congresses  from  the  Twenty- 
ninth  Congressional  District  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  was  born  at  Hornellsville,  Steuben 
County,  New  York,  June  28,  1841.  His  family,  on 
the  father's  side,  was  of  English  Puritan  origin, 
(from  Thomas  Davenport,  who  landed  in  Dorches- 
ter, Massachusetts,  in  1640) ;  and  his  mother,  Miss 
Lydia  Cameron  before  marriage,  of  Scotch  descent. 
From  her  he  inherited  "that  Scotch  strain  in  his 
blood  that  gives  vitality  and  age,"  and  in  spite  of  a 
delicate  childhood  insures  hale  and  vigorous  after 
life.    Hornellsville,  so  named  for  Judge  Hornell, 


its  Dutch  founder,  now  a  thriving  town  and  railroad 
centre,  was,  at  the  date  of  the  elder  Davenport's 
settlement,  in  1816.  a  "  straggling  hamlet  "  of  some 
twenty  houses  and  barns.  Here  lie  resided  for  over 
thirty  years,  his  business  extending  from  a  small 
store  sixteen  feet  square  until  he  was  the  owner  of 
branch  stores  at  Angelica,  Hammondsport,  Dans- 
ville.  Burns,  Baker's  Bridge  and  North  Almund, 
partner  in  a  business  house  in  New  York  and  a 
large  shareholder  in  a  coal  company.  He  was  also 
largely  interested  in  the  sending  of  lumber  and 
grain  arks  down  the  southward  running  rivers.  In 
1847  he  removed  to  Bath,  which  has  since  been  the 
home  of  the  family.  He  had  three  sons,  John,  Ira, 
and  another,  Dugald,  who  died  in  1852,  and  three 
daughters,  Christiana  D.,  who  married  Hon.  Sher- 
man S.  Rogers,  of  Buffalo,  Eliza  D.,  who  married 
Mr.  J.  W.  Waterman,  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  dying 
there  in  I860,  and  Fanny  D.,  who  died  in  1881. 
Seven  years  before  his  death,  in  1868,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three,  Ira  Davenport,  Sr.,  built  and  en- 
dowed the  Girls'  Orphan  Home  at  Bath,  on  which, 
in  all,  more  than  $360, 000  have  been  expended  by 
the  family,  and  of  which  his  son  and  daughter  have 
been  eminent  patrons.  The  inheritor  of  a  large 
fortune,  Mr.  Davenport  passed  his  days  in  leisure 
and  foreign  travel,  interesting  himself  largely  in  ob- 
jects of  a  public  nature.  In  1876  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  undertook  the  erection  of  a  State 
Soldiers'  Home  for  the  State  of  New  York  at  Bath, 
to  which  contributions  were  liberally  made  by 
Jonathan  Robie,  Judge  Rumsey,  W.  E.  Howell  and 
others  in  Bath  as  well  as  in  the  State.  Of  the  $19,- 
000  collected  Ira  Davenport  had  contributed  #5,000, 
and  he  was  also  one  of  the  first  organizers.  Laud 
was  bought  and  the  foundations  laid  before  any 
contribution  from  the  State  had  been  obtained,  and 
in  a  financial  crisis  of  the  institution  an  appeal  was 
made  b}'  the  managers  to  Mr.  Davenport  for  assist- 
ance to  complete  the  buildings  and  shelter  the  sol- 
diers, on  the  risk  of  being  refunded  by  the  State. 
His  prompt  reply  was,  "  I'll  take  the  risk,"  and 
$25,000  advanced  by  him  relieved  the  embarrass- 
ment. The  Home  was  opened  on  the  day  appoint- 
ed, enclosing  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  within 
its  palings,  and  consisting  of  four  fine  barracks, 
hospital,  headquarters,  gas-house,  commissary  de- 
partment, library,  etc.  It  accommodated  seven 
hundred  soldiers,  and  up  to  1885  had  sheltered  two 
thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy,  with  prepara- 
tions for  additional  four  hundred  and  fifty.  It  re- 
ceived from  the  State  an  annual  appropriation  of 
$80,000,  which  Mr.  Davenport,  as  State  Senator, 
labored  to  increase.  He  also  contributed  largely  to 
the  Bath  Library,  purchasing  to  the  extent  of  thou- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


sands  of  dollars  for  it  in  his  travels.  The  Presby- 
terian and  Protestant  Episcopal  Churches,  also  of 
Bath,  and  the  Soldiers'  Monument  were  indebted  to 
him  in  part  for  their  erection,  and  he  was  also  in- 
terested in  other  public  works  of  benevolence  and 
generosity.  "  Gifts  of  such  a  nature  as  those  de- 
scribed, of  course,  were  not  made  for  political  ef- 
fect." All  indeed  were  made  before  Mr.  Daven- 
port entered  political  life,  or  had  a  thought  of 
seeking  an  office.  They  were  the  acts  of  a  generous 
and  kindly  heart,  yet  when  he  received  the  Repub- 
lican nomination  for  State  Senator  from  this  district 
in  1877  he  naturally  had  a  larger  vote  in  Bath  from 
the  men  who  had  witnessed  his  kindness  than  if  he 
had  been  a  stranger  to  them.  Mr.  Davenport  ran 
230  votes  ahead  of  the  Republican  State  ticket  in 
Bath  the  first  time  he  ran  for  Senator.  Out  of  a  to- 
tal vote  of  1,504  he  had  a  majority  of  34G.  The  sec- 
ond time  he  ran  for  Senator,  in  1879,  he  ran  286 
votes  ahead  of  the  State  ticket.  He  constantly  rose 
in  favor  among  his  home  friends,  for  when  he  ran 
for  State  Controller  in  1881  he  ran  3G7  votes  ahead 
of  the  State  ticket,  and  had  a  majority  of  556  in  a 
total  vote  of  1,637.  It  was  also  shown  by  the  sev- 
eral elections  that  he  was  equally  favorably  regard- 
ed in  the  Senatorial  District.  George  B.  Bradley,  a 
Democrat,  in  1873  had  a  majority  of  2,85!)  in  the 
District,  and  in  1875  of  2,570,  but  Davenport  de- 
feated Bradley  in  1877  by  1,701.  Two  years  later  he 
was  re-elected  from  the  new  district  of  Steuben, 
Chemung  and  Alleghany,  by  a  plurality  of  5,778. 
In  1881,  when  he  ran  for  Controller,  he  was  elected 
by  a  plurality  of  14,086,  leading  the  ticket.  During 
both  his  terms  in  the  Legislature  he  served  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Commerce  and  Naviga- 
tion. "As  Controller  his  reports  to  the  Legislature 
abounded  iii  wise  suggestions  and  displayed  his 
thorough  master}'  of  the  subjects  with  which  he 
was  called  upon  to  deal.  First  and  foremost  he 
showed  his  active  sympathy  with  the  cause  of  popu- 
lar education,  and  throughout  the  term  was  zealous 
inlookingafter  the  common  school,  college  land  scrip 
and  other  educational  funds,  making  them  the  theme 
■of  recommendations  which  were  adopted  by  the  Leg- 
islature. He  was,  as  regards  the  State  expenses,  an 
advocate  of  the  principle  of  paying  expenses  as  they 
became  due.  In  his  first  annual  report  he  made  the 
suggestion  to  have  a  surplus  of  at  least  #1,000,000 
available  in  the  Treasury  at  the  close  of  each  fiscal 
year  to  meet  the  current  expenses  of  the  new  fiscal 
year  beginning  October  1.  The  State  taxes  from 
counties  are  not  payable  into  the  State  Treasury 
until  April  15  and  May  1,  and  the  custom  was  to 
borrow  money  to  pay  the  expenses  in  excess  of  re- 
ceipts for  the  period  of  over  six  months,  in  each 


year.  To  put  a  stop  to  this  state  of  things  he  urged 
upon  the  Legislature  the  wisdom  of  taxing  for  every 
dollar  they  appropriated  during  the  present  ses- 
sion." Expenses  for  the  new  Capitol  were  the 
principal  drain  upon  the  surplus.  Mr.  Davenport 
was  explicit  on  this  point,  and  took  this  substantial 
ground:  "The  policy  of  the  State  borrowing 
money  to  provide  for  its  living  expenses  because  it 
has  spent  its  savings  in  buildings,  is  as  objection- 
able and  unsound  as  it  would  be  in  an  individual, 
in  fact,  more  so."  The  Legislature  acted  in  accord- 
ance with  this  recommendation,  and  reserved  #1,- 
000,000  out  of  the  surplus,  and  the  result  showed 
the  wisdom  of  Mr.  Davenport's  suggestion — instead 
of  borrowing  #700,000  or  #800,000  the  State  "  paid 
as  it  went,"  and  the  system  was  established. 
"  Economy  was  another  matter  on  which  Mr.  Dav- 
enport insisted.  Abuses  had  crept  in  with  regard 
to  the  management  of  State  prisons,  but  they  were 
rapidly  getting  disposed  of.  One  grievance  was  in 
the  practice  of  committing  State  convicts  to  pen- 
itentiaries, where  they  continued  as  an  expense  to 
the  State.  Mr.  Davenport  urged  that  this  practice 
l)c  discontinued.  '  These  penitentiaries,'  he  said, 
'  are  not  State  institutions,  and  the  result  of  treating 
them  as  such  is  that,  notwithstanding  the  appropria- 
tions of  former  years,  the  penitentiaries  have  heavy 
claims  against  the  State  for  deficiencies.  The  ap- 
propriations from  the  State  to  these  local  institutions 
should,  in. my  judgment,  be  restricted  to  provision 
for  the  short-term  men,  generally  first  offenders, 
female  convicts  and  tramps.'  This  recommenda- 
tion was  particularly  pertinent  then,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  at  that  time  there  were  over  one  thousand 
vacant  cells  in  the  State  prisons  which  might  have 
been  utilized."  As  regarded  Insane  Asylums  :  In 
1883  the  six  State  Asylums  sheltered  three  thousand 
mx  hundred  and  eighty-four  patients,  and  constant 
increase  in  the  numbers  of  applicants  demanded 
extensions.  These,  however,  Mr.  Davenport  ad- 
vised should  be  erected  on  a  different  system  from 
that  pursued  in  the  construction  of  the  buildings  at 
Poughkeepsie  and  Buffalo,  where  the  authorized 
expenditure  was  doubled  with  the  result  of  half  the 
accommodation  specified,  and  to  provide  against 
such  repetition  in  future  he  advised  "  that  there  be 
inserted  in  every  law  authorizing  the  erection  of 
buildings,  whether  new  projects  or  additions  to  ex- 
isting institutions,  a  clause  requiring  the  plans  of  the 
proposed  structure  to  be  approved  by  the  State 
Board  of  Charities  and  this  Department,  before  the 
work  can  be  commenced  or  the  money  for  building 
made  available.  A  Legislature  authorizing  the 
commencement  of  new  State  buildings  without  this 
or  similar  protection,  is  virtually  responsible  for  the 


148 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


result."  The  enforcement  of  the  Corporation  Tax 
Law  of  1879  was  a  prominent  feature  of  Mr.  Daven- 
port's administration.  It  had  been  enacted  through 
the  efforts  of  his  predecessor,  Mr.  J.  W.  Wads- 
worth,  when  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  that 
gentleman  had  initiated  the  machinery  of  its  execu- 
tion, to  which  Mr.  Davenport  rendered  generous 
testimony.  The  receipts  under  Mr.  Davenport's 
Controllership  were  #3,474,827.58,  collected  at  an 
annual  expense  of  #300.  Delinquent  corporations 
were  called  upon,  and  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company,  which  resisted  payment,  was  sued  in  the 
amount  of  .#179,371.13  and  judgment  obtained.  Mr. 
Davenport  advised  strenuously  against  discrimina- 
tion in  this  matter  of  taxation,  and  recommended 
the  passage  of  the  bills  reported  by  the  Tax  Com- 
mission of  1881.  He  prepared  a  report  on  the  Canal 
System,  "  which  demonstrated  that  he  was  thor- 
oughly conversant  with  its  various  phases,  and  that 
he  had  reached  sound  and  public-spirited  conclu- 
sions in  regard  to  the  policy  which  the  State  oughl 
to  adopt  "  After  stating  the  effect  of  the  remission 
of  tolls  on  the  volume  of  canal  business,  and  ex- 
plaining why  the  tonnage  had  not  increased,  he  dis- 
cussed the  cause  of  the  depression  of  the  boating 
interest,  and  suggested  a  remedy  in  certain  changes 
in  the  gates  and  locks  equivalent  to  enlargement,  so 
as  to  admit  of  boats  being  run  in  couples  with  adop- 
tion of  steam  power,  reducing  operating  expenses  to  a 
minimum,  and  encouraging  transportation.  He  also 
investigated  rigorously  the  expenses  of  Committees, 
retrenching  expenses  in  that  direction  with  decisive 
and  lasting  effect.  His  attitude  on  these  and  other 
questions  gained  him  the  public  confidence, though  he 
was  defeated  in  a  second  contest  for  the  office  of  Con- 
roller  by  Mr.  Chapin,  in  the  tidal-wave  of  Democrat  ic 
victory  following  the  election  of  Cleveland  as  Gover- 
nor in  1883.  In  1884  he  was,  elected  to  the  Forty- 
ninth  Congress  by  a  plurality  of  three  thousand  six 
hundred  and  ten  votes.  In  1885  he  was  nominated 
for  the  Governorship  of  the  State  by  the  Republi- 
can State  Convention  held  at  Saratoga,  September 
22-3,  and  accepted  by  letter  of  October  7,  188  ~>,  in 
which  he  defined  his  position  on  Civil  Service  Re- 
form, the  currency  and  labor  questions,  being  that 
of  his  party,  while  his  general  attitude  was  that  of 
a  man  independent  of  extreme  party  limitations. 
"  I  believe,"  he  said,  "  in  Civil  Service  Reform,  and 
welcome  any  action  by  any  official,  Federal  or  State, 
which  shows  a  sincere  purpose  to  promote  and  es- 
tablish it.  When  it  comes  to  be  thoroughly  under- 
stood and  its  methods  perfected,  I  am  confident 
that  it  will  commend  itself  to  the  people  through 
the  improvement  of  their  official  service  and  the 
purification  of  their  political  life.    I  fully  concur," 


he  adds,  "in  the  demand  for  appropriate  legislation 
by  Congress  putting  an  end  to  the  silver  coinage, 
already  excessive,  and  calling  for  honest  silver  dol- 
lars on  the  basis  of  the  gold  standard.  The  inter- 
ests of  labor  call  for  such  legislation  from  time  to 
time  as  shall  maintain  in  its  integrity  the  American 
idea  of  free  and  intelligent  industry,  the  very  foun- 
dation of  everything  that  gives  distinction  to  our 
Republic  among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  It  vitally 
concerns  the  State  that  the  industrial  classes  shall 
be  defended  from  servile  competition  on  the  one 
hand  and  from  undue  control  on  the  other.  Be- 
tween capital  justly  administered  and  labor  fairly 
rendered  there  can  be  no  hostility."  Mr.  Daven- 
port's position  on  the  currency  has  been  already 
defined.  "  Coin-clipping  under  color  of  the  law 
should  be  regarded  as  a  crime "  is  his  expressed 
sentiment.  In  the  words  of  a  friend  "  he  regards  it 
as  a  violation  of  the  first  principle  of  economics  for 
the  Government  to  issue  something  called  a  dollar 
which  has  one  meaning  when  expressed  in  silver 
and  another  when  expressed  in  gold.  What,  then, 
must  be  its  meaning  when  expressed  in  labor  or 
merchandise  ?  When  silver  is  forced  on  the  coun- 
try stamped  with  a  valuation  higher  than  its  com- 
mercial worth,  we  have  a  debased  currency  in  its 
literal  sense,  and  all  history,  all  modern  experience 
show  that  debased  currency,  like  debased  charac- 
ter, like  everything  intrinsically  false,  entails  on  the 
community  certain  evil  and  confusion.  It  is  like 
any  falsehood,  cheap,  possibly,  at  first  cost,  but  al- 
ways paid  for  in  the  end  at  twice  the  price  of 
truth."  Pending  the  election  of  November  3,  Mr. 
Davenport  received  a  letter  from  the  State  Work- 
ingmen's  Assembly  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  requesting  to 
be  satisfied  as  to  Ins  action  on  certain  measures 
which  if  passed  by  the  following  Legislature  would 
reach  the  Executive.  In  reply  by  letter  of  October 
7,  1885,  Mr.  Davenport  said  : 

"John  Franey,  Esq., 

"  Chairman  Executive  Committee  of  the  Political 
Branch  of  the  State  Workingmeii'x  Axxembly, 

"  My  Dear  Bib:  In  reply  to  yours  of  the  25th 
ult.  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  I  am  in  favor  of  all  just 
and  practicable  legislation  looking  to  the  bettering 
of  the  workers,  and  if  the  people  see  fit  to  elect  me 
to  the  office  of  Governor  I  shall  not  fail  to  acquaint 
myself  to  the  best  of  my  ability  with  the  merits  of 
any  measure  tending  toward  that  end,  and  to  take 
such  action  in  relation  to  it  as  shall  be  in  accordance 
with  the  rights  of  all.  While  I  must  act  upon  my 
conviction  that  it  is  not  expedient  to  promise  before- 
hand the  executive  sanction  of  particular  laws  in 
regard  to  which  all  interested  parties  have  the  right 
to  claim  an  impartial  hearing  in  the  Executive 
Chamber,  I  may  freely  state  that  the  line  of  legisla- 
tion on  labor  which  is  referred  to  in  the  platform  of 
the  late  Republican  Convention  meets  the  approval 
of  my  judgment  and  of  my  feeling,  and  that  all  fu-  - 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


149 


ture  legislations  on  that  subject  in  the  interest  of 
friendly  relations  between  capital  and  labor  will  be 
welcomed  by  none  more  than  your  obedient  ser- 
vient, Ira  Da.vexpoh'1  ." 

Mr.  Davenport  was,  however,  defeated  in  his  con- 
test with  Mr.  Hill  by  a  plurality  of  eleven  thousand 
one  hundred  and  thirty-four  votes,  his  returns  in 
Steuben  County,  however,  being  one  thousand  three 
hundred  and  eighty-nine.  He  was  re-elected  to  the 
Fiftieth  Congress  by  a  plurality  of  thirteen  thou- 
sand -even  hundred  and  thirty.  Mr.  Davenport  is 
a  gentleman  of  cultivated  tastes,  with  a  keen  appre- 
ciation of  literature  and  art,  and  a  relish  for  the  hu- 
morous side  of  life,  albeit  of  a  reserved  disposition. 
His  manner  is  genial  and  engaging,  however,  and 
while  modest  and  unassuming  in  conversation  he  yet 
displays  originality  of  thought  and  firm  conviction. 
Unostentatious  and  devoid  of  egotism,  the  acts  of 
bis  life  denote  "  the  earnestness  of  his  thought  od 
subjects  that  relate  to  the  benefit  of  his  brother- 
man,  and  his  sense  of  personal  responsibility  to  it." 


BEMIS,  ASAPH  STEBBINS,  a  prominent  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Buffalo,  for  nine 
years  a  member  of  its  Common  Council,  during 
three  of  which  he  was  President  of  that  body,  and 
part  of  the  time — in  18G1 — Acting  Mayor  of  the 
city,  was  born  there  April  21,  1817,  and  also  died 
there  May  7,  1888.  A  resident  within  the  limits  of 
the  city  of  Buffalo  from  his  birth  till  his  death, — a 
period  exceeding  the  usual  span  of  all  but  the  most 
favored  liver, — he  was  an  eye-witness  of  its  growth 
from  a  struggling  frontier  settlement  containing  only 
a  few  houses  and  a  hundred  or  two  inhabitants  to  a 
beautiful  and  nourishing  city,  lying  far  to  the  east- 
ward of  the  centre  of  civilization  on  the  continent, 
boasting  a  population  approximating  to  a  quarter 
of  a  million  souls  and  claiming  rank  in  wealth  and 
importance  as  the  tenth  or  twelfth  city  in  the  Union. 
The  Erie  Canal  was  begun  the  year  he  was  born  ; 
and  as  a  lad  of  eight  years  he  took  part  in  the  cele- 
bration of  its  completion  and  opening.  He  saw  the 
first  steamers  launched  upon  the  lakes,  and  under 
his  eye  the  commerce  of  these  great  inland  water- 
ways developed  from  a  fitful  and  precarious  traffic 
to  a  trade  of  imperial  proportions.  Mr.  Bemis  was 
named  after  his  father,  Asaph  S.  Bemis,  who  was 
born  in  Spencer,  Massachusetts,  in  1790,  and  was 
the  eldest  of  four  sons  and  seven  daughters  of  Ben- 
jamin B.  Bemis  and  Abigail  Hall,  his  wife,  after- 
wards residents  of  Cornish,  New  Hampshire,  where 
Mr.  Bemis'  great  grandparents.  Benjamin  Bemis  and 
Tabitha  Bowman  Bemis,  natives  of  England  and  de- 


vout Church  of  England  people,  lie  buried  under 
antique  tombstones  which  commemorate  in  suitable 
prose  and  verse  their  many  Christian  virtues  and 
their  hope  of  a  glorious  resurrection.  At  his  birth- 
place in  Massachusetts,  Asaph  S.  Bemis,  senior,  ac- 
quired a  sound  religious  training,  a  good  English 
education,  and  the  trade  of  a  currier  and  tanner. 
He  inherited  both  the  physique  and  the  migratory 
instincts  of  his  ancestors,  and  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, being  then  already  six  feet  two  inches  in 
height  and  the  possessor  of  several  hundred  dollars, 
he  turned  his  back  upon  his  New  England  home  and 
friends  and  wended  Ins  way  to  Buffalo,  then  con- 
sidered by  the  pioneers  as  the  "  far  West,"  and  yet 
noted  for  the  excellent  commercial  prospects  which 
it  held  out  to  the  youthful  and  ambitious.  Taking 
employment  at  his  trade,  he  settled  down  in  the 
village  and  before  long  married  Miss  Aurelia  St. 
John,  the  young  and  attractive  daughter  of  Gama- 
liel and  Margaret  K.  St.  John,  the  ceremony  being 
performed  by  Judge  Oliver  Forward  on  October  1(5, 
1812.  Following  his  marriage,  he  embarked  in  mer- 
cantile business  as  belter  suited  to  the  times,  and 
appeared  in  a  fair  way  to  prosper  when  the  devasta- 
tions of  the  War  of  1812-15  swept  from  him  every- 
thing save  his  young  wife  and  her  six-months-old 
child,  and  the  horses  and  wagon  with  which  they 
fled  from  the  village,  on  that  memorable  morning  in 
the  history  of  Buffalo,  December  30,  1813.  During 
the  ensuing  three  years  the  little  family  was  domi- 
ciled at  Clinton,  in  Oneida  County,  where  a  second 
child  was  born.  When  peace  had  again  come  to 
Buffalo,  Mr.  Bemis  returned  there  with  his  wife  and 
children,  and  resumed  business  as  a  merchant. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  his  third  child, 
was  born  shortly  afterwards.  The  elder  Bemis 
died  December  13,  1823,  leaving  a  widow  and  six 
children.  Mrs.  Bemis,  whose  means  were  limited, 
supported  herself  by  keeping  a  school,  in  which 
Asaph  got  his  first  "book  learning."  His  later 
education  was  received  in  a  military  and  scientific 
academy,  under  the  management  of  the  late  Colonel 
James  McKay,  and  he  was  also  for  a  time  a  pupil  in 
the  school  kept  by  the  late  LeGrand  Marvin,  in  the 
basement  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  When 
ready  to  begin  work  he  took  employment  as  a  clerk 
in  the  dry-goods  store  of  Moorhead  &  Adams, 
but  after  a  year  of  this  semi-confinement  he  con- 
cluded that  his  vocation  was  following  the  sea,  and 
accordingly,  in  1832,  he  shipped  before  the  mast  on 
board  the  schooner  ''Cincinnati,"  Capt.  L.  H.  Cotton, 
which  was  one  of  Pratt  &  Tayler's  "  Eagle  Line." 
Although  less  than  a  hundred  tons  burden,  this  ves- 
sel was  a  profitable  one  to  its  owners.  At  the  end  of 
three  years  young  Bemis  had  risen  to  the  position 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


of  mate  of  the  brig  "  Indiana;"  in  1837  he  was  pro- 
moted to  master,  and  alternated  from  sailing  ves- 
sels to  steam  craft  both  as  mate  and  master  until 
1844,  when  he  abandoned  sea-faring  life,  although 
he  had  won  a  wide  reputation  as  a  most  thorough 
pilot  and  a  most  skillful  and  intrepid  navigator. 
On  October  16,  1844,  he  married  Miss  Katherine 
Rebecca,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Sidway,  a  merchant 
by  whom  he  was  employed.  There  were  four"  chil- 
dren by  this  marriage,  all  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
Forming  a  copartnership  with  his  elder  brother  un- 
der the  style  of  Bemis  Brothers,  (A.  S.  &  E.  S.  J. 
Bemis)  he  opened,  in  1840,  a  general  ship  chandlery 
and  commission  business,  and  also  engaged  in  the 
shipping  trade,  owning  several  vessels.  These  sev- 
eral ventures  yielded  handsome  returns,  and  in  1857 
he  retired  from  the  business  which  was  thereafter 
conducted  by  his  brother.  Having  valuable  real  es- 
tate interests,  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  the 
time  not  given  to  the  public  service  was  almost 
wholly  engrossed  by  the  management  of  his  prop- 
erty. A  sturdy  follower  of  Henry  Clay,  Mr.  Bemis 
was  elected,  in  1852,  on  the  Whig  ticket  to  the  of- 
fice of  Alderman  from  the  Third  Ward  under  the 
old  subdivision  of  the  city  into  five  wards  ;  and  in 
1854,  .having  served  two  years,  was  re-elected  from 
the  Ninth  Ward  under  the  new  City  Charter  divid- 
ing the  city  into  thirteen  wards.  From  1855  to  1856 
he  held  the  office  of  Collector  of  Canal  Tolls  at  Buf- 
falo, and  in  1859-60  and  1861-62  represented  the 
Tenth  Ward, — in  which  he  then  resided — in  the  Com- 
mon Council.  During  the  years  1860  and  1861  he 
was  President  of  the  Council,  and  in  the  latter  year. 
Mayor  Alberger  being  too  ill  to  serve,  he  was  elected 
Mayor  of  Buffalo  pro  tern,  by  vote  of  the  Council. 
While  acting  in  this  high  official  capacity  it  fell  to 
him  to  receive  and  entertain  President-elect  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  Buffalo, 
en  route  to  Washington  to  be  inaugurated.  On 
this  occasion,  memorable  in  the  annals  of  the  Nation 
as  well  as  in  the  history  of  Buffalo,  Mr.  Bemis  made 
a  most  felicitous  speech,  which  had  the  happy  ef- 
fect of  eliciting  from  Mr.  Lincoln  a  touchingly  sin- 
cere and  eloquent  response  which  is  remembered 
and  spoken  of  to  this  day.  It  was  the  first  import- 
ant utterance  of  Mr.  Lincoln  after  his  election,  and 
hence  attracted  attention  throughout  the  country. 
During  the  years  1861  and  1862  Mr.  Bemis  served 
on  the  Military  Committee  of  Common  Council — 
Mr.  William  G.  Fargo  being  then  Mayor — and  was 
a  vigilant  member  of  the  sub-committee  having 
sole  charge  of  the  great  labor  of  dispensing  aid  and 
relief  to  the  families  of  volunteers  who  had  gone  to 
war.  It  is  a  matter  of  public  knowledge  that  Mr. 
Bemis  took  scarcely  any  respite  in  this  work  while 


he  remained  a  member  of  the  Council.  His  heart 
was  in  the  work  and  he  labored  at  it  both  night  and 
day.  It  is  common  report  that  the  detail  and  meth- 
od of  keeping  the  accounts  owed  a  great  deal  to  his 
practical  ability  to  regulate  the  same.  In  July, 
1862,  President  Lincoln  appointed  Mr.  Bemis  to  the 
responsible  position  of  United  States  Supervising 
Inspector  of  Steamboats  of  the  Ninth  District,  em- 
bracing the  waters  of  Lakes  Erie,  Ontario,  Cham- 
plain,  Memphramagog,  and  intermediate  channels. 
He  held  this  office  about  eleven  years,  during  three 
of  which  he  was  President  of  the  Board  of  Inspec- 
tors. He  likewise  served  two  years  as  Secretary. 
This  Board,  composed  of  inspectors  of  the  ten  dis- 
tricts, met  annually,  and  frequently  specially,  for 
conference  and  the  adjustment  of  rules  and  regula- 
tions to  be  observed  by  navigators.  Mr.  Bemis' 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  subjects  considered 
gave  great  weight  to  his  opinions,  besides  which  his 
kindly  and  genial  nature  made  him  very  popular 
with  his  colleagues:  all  of  whom  recognized  him  as 
an  able  and  efficient  officer.  In  the  fall  of  1875  Mr. 
Bemis,  against  his  wishes,  was  again  returned  to 
the  City  Council  for  the  term  of  two  years,  repre- 
senting the  Fourth  Ward.  During  the  Centennial 
year  he  was  President  of  the  Council,  and  as  such 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  dedication  and  formal 
opening  of  the  newly  erected  City  and  County  Hail. 
To  his  careful  watchfulness  of  the  city's  interests  is 
partly  due  the  fact  that  this  magnificent  structure, 
for  which  two  millions  of  dollars  was  appropriated, 
was  completed  within  that  figure.  Although  he 
held  no  public  office  after  this  period  he  remained 
a  public  man  until  his  death.  One  of  his  latest  pub- 
lic services  was  in  connection  with  the  revision  of 
the  City  Charter.  As  an  official  he  was  unswerv- 
ingly faithful  to  every  public  trust  confided  to  his 
care.  During  nine  years'  service  in  the  City  Coun- 
cil no  charge  of  wrong  doing  was  ever  brought 
against  him.  He  watched  the  interests  of  his  con- 
stituents with  an  untiring  vigilance,  and  schemers 
and  evil-doers  found  in  him  a  determined  opponent. 
He  carried  his  practical  business  ideas  into  the  Coun- 
cil, and  was  active  and  successful  in  formulating 
systems,  adopting  methods,  and  consummating  plans 
for  the  proper  and  economical  transaction  of  public 
business.  He  had  in  him  all  the  elements  of  a 
successful  public  officer,  but  was  utterly  lacking 
in  the  suavity  and  willingness  to  hedge  which  al- 
ways characterizes  the  politician.  Honest  in  his 
abhorrence  of  trickery,  sham  and  hypocrisy,  he  was 
outspoken  in  his  denunciation  of  them.  No  bland- 
ishments or  promises  could  alter  his  honest  views, 
and  fraud  never  found  in  him  a  friend  or  received 
even  a  silent  support.    During  his  whole  life  he- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


was  active  in  the  performance  of  public  duty.  As  I 
early  as  1835  he  was  a  member  of  the  Hook  and 
Ladder  Company,  and  ran  with  the  machine  until 
exempt  by  reason  of  holding  office.  He  was  a  val- 
ued member  of  the  Firemen's  Benevolent  Associa-  ; 
tion  of  Buffalo,  (organized  iu  1837,)  down  to  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  was  also  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers of  the  Young  Men's  Association,  which  he 
helped  materially  in  many  ways  during  his  long 
connection  with  it.  As  far  back  as  1835  he  entered 
the  Masonic  Fraternity,  becoming  a  member  of 
Queen  City  Lodge,  and  attaining  to  popularity  and 
prominence  in  the  Order.  He  was  a  vestryman  of 
Christ  Church  Parish,  of  Delaware  Avenue,  from  its  I 
organization,  and  was  serving  as  second  warden 
at  the  time  of  the  consolidation  of  Christ  Church 
and  Trinity  Parishes.  He  was  elected  to  the  new  j 
vestry  of  the  consolidated  parishes,  and  also  served 
faithfully  and  very  efficiently  as  a  member  of  the 
Construction  Committee  that  had  charge,  until  its 
completion,  of  the  erection  of  the  fine  edifice,  now 
known  as  Trinity  Church.  Being  sympathetic  and 
generous  in  disposition  he  became  a  member  of  and 
contributor  to  many  of  Buffalo's  leading  relief  or- 
ganizations and  charities.  He  was  of  stalwart 
form,  robust  and  erect.  His  countenance  was 
marked  and  striking.  He  wore  his  hair  long  and 
flowing,  and  his  beard  in  the  style  made  familiar  in  ' 
the  portraits  of  the  late  Emperor  William  of  Ger- 
many. Altogether  his  appearance  was  engaging  as 
well  as  impressive.  His  character  was  no  less  posi- 
tive and  marked  than  his  personal  appearance. 
Policy  never  guided  his  conduct  or  utterances,  and 
he  never  sacrificed  his  self-respect  to  gain  the  popu- 
lar approval  or  the  favor  of  those  in  power.  All  his 
life  he  paid  great  attention  to  reading,  and  was  a 
profound  thinker  and  a  most  excellent  judge  of  hu- 
man nature.  Presiding  at  his  own  home,  he  was  a 
most  hospitable  host,  a  royal  entertainer,  and  a 
genial  and  witty  conversationalist.  His  compan- 
ionship was  something  to  be  coveted,  and  his 
friendship  something  to  be  prized.  He  was  far  | 
above  common  men,  and  his  death  brought  grief  to 
the  entire  city,  for  he  was,  in  very  truth,  one  of  its 
best,  and  one  of  its  greatest  citizens. 


CHURCHILL,  HON.  JOHN  C,  LL.D.,  of  Oswe- 
go, Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  Fifth  Judicial  District,  was  born 
at  Mooers,  Clinton  County,  New  York,  January  17, 
1821.  He  is  sixth  in  descent  from  John  Churchill, 
who  settled  at  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  about 
1640,  and  who  married  there,  December  16,  1644, 


Hannah,  daughter  of  William  Pontus,  a  member  of 
the  Plymouth  Company  to  whom  King  James 
granted,  in  1606,  the  North  American  coast  between 
41°  and  45°  north  latitude,  or  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Hudson  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix.  Their 
oldest  son,  Joseph,  married  Sarah,  granddaughter 
of  Robert  Hicks,  an  eminent  non-conformist  of 
London,  also  a  member  of  Plymouth  Company, 
who  sailed  in  the  "  Speedwell "  in  company  with 
the  "Mayflower"  in  1620,  and,  on  that  vessel  be- 
coming disabled,  returned  to  England  and  in  the 
following  year  landed  in  Plymouth.  Joseph,  grand- 
son of  the  last  named  couple,  born  in  Plymouth  in 
1722,  settled  in  Boston,  where  iu  1748  his  son  John 
was  born,  who  married  Sarah  Stacy,  of  Salem, 
Massachusetts,  and  settled  in  New  Salem,  Massa- 
chusetts. Their  third  son  was  Samuel,  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Samuel  Churchill 
was  a  farmer  in  moderate  circumstances,  who,  to 
better  his  fortune,  removed  from  New  Salem,  in 
1804,  to  Clinton  County,  New  York.  In  February, 
1814,  he  married  Martha,  daughter  of  John  Bos- 
worth,  Esq.,  of  Sandisfield,  Massachusetts.  Young 
Churchill  spent  his  early  boyhood  at  home,  acquir- 
ing little  beyond  a  good  stock  of  health  and  the  ru- 
diments of  an  English  education,  then  deemed  suf- 
ficient for  a  farmer's  son.  His  aptness  in  reading 
and  study  showed  him  worthy  of  more  extended 
advantages,  and,  with  a  little  help  from  his  parents, 
he  was  enabled  to  attend  the  Burr  Seminary  in 
Manchester,  Vermont.  Here  his  progress  was  so 
satisfactory  that  he  was  prompted  to  fit  himself  for 
college.  His  own  energy  and  industry  had  to  be 
relied  on  to  obtain  means  to  meet  the  necessary  ex- 
penses, but  they  proved  adequate,  aud,  after  pursu- 
ing the  complete  course,  he  was  graduated  from 
Middlebury  College,  Vermont,  in  the  summer  of 
1843.  The  ensuing  two  years  he  taught  languages 
at  Castleton  Seminary,  in  the  same  State,  and  subse- 
quently, for  a  period  of  twelve  months,  was  a  tutor 
at  Middlebury  College.  Having  decided  on  adopt- 
ing the  legal  profession,  he  entered  the  Dane  Law 
School,  of  Harvard  University,  and  having  com- 
pleted the  required  course  of  study  was,  in  July, 
1847,  admitted  to  the  bar.  About  this  time  the 
Chair  of  Languages  in  his  A  Ima  Mater  being  tem- 
porarily vacant  through  illness  of  Prof.  Stoddard, 
he  was  called  to  fill  it  and  remained  thus  engaged 
several  mouths.  Early  in  1848  he  established  him- 
self in  the  legal  profession  at  Oswego,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  A  year  later  he  married  Miss  Cath- 
erine T.  Sprague,  daughter  of  Dr.  Lawrence 
Sprague,  of  the  United  States  Army.  Mr.  Church- 
ill's career  has  been  both  a  useful  and  an  honorable 
one.    From  1853  to  1856  he  was  a  member  of  the 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Oswego  Board  of  Education,  and  during  a  part  of 
the  same  period  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
County  Supervisors.  From  1857  to  1800  he  held 
the  office  of  District  Attorney,  and  in  the  latter  year 
was  chosen  County  Judge.  At  the  close  of  his 
term  he  was  unanimously  presented  by  the  County 
for  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Bench.  His  faithful 
discharge  of  these  several  duties  induced  his  selec- 
tion to  represent  his  District  in  Congress,  and,  in 
1806,  he  was  elected  by  a  heavy  vote  to  represent 
the  Twenty-second  District  of  New  York  in  that 
body.  During  the  XLth  Congress  he  served  on  the 
Judiciary  Committee,  and  with  Mr.  Boutwell  and 
Mr.  Eldridge  formed  the  sub-committee  that 
drafted  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitu- 
tion in  the  form  in  which  it  was  finally  adopted,  to 
wit:  '•  The  right  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  to 
vote  shall  not  be  denied  or  abridged  by  the  United 
States  or  by  any  State  on  account  of  race,  color  or 
previous  condition  of  servitude."  On  the  question 
of  the  impeachment  of  President  Johnson,  he  joined 
with  a  majority  of  the  Judiciary  Committee  in  a 
report  in  the  affirmative.  He  presented  a  report, 
revising  and  improving  the  judiciary  systems  of  the 
Territories  of  Montana  a"nd  Idaho.  One  of  his 
ablest  speeches  before  the  House  was  delivered  in 
support  "f  a  bill  for  constructing  a  ship  canal 
around  the  Falls  of  Niagara.  In  the  XLIst  Con- 
gress Mr.  Churchill  was  Chairman  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  Expenditures  mi  Public  Buildings,  and  was 
also  on  the  Committee  on  Elections.  He  intro- 
duced at  this  Congress  the  Act  to  secure  the  purity 
and  freedom  of  elections  at  which  members  of  Con- 
gress are  chosen,  which  subsequently  became  a  law 
with  slight  amendment  and  furnishes  the  existing 
means  for  National  supervision  of  such  elections. 
The  determined  attempt  to  repeal  this  Act,  and  the 
equally  determined  defence  which  has  kept  it  on 
the  National  statute  book,  show  the  importance  at- 
tached to  it.  In  1870  Judge  Churchill  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Cincinnati  Convention,  which  nominated 
President  Hayes,  and  the  following  year  (1877)  he 
received  the  nomination  for  Secretary  of  State  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  During  the  years  1879  and 
1880  he  was  again  a  member  of  the  Oswego  Board 
of  Education,  and  President  of  the  Board,  which  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  appointment  of  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  made  by  Governor  Cornell,  Jan- 
uary 17,  1881,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the 
death  of  Judge  Noxon.  At  the  Presidential  election 
in  t  he  fall  of  1880  Judge  Churchill  was  elected  as  one 
of  the  Presidential  Electors-at-Large  for  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  as  such  voted  for  James  A.  Gar- 
field and  Chester  A.  Arthur,  for  President  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States.    In  the  fall  of  1881 


Judge  Churchill  was  nominated,  and  at  the  Novem- 
ber election  chosen,  by  a  majority  of  11,092,  Justice 
of  the  Fifth  Judicial  District  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  for  the  full  term.  The 
:  degree  of  LL.D.,  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Mid- 
dlebury  College,  Vermont,  in  1874,  and  by  Hamilton 
College,  New  York,  in  1882.  Judge  Churchill's  fine 
education,  high  legal  standing,  and  large  experi- 
ence in  public  affairs,  combined  with  rare  social 
qualities  and  a  private  life  beyond  reproach,  have 
rendered  him  deservedly  popular  where  he  is  best 
known,  and  give  abundant  promise  of  increasing 
usefulness  and  honor  with  increasing  years. 


REMINGTON,  PHILO,  of  Uion,  for  many  years 
head  of  the  world-renowned  firm  of  E.  Rem- 
ington »fc  Sons,  was  born  in  Litchfield,  New 
York,  October  31,  1816,  and  died  April  5,  1889,  at 
Silver  Springs,  Florida,  w  hither  he  had  gone  for  his 
health,  after  a  few  days'  illness  from  bilious  fever, 
which  he  had  contracted  in  a  Southern  tour.  The 
story  of  industrial  progress  is  hardly  ever  without  its 
romantic  episodeat  the  start.  In  1816  Eliphalet  Rem- 
ington, senior,  (father  of  our  subject),  the  founder 
of  the  house,  a  youth  maturing  to  manhood,  worked 
upon  his  father's  farm,  a  clearing  in  the  wilds  of 
Herkimer  County,  some  eighty  miles  west  of  Al- 
bany. The  farm,  of  considerable  extent,  lay  upon 
the  banks  of  a  small  stream,  Clear  Creek,  which  ran 
a  little  more  than  a  league,  with  constant  fall,  down 
through  a  romantic  gorge,  to  finally  add  its  tribute 
to  the  Mohawk  River.  Fifty  odd  years  have 
wrought  wonderful  changes  in  the  stream  and  its 
relations.  The  Erie  Canal  and  the  large  village  of 
Dion  now  intercept  its  waters,  which,  according  to 
the  memory  of  old  denizens  of  the  neighborhood, 
I  in—ess  hardly  more  than  half  their  ancient  volume. 
A  rough  country  road  winds  up  "  the  gulf,"  whose 
hillsides,  barren  of  trees,  show  cause  enough  for 
the  decadence  of  the  waters.  One  must  not,  how- 
ever, look  for  the  change  at  the  starting  point.  The 
old  farm  dwelling  still  stands ;  but  progress  has 
done  no  more  than  erect  a  rustic  saw-mill  and  an 
uncouth  brick  attempt  at  a  sulphur  spa  for  its  sur- 
roundings. The  spa  is  a  failure,  and  the  old  mill 
only  a  suggestion  for  the  sketcher.  Time,  as  usual, 
has  gone  down  stream  with  her  changes,  erected, 
where  was  not  a  single  house  at  the  commencement 
of  the  century,  Ilion  with  its  unique  industry,  dug 
out  the  great  water-way  from  the  West  to  the  sea- 
board, and  threaded  the  Mohawk  Valley  with  the 
principal  line  of  railroad  in  the  Union.  The  first 
Remington  arm  was  produced  in  this  wise  :  Young. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


153 


Eliplialet  asked  his  father  one  day  for  money  to  buy 
a  gun,  and  was  met  by  very  much  such  an  answer 
as  might  be  expected  from  a  hard-working  farmer. 
Unable  to  secure  the  desired  gift  from  the  paternal 
appreciation  of  his  necessities,  the  boy  was  not, 
however,  without  hope  or  resource.  One  of  the  or- 
iginal properties  of  the  farm  was  a  forge,  even  then 
old  from  disuse,  though  still  offering  capabilities 
which  ready  wit  and  energy  could  turn  to  account. 
Eliplialet  found  no  difficulty  in  securing  enough 
iron  about  the  premises  for  his  purpose,  and,  with 
what  might  almost  be  termed  inspiration,  was  soon 
able  to  get  his  material  in  proper  condition  for  forg- 
ing. By  persistent  effort  and  a  remarkable  adap- 
tation of  his  crude  appliances,  he  finally  completed 
a  barrel  which  satisfied  his  ambition.  Beyond  this 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  proceed :  the  lock  con- 
struction and  the  stocking  being  results  altogether 
in  advance  of  his  material  resources,  at  least.  At 
the  first  opportunity  he  made  a  journey  to  Utica, 
then  a  considerable  town.  There  he  entrusted  his 
barrel  to  a  gunsmith,  and  soon  had  the  pleasure  of 
securing  the  object  of  his  desire  in  a  completed 
state.  Happily  the  smith  was  clever  enough  and 
candid  enough  to  recognize  the  really  excellent 
quality  of  his  customer's  production.  Whether  it 
may  have  been  a  material  superiority  due,  we  must 
presume,  rather  to  accidental  cause  than  to  any 
metallurgical  practice  or  intuition,  or  whether  the 
mechanical  achievement  was  something  extraordin- 
ary, neither  tradition  nor  relict  can  now  determine. 
The  barrel  was  certainly  so  complete  a  success  as 
to  extort  the  praise  of  the  expert,  and  young  Rem- 
ington was  so  encouraged  by  this  unlooked-for  en- 
dorsement of  his  skill,  that  he  soon  followed  up  his 
first  effort  by  others.  That  positive  excellence  must 
have  distinguished  not  only  the  first  production,  but 
those  immediately  preceding  it,  is  apparent.  Suffice 
it  that  the  fame  of  the  new  fabrication  began  soon 
to  fill  the  country  side,  and  the  young  producer 
found  the  resources  of  himself  and  the  old  forge 
taxeu  to  their  utmost.  Thenceforward  he  applied 
himself  exclusively  to  barrel-making,  gradually  ex- 
tending his  craftsmanship  to  the  stocking  and  lock- 
fitting  of  the  guns.  From  1816  to  about  1825  the 
business  was  prosecuted  at  the  place  of  its  iucep- 
tion,  though  the  capacity  of  the  "works"  was 
measurably  increased  by  the  building  of  a  stocking- 
shop  and  another  small  structure.  At  the  start  the 
fixtures  of  the  forge  available  for  use  were,  it  need 
hardly  be  suggested,  not  only  limited  to  the  rare 
exigencies  of  farm-work,  but  of  the  crudest  quality, 
and  little  better  than  relicts  of  usefulness.  The 
grindstones  used  in  the  work,  and  fashioned  out  of 
the  rough  by  the  untaught  artisan,  were  obtained 


from  a  quarry  adjacent  to  or  on  the  farm,  and  were 
of  exceptional  excellence  ;  a  circumstance  which 
indicates  the  kindly  Providence  that  always  helps 
those  who  help  themselves.  During  the  nine 
years'  work  at  the  head  of  the  "  gulf,"  the  reputa- 
tion of  Remington's  production  experienced  nothing 
but  good  fortune ;  the  demand  for  barrels  becom- 
ing, indeed,  so  much  in  excess  of  the  capacity  of  his 
shops  that  customers  used  to  resort  to  the  spot  and 
stay  there  till  their  wares  were  ready  for  them.  In 
1825,  the  Erie  Canal  having  been  made  through  the 
valley  of  the  Mohawk,  Mr.  Eliplialet  Remington, 
after  a  few  years'  hard  experience  of  the  difficulty 
of  conducting  his  growing  business  at  so  considera- 
ble a  distance  from  that  thoroughfare,  with  .wise 
prevision  of  the  future,  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land  where  now  stands  Ilion.  His  first  erection,  a 
low,  one-story  dwelling,  is  included  in  the  present 
forging  shop.  The  variet}-  and  capacity  of  plant 
for  some  years  was  not  increased  to  any  great  ex- 
tent, though  the  distinct  business  of  barrel-making 
experienced  a  natural  and  healthy  growth.  In  1835 
the  establishment  of  Ames  &  Co.,  of  Springfield, 
Massachusetts,  which  had  a  United  States  contract 
for  a  number  of  thousands  of  carbines,  wished  to 
dispose  of  a  portion  of  its  award  then  uncompleted, 
and  of  its  gun-finishing  machinery.  Mr.  Reming- 
ton became  the  purchaser  of  both  contract  and 
plant.  At  this  time,  his  first  government  contract 
necessitating  an  increase  of  shop  capacity,  he  erec- 
ted a  frame  building,  of  considerable  size  for  that 
day.  which  is  still  standing,  and  known  as  the  "old 
armory."  Before  finishing  the  carbine  order,  the 
enterprise  of  the  rising  establishment  was  encour- 
aged by  the  reception  of  another  contract — this 
time  for  5,000  Harper's  Feny  rifles.  Tools  were 
forthwith  made  or  bought  and  the  work  proceeded 
with,  still  another  contract  for  5,000  similar  arms 
coming  before  the  first  was  finished.  At  that  date 
(1835  to  1840)  the  machine  plant  amounted  to  four 
milling  machines,  one  stocking  machine  and  one 
turning  lathe,  the  fixtures  or  tools  having  to  be 
changed  as  occasion  demanded.  It  is  worthy  of 
record,  that  the  experience  of  the  father  of  the  dif- 
ficult}* of  possessing  a  gun  was,  though  in  a  lighter 
degree,  repeated  by  the  sons,  the  story  being  that, 
when  one  of  the  sons  asked  his  father  for  a  fowling- 
piece,  the  latter  answered  that  he  would  be  more 
liberal  than  his  parent  had  been  with  him  ;  that  he 
would  contribute  the  barrel,  but  the  youngster 
must,  in  this  instance,  furnish  the  stock  and  lock 
himself.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  late  head  of 
the  Remington  Company  had  his  fowling-piece  in 
due  time  complete,  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  the 
son's  job  of  stocking  and  locking,  with  the  appli- 


154 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ances  of  Ilion,  was  a  long  way  easier  than  his  fath- 
er's shaping  and  finishing  of  the  first  Remington 
barrel  in  the  old  farm  forge  at  the  head  of  "the 
gulf."  A  story  is  told  of  the  late  Mr.  Eliphalet 
Remington  which  well  deserves  mention  here. 
With  a  unique  patriotism  he  refused  to  take  con- 
tracts for  rifles  from  Jefferson  Davis  during  his  ad- 
ministration of  the  War  Department  because  he  be- 
lieved his  guns  would  be  used  against  the  Union. 
When  the  war  came  on  the  Ilion  Armory  was  first 
and  most  largely  favored  by  the  Government  orders, 
and  so  promptly  and  honestly  were  the  contracts 
executed  that  the  Remingtons  were  given  first  rank 
in  the  list  of  manufacturers  who  had  faithfully 
served  their  country  in  its  exigency,  in  a  special 
resolution  of  Congress,  expressing  the  gratitude  of 
the  Republic.  Philo  Remington,  inheriting  his 
father's  inventive  genius,  after  a  common  school 
education  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  entered  his 
father's  factory,  where  lie  was  most  carefully 
traiued  into  the  use  of  every  tool  employed  in  the 
manufacture  of  firearms,  and  in  time  became  me- 
chanical superintendent  of  the  factory.  Witli  his 
brothers,  Samuel  and  Jsliplialet,  ( of  whom  he  -was 
the  oldest),  the  firm  of  E.  Remington  &  Sons  was 
established,  and  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  he 
continued  in  charge  of  the  mechanical  department. 
In  the  course  of  his  experience  this  firm  probably 
produced  a  greater  variety  of  firearms  than  any 
other  like  establishment,  their  breechloadiug  rifle, 
of  which  millions  have  been  sold  here  and  abroad, 
being  the  best  known  of  all  their  arms.  The  fall 
of  1870  doubtless  witnessed  in  the  Ilion  Armory  a 
larger  number  of  men  employed,  a  greater  daily 
production  and  a  more  earnest  concentration  of 
thoughts  and  energies  upon  one  subject,  than  the 
small  arms  business  in  this  or  any  other  country 
had  ever  known.  The  contract  with  the  French 
government  commenced  about  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember. The  final  installment  was  shipped  in  the 
first  week  of  the  succeeding  May.  During  the 
seven  months  inclusive,  from  September  21  to  the 
latter  date,  the  number  of  service  arms  of  its  own 
production  furnished  and  shipped  to  French  ports 
from  the  Ilion  Armory  was  about  155,000,  a  total 
result  altogether  unprecedented  in  the  history  of 
similar  transactions.  The  arms  composing  this 
total  were  divided  among  the  following  classes : 
130,000  rifles  of  43-calibre  :  5,000  carbines  and  20,- 
000  transformations.  The  Army  and  Navy  Journal 
remarked  of  this  great  industrial  achievement :  "The 
resources  of  the  great  armory  have,  of  course,  been 
t^xed  to  the  utmost.  The  buildings  devoted  to 
small  arms  manufacture  have,  for  twenty  hours  of 
each  working  day,  been  crowded  with  workmen, 


from  1,300  to  1,400  employees  having  been  all  the 
time  engaged.  The  largest  daily  production  has 
been  1,400  rifles  "  (these  figures  are  not  large  enough, 
each  of  the  last  three  day's  product  having  been 
1,530  stand  of  rifles,  with  1,300  stand  on  each  of  the 
working  days  preceding)  "  and  about  200  revolvers, 
and  the  monthly  pay-roll  amounted  to  from  $138,- 
000  to  $140,000."  After  the  suspension  of  Victor 
Place,  the  French  Consul  at  New  York,  by  his  gov- 
ernment for  fraudulent  practices,  all  of  the  pur- 
chases of  war  material  passed  through  the  hands  of 
the  Remingtons,  and  after  the  war  was  over  the 
French  Chambers  passed  a  vote  of  thankful  recog- 
nition of  the  ability  and  integrity  of  the  American 
agents  of  their  country.  One  of  the  early  inventors 
of  the  typewriter  placed  his  crude  models  into  the 
Remingtons'  hands,  which  they  perfected,  and  it 
became  one  of  the  most  popular  instruments  of  the 
:  kind.  In  1886  they  disposed  of  the  typewriter 
manufacturing  business,  and  soon  after  the  firm 
went  into  liquidation.  Since  then  Mr.  Remington 
had  lived  in  retirement.  He  was  nearly  twenty 
years  President  of  the  village  of  Ilion,  and,  with 
his  brother,  gave  Syracuse  University  sums  aggre- 
gating $250, 000.  He  also  gave  most  liberally  to 
charitable  and  religious  institutions  of  the  Metho- 
dist denomination,  to  which  he  belonged.  He  was 
a  great  lover  and  patron  of  inventors,  and  not  a  few 
of  them  owe  their  present  prosperity  to  the  helping 
hand  which  he  extended.  His  fondness  for  young 
men  of  push  and  promise  was  also  frequently 
shown.  Intellectually  Mr.  Remington,  though 
more  of  a  worker  than  a  student  in  his  youth,  was  well 
equipped.  As  a  practical  manufacturer  in  his  best 
days  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  findhis  superior, 
both  as  a  judge  of  processes  and  material,  and  for  his 
intuitive  appreciation  of  the  possibilities  of  machin- 
ery. In  politics  Mr.  Remington  was  successively 
Whig  and  Republican.  Though  strong  in  his 
opinions  to  the  degree  of  partisanship,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  serving  once  or  twice  on  the  electoral 
ticket  in  Presidential  elections,  he  invariably  re- 
fused to  entertain  nominations  which  the  party 
leaders  would  have  thrust  upon  him.  In  domestic 
life  he  found  his  most  attractive  charm.  His  death 
was  greatly  regretted  wherever  his  name  and  fame 
were  known,  and  particularly  so  at  Ilion,  where  he 
had  spent  a  lifetime  in  advancing  the  interests  of 
the  place.  He  leaves  a  widow  and  two  married 
daughters,  one  the  wife  of  Hon.  Watson  C.  Squire, 
(formerly  Governor  of  Washington  Territory,  and 
since  the  admission  of  that  State  into  the  Union, 
elected  United  States  Senator,  and  now  serving  his 
term),  and  the  other  of  H.  C.  Furman,  of  New  York 
City. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


155 


WINSTON,  FREDERICK  SEYMOUR,  late  Pres- 
ident of  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company 
of  New  York,  was  born  at  Ballston  Spa,  New 
York,  October  14,  180G,  and  died  at  Fernandina. 
Florida,  (while  temporarily  absent  from  his  home  in 
New  York  City,)  March  27,  188.5.  Mr  Winston's 
ancestors,  both  paternal  and  maternal,  were  origin- 
ally from  England.  Frederick  Winston,  his  father, 
a  Virginian  by  birth  and  a  member  of  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  respected  families  of  that  State, 
emigrated  to  New  York  early  in  life  and  settled  in 
Saratoga  County,  where  be  established  himself  as  a 
farmer,  and  subsequently  married  Susan  Seymour, 
who  was  of  Connecticut  birth,  and  of  a  good  New 
England  family.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  second  child  of  his  parents.  He  was  brought 
up  amid  rural  surroundings  and  under  Christian 
influences,  gaining  from  the  one  his  robust  phy- 
sique and  excellent  health  and  from  the  other  those 
high  moral  and  religious  traits  which  through  life 
remained  among  his  most  prominent  characteris- 
tics. His  education,  carefully  supervised  by  his 
intelligent  and  God-fearing  mother,  was  obtained 
primarily  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
place,  and  was  finished  by  a  term  or  two  at  an 
Academy  of  some  note  in  Utica,  New  York,  which 
was  not  only  quite  famous  in  its  day  but  also  well 
patronized.  When  he  was  about  fifteen  years  of 
age,  Frederick  left  his  books  to  engage  in  business, 
finding  employment  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  Messrs. 
Halsted,  Haines  &  Co.,  prominent  wholesale  dry- 
goods  merchants  of  New  York  City.  Trustworthy 
and  intelligent,  he  soon  won  the  confidence  of  his 
employers,  and  commanded  by  his  diligence  and 
ability  promotion,  step  by  step,  through  all  the 
various  grades  in  the  house,  being  finally  offered  a 
partnership,  which  he  accepted.  His  ideas,  like 
his  mind,  were  cast  in  a  large  mold;  and  although 
the  prospects  which  this  new  connection  held  out 
were  extremely  flattering,  pecuuiarih'  and  other- 
wise, he  preferred  an  independent  career,  and,  in 
consequence,  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  firm  a  few 
years  after  his  admission  to  it,  and  embarked  in  the 
dry-goods  business  for  himself,  opening  a  store  in 
Pine  Street,  opposite  the  present  palatial  building 
of  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  the  site  of 
which  was  then  occupied  by  an  old  Dutch  church 
and  subsequently  by  the  New  York  Post  Office.  In 
comparison  with  the  magnificent  structures  at  pres- 
ent devoted  to  this  great  branch  of  mercantile  ac- 
tivity, the  little  Pine  Street  store  was  a  very  modest 
affair.  A  sketch  of  that  part  of  the  city,  taken  at 
the  time  Mr.  Winston  was  in  business  there,  is  still 
preserved  in  one  or  two  of  the  public  and  several  of 
the  private  libraries  of  the  Metropolis.    This  sketch 


presents  to  view  the  old  church  with  its  ample  and 
pleasant  yard,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street 
a  row  of  small  brick  buildings,  over  one  of  which  is 
seen  a  sign  bearing  the  inscription  "  F.  S.  AVinstou 
&  Co."  By  tact,  energy,  and  a  combination  of 
qualities  which  rarely  fail  to  command  success  in 
any  department  of  effort,  Mr.  Winston  built  up  by 
degrees  a  large  business,  and  rose  to  a  leading  place 
among  his  compeers  in  the  dry-goods  trade.  En- 
terprise tempered  by  prudence  characterized  all  his 
transactions,  and  fair  dealing  and  honesty  his  inter- 
course with  his  brother  merchants.  Conducted  on 
these  principles  and  absorbing  almost  the  entire  at- 
tention of  its  chief,  the  house  of  F.  S.  Winston  & 
Co.  prospered  for  many  years,  and  eventually  be- 
came one  of  the  largest  in  the  city.  Mr.  Winston 
was  everywhere  known  as  one  of  the  most  upright 
and  conscientious  of  men.  His  kindly  nature  ap- 
preciated the  struggles  of  the  aspiring,  and  with  a 
generosity  which  was  in  keeping  with  his  numerous 
other  large  qualities,  he  freely  extended  the  advan- 
tages of  the  credit  system — then  so  largely  in  vogxie 
in  the  business  world — to  many  of  his  customers. 
Bad  debts  were  thus  incurred,  and  during  a  period 
of  business  depression  the  firm  failed.  But  this 
circumstance,  although  unfortunate  in  costing  Mr. 
Winston  the  legitimate  gains  of  a  long  and  busy 
career,  was  the  means  of  directing  him  into  the 
path  in  which  he  was  to  achieve  his  real  life  work 
and  greatest  success.  Honorably  known  to  mer- 
chants, financiers  and  capitalists  of  New  York  and 
other  large  cities,  Mr.  Winston  was  elected,  in  1846, 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Mutual 
Life  Insurance  Compairy,  which  had  been  organ- 
ized but  four  years  previously.  He  had  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  his  associates  from  his  first  ap- 
pearance among  them,  and  on  account  of  his  influ- 
ence and  popularity  and  long  business  experience, 
was  at  once  placed  on  several  of  the  most  important 
committees.  After  settling  up  his  business  affairs 
he  determined  not  to  re-engage  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits, and  thenceforth  concentrated  all  his  attention 
and  energy  upon  the  business  of  insurance.  The 
value  of  his  services  became  every  day  more  and 
more  apparent  to  his  colleagues,  and  through  their 
confidence  in  and  dependence  upon  him  his  duties 
were  correspondingly  increased.  It  soon  became 
evident  that  he  possessed  superior  fitness  for  the 
executive  management  of  the  company,  and,  this 
opinion  being  widely  shared  by  those  most  con- 
cerned in  its  growth  and  success,  he  was  chosen  to 
the  position  of  President  in  1853.  From  the  time 
Mr.  W'inston  had  first  became  identified  with  the 
business  of  life  insurance  he  devoted  himself  to  ac- 
quiring a  mastery  of  it.    The  value  of  his  close 


156 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


study  of  its  various  departments  and  problems  was 
at  once  apparent  when  he  assumed  the  executive 
function,  and  from  that  date  the  higher  life  of  the 
company  began.  He  devoted  to  its  affairs  his  en- 
tire time  aud  attention,  and  daily  from  an  early 
hour  in  the  morning  until  a  late  one  in  the  afternoon 
he  was  at  his  desk  discharging  the  duties  of  his  high 
trust.  He  gained  and  kept  the  entire  control  of  the 
business,  familiarized  himself  with  every  branch, 
and  supervised  every  detail.  His  general  course 
was  marked  by  circumspection  and  conservatism, 
but  in  the  presence  of  emergencies  he  invariably 
acted  with  freedom,  boldness  and  decision,  and 
always  rose  equal  to  the  occasion.  The  great  prob- 
lems presented  to  him  by  the  events  of  the  late 
Civil  War  were  met  with  a  degree  of  courage,  equi- 
ty, foresight  and  patriotism  which  will  always  ex- 
cite profound  admiration.  In  1861,  when  hostilities 
began,  the  company  held  risks  at  the  South  as  well 
as  at  the  North.  It  was  a  time  of  great  and  universal 
excitement,  of  general  apprehension  on  the  part  of 
the  mercantile  community,  of  financial  stringency, 
of  social  disturbances,  and,  worse  than  all,  the 
country  was  on  the  ve^ge  of  a  civil  war.  Instantly 
the  question  arose — first,  "  What  is  the  equitable 
status  of  policies  held  by  Southern  men  ?  "  The 
declaration  of  war  rendered  it  impossible  to  con- 
tinue relations  with  the  South,  just  as  it  was  impos- 
sible for  Southern  policy  holders  to  meet  their  ob- 
ligations with  the  company;  and  yet  there  was  the 
question  of  equity,  "What  is  to  be  done  with  the 
money  already  received ': "  In  time  Mr.  Winston 
suggested,  and  his  associates  agreed,  that  the  com- 
pany would  assume  that  each  policy  held  south  of 
Mason  and  Dixon's  line  was  tendered  to  the  com- 
pany for  surrender,  and  that  it  would  accept  the 
surrendered  policy,  paying  the  holder  the  value 
thereof.  After  this  action  a  case  was  brought  in 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  pur- 
pose of  deciding  the  question,  and  after  extended 
argument  the  Court  settled  it  in  conformity  to  the 
course  pursued  by  the  company.  Obviously  a  still 
more  delicate  question  arose  at  this  juncture — 
namely,  "What  shall  the  company  do  with  the 
policies  held  by  soldiers  in  the  Union  ranks?" 
Many  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  were  married, 
with  families.  They  could  not  afford  to  be  killed, 
leaving  a  valueless  policy  to  their  widows  and 
children,  and  yet  in  thousands  of  cases  all  they 
would  have  to  leave  was  a  policy  which,  by  the  rules 
of  the  company,  was  void  the  instant  they  bore  arms 
in  any  cause  whatever.  Here  came  to  the  front  a 
wise,  discreet  determination,  which  carried  comfort 
into  many  a  home,  and  rendered  resolute  many  a 
patriotic  heart.    Mr.  Winston  determined  to  carry 


the  policies  upon  the  books,  charging  an  extra 
amount  that  seemed  reasonable  against  the  divi- 
dends, aud  to  pay  the  face  of  the  policy  in  case  of 
death.  New  risks  were  taken  upon  the  same 
terms,  and  it  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  losses 
sustained  by  the  company  during  the  war  and  the 
extra  amount  received  for  policies  held  by  soldiers 
balanced  within  a  few  dollars  one  the  other.  Dur- 
ing the  long  struggle  Mr.  Winston  never  swerved 
in  his  allegiance  to  the  National  Government.  His 
patriotism  was  of  the  sturdy  kind  which  is  not  con- 
tent short  of  deeds.  From  their  very  nature  some  of 
these  were  of  the  most  public  character.  Such,  for 
instance,  was  the  support  his  company  gave  the 
Government  by  subscribing  to  its  bonds.  When 
the  first  call  for  a  loan  was  issued  the  "  Mutual "  in- 
vested heavily  of  its  funds  in  these  securities.  As 
the  war  progressed  and  the  situation  became  more 
I  grave  the  confidence  of  the  business  community  in 
the  National  authorities  waned  to  such  a  degree 
that  neither  in  Wall  Street  nor  in  any  other  finan- 
cial centre  of  the  world  was  the  Government  paper 
regarded  as  a  safe  investment  at  any  price.  Not- 
withstanding this  depressing  outlook,  a  small  knot 
of  clear-headed,  patriotic  business  men  never 
swerved  in  their  loyalty,  and  prominent  among 
them  stood  Mr.  Winston.  His  faith,  though  se- 
verely tested,  had  not  abated  one  jot,  and  his  noble 
confidence  made  itself  felt  among  his  associates 
and  friends.  At  one  of  the  meetings  of  the  Board 
held  at  a  period  when  the  great  need  of  the  Nation 
made  it  a  suppliant  for  "the  sinews  of  war"  Mr. 
Winston  boldly  said  to  his  associates:  "We  have 
considered  Government  bonds  good  enough  to  war- 
rant our  investing  lift}'  per  cent,  of  our  assets  in 
them.  If  they  fail,  we  fail.  If  the  country  survives, 
we  survive."  The  logic  of  this  assertion  was  irre- 
futable and  the  "  Mutual"  continued  to  make  large 
subscriptions  to  the  Government  bonds,  and  ad- 
hered to  this  policy  throughout  the  darkest  days  of 
the  struggle.  Until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  Mr. 
Winston  was  unflagging  in  his  support  of  the  Na- 
tional Government.  No  attempt  can  be  made  in  a 
sketch  of  this  character  to  narrate  the  many  patri- 
otic services  he  rendered.  As  illustrating  their 
scope  and  extent  it  may  be  said  that  they  included 
the  organization  of  volunteer  regiments  and  many 
prompt  and  generous  contributions  to  the  funds  of 
the  Sanitary  Commission.  The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Bel- 
lows, the  famous  President  of  that  Commission,  ac- 
knowledged in  emphatic  terms  his  great  indebted- 
ness to  Mr.  Winston  for  help  at  the  most  critical 
junctures,  and  declared  that  the  country  was  under 
heavy  obligations  to  him  for  his  usefulness  and 
generosity.    The  Twenty-second  Begiment  was  or- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


157 


eanized  in  Mr.  Winston's  office,  and  the  "Mutual" 
contributed  $1,000  towards  equipping  it  and  dis- 
patching it  to  the  seat  of  war.  Mr.  Winston  also 
took  the  city  bonds  when  they  could  not  be  nego- 
tiated elsewhere,  and  in  this  way  rendered  valuable 
assistance  to  the  city  when  the  authorities  were 
severely  pressed  for  money  to  carry  on  recruiting. 
In  March,  1865,  this  latter  action  on  Mr.  Winston's 
part  led  to  a  public  acknowledgment  at  the  hands 
of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  New  York  County, 
Supervisor  Elijah  F.  Purdy,  the  old  "  war  horse" 
of  the  Democracy,  offering  resolutions  which  were 
unanimously  adopted,  thanking  Mr.  Winston  for 
the  prompt  manner  in  which  his  company  furnished 
funds  to  the  Comptroller  for  recruiting  purposes. 
It  may  be  said  that  simply  as  a  matter  of  judgment 
his  abiding  confidence  in  the  ultimate  success  of 
the  Government  proved  of  the  highest  advantage  to 
the  company  whose  affairs  he  directed.  Mr.  Wins- 
ton was  in  no  sense  a  politician,  nor  had  he  ever 
the  slightest  desire  for  political  office.  In  I860  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners of  Emigration  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Cyrus 
Curtiss,  who  resigned  in  April  of  that  year.  Mr. 
Winston  accepted  this  appointment  from  a  sense  of 
Christian  duty,  and  filled  the  office  with  great  abili- 
ty for  a  period  of  five  years.  The  zeal  and  effi- 
ciency with  which  he  discharged  his  duties  in  con- 
nection with  it,  showed  that  his  whole  heart  was  in 
the  work.  Familiarity  with  it  only  served  to  deep- 
en this  interest  and  he  watched  over  the  welfare  of 
the  immigrants  with  a  care  and  devotion  that  had 
their  origin  in  a  sympathetic  and  philanthropic  na- 
ture. Through  his  earnest  efforts  and  wide- 
reaching  influence,  which  secured  the  co-operation 
of  other  prominent  and  philanthropic  persons,  the 
State  Emigrant  Hospital,  Asylum  and  Refuge  on 
Ward's  Island  were  established.  He  looked  upon 
this  great  and  steady  flow  of  emigrants  to  our 
shores  as  a  stream  of  vitalizing  life-blood  poured 
into  the  heart  of  the  Nation,  and  his  earnest  desire 
was  that  it  should  be  carefully  guarded  and  pre- 
served from  contamination  and  the  destructive  in- 
fluences of  sickness,  squalor  and  irreligion.  To  this 
work  he  devoted  himself  unsparingly.  Indeed,  his 
labors  were  at  times  heroic  and  were  prosecuted  at 
the  peril  of  his  own  life.  This  was  especially  con- 
spicuous during  the  second  visitation  of  the  cholera 
to  the  city  of  New  York.  Undaunted  by  fears  for 
his  personal  safety  and  with  the  same  true  Christian 
zeal  that  had  always  actuated  his  philanthropy,  he 
courageously  visited  the  plague-stricken  immi- 
grants and  was  unremitting  in  his  efforts  to  save 
their  lives  or  mitigate  their  sufferings.  Neither  the 
fears  of  his  family  nor  the  expostulations  of  well- 


meaning  friends  availed  to  lessen  his  sense  of  duty. 
He  visited  the  sufferers  personally,  to  make  sure 
that  they  had  proper  medical  attendance  and  nurs- 
ing, and  administered  to  their  spiritual  wants  by 
advising  and  praying  with  them  in  the  most  fervent 
spirit.  In  religious  circles  Mr.  Winston  was  highly 
esteemed  and  honored.  He  was  a  life-long  member 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  took  an 
active  and  prominent  part  in  promoting  its  work 
and  in  developing  and  directing  several  of  its  lead- 
ing organizations.  He  was  a  Vice-President  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  and  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal City  Missionary  Society,  and  a  member  of  the 
Foreign  Committee  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  For  many  years  he  was  an  active  member 
of  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church  and  Superin- 
tendant  of  its  Sunday-School.  In  later  years  he  at- 
tended Calvary  Church  (in  Fourth  Avenue  at  the 
corner  of  Twenty-first  Street),  of  which  lie  was  a 
Senior  Warden.  He  was  unostentatiously  charita- 
ble, giving  freely  at  all  times  to  the  aid  of  worthy 
persons,  objects  and  institutions,  and  during  his 
long  life  must  have  bestowed  quite  a  fortune  in  this 
way.  He  took  a  great  interest  in  the  Sheltering 
Arms,  and  in  the  Aural  and  Ophthalmic  Institute  of 
New  York,  and  was  a  trustee  in  each  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  President  Winston  died,  as  he  had 
expressed  a  wish  to  die,  in  the  full  tide  of  honor  and 
distinction,  and  with  little  conscious  pain  and  no 
lingering.  He  was  struck  with  paralysis  on  his 
way  home  from  a  trip  through  the  South,  taken 
with  a  view  of.  recreation,  which  had  included  a 
visit  to  the  Exposition  at  New  Orleans,  the  fatal 
crisis  occurring  at  Egmont  Hotel,  Fernandina, 
Florida,  March  27,  1885,  at  10  o'clock  at  night.  He 
had  experienced  a  slight  attack  of  rheumatism  dur- 
ing his  vacation,  but  considered  himself  at  the  time 
to  be,  for  his  age,  fairly  redolent  with  health;  but 
it  appears  now  that  he  had  overtaxed  the  vitality 
which  remains  to  the  most  stalwart  constitution  at 
the  age  of  seventy-nine,  and  that  the  relaxation  in 
which  he  had  been  indulging  for  a  few  weeks  was 
taken  too  late  to  recruit  his  exhausted  powers. 
Upon  the  arrival  of  the  remains  of  Mr.  Winston  in 
New  York,  they  were  taken  to  his  late  residence, 
No.  18  West  Thirty-first  Street,  where,  on  the  after- 
noon of  Thursday,  April  2,  private  religious  ser- 
vices were  conducted  in  the  presence  of  the  family 
and  a  few  intimate  friends.  Afterwards  the  re- 
mains were  taken  to  Calvary  Church,  followed  by 
the  relatives  and  a  large  concourse  of  sorrowing 
friends.  Among  the  many  present  in  the  church 
were  a  number  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens  of 
New  York,  including  the  highest  officials,  eminent 
philanthropists  and  leading  representatives  of  the 


158 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


insurance,  banking  and  mercantile  communities, 
and  prominent  members  of  the  various  professions. 
During  the  course  of  a  long  and  busy  career  Mr. 
Winston  had  occasion  to  befriend  many  poor 
people,  and  to  extend  a  helping  hand  to  many 
struggling  young  men,  and  to  foster,  not  alone 
with  words  of  encouragement  but  by  liberal  bene- 
factions, civilizing  societies  and  humanitarian  as- 
sociations. These  flocked  to  the  church  in  large 
numbers,  adding  materially  to  t lie  vein  of  sentiment 
that  pervaded  the  entire  congregation  and  augment- 
ing perceptibly  the  volume  of  sorrow  that  a  great 
and  good  man  had  been  taken  away,  and  paying, 
perhaps,  as  touching  a  tribute  of  affection,  respect 
and  esteem  as  any,  even  those  more  ambitious  and 
more  pretentious,  coming  from  higher  realms  of 
social  life  and  the  more  exclusive  parlors  of  com- 
merce and  finance.  The  services  were  conducted 
by  W.  Bacon  Stevens,  D.D.,  LL.D.  Bishop  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  by  Assistant  Bishop  Potter,  assisted 
by  the  rector,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Satterlee,  and  his  assist- 
ants. Previous  to  his  death  Mr.  Winston  had  often 
expressed  his  wishes  on  the  subject  of  funeral 
services,  requesting  that,  when  his  time  should 
come  they  should  be  confined  to  the  stately  sim- 
plicity of  the  Episcopal  ritual  for  the  dead.  In 
compliance  with  Ibis  desire  Dr.  Satterlee  refrained 
from  any  expressions  of  eulogy  or  regret,  while  the 
Bishop  read  the  services,  and  the  choir,  after  an 
anthem,  sang  two  hymns  which  were  great  favor- 
ites with  Mr.  Winston.  The  officers  of  the  several 
corporations  and  societies  with  which  Mr.  Winston 
was  so  long  and  honorably  connected  called  special 
meetings  upon  receiving  information  of  his  death, 
and  passed  resolutions  of  respect  which  bore  inter- 
nal evidence  of  the  high  place  the  deceased  bad 
held  in  their  esteem.  1  Mr.  Winston's  perceptions, 
naturally  acute,  were  sharpened  by  his  long  busi- 
ness experience.  He  was  ever  a  close  student  of 
public  affairs  and  his  judgments  were  practically 
unerring.  Politics,  finance  and  commerce  all  came 
under  his  watchful  eye,  and  his  conclusions,  based 
on  careful  comparisons  and  a  profound  know  ledge 
of  human  nature,  were  seldom  fallacious.  He  was 
invariably  conservative  and  cautious,  but,  with  a 
keen  insight  into  affairs,  he  solved  many  problems 
before  others  had  ceased  to  regard  them  as  such, 
and,  thus,  was  enterprising  to  a  rare  degree  while 
not  speculative.  He  was  a  many-sided  man,  and  in 
every  sphere  of  his  efforts,  business,  patriotic,  reli- 
gious and  social,  was  a  strong  man.  His  salary  for 
some  years  before  his  death  was  equal  to  that  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  It  was  his  only 
income,  and  as  his  charitable  acts  were  of  daily  oc- 
currence, lie  did  not  accumulate  a  very  great  prop- 


erty, although  he  left  a  handsome  competence  well 
invested,  including  a  tine  residence.  Mr.  Winston's 
domestic  life  was  serene  and  happy.  In  1833  he 
married  Miss  Lucy  Cotton,  of  New  York  City,  who 
survived  him  barely  a  twelve-month,  dying  March 
14,  1886.  His  family  consisted  of  six  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living:— Mrs.  George  Gilpin,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, Mrs.  Harvey  B.  Merrell,  of  Morristown, 
New  Jersey,  Mr.  James  C.  Winston  and  Dr.  Gusta- 
vus  S.  Winston.  The  two  latter  are  connected  in 
official  capacities  with  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company.  Mr.  Frederick  M.  Winston,  who  died  in 
18CC.  was  a  young  man  of  great  promise,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  held  the  important  office  of 
cashier  in  the  "Mutual."  President  Winston  was 
most  widely  known  as  the  real  creator  of  the  largest 
life  insurance  company  in  the  world,  and  his  rare 
mental  endowments  and  peculiar  qualities  which 
showed  him  to  be  an  enterprising  as  well  as  a  wise 
and  prudent  manager ;  but  he  was  best  known  as, 
a  Christian  gentleman,  in  the  highest  conception 
of  the  term,  a  man  of  large  heart  and  clear  con- 
science, who  loved  God  and  his  fellow-men. 


FAIRCHILD,  SIDNEY  T.,  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  distinguished  citizens  of  Central  New 
York,  widely  known,  esteemed  and  honored 
for  his  exemplary  life  and  character,  was  born  at 
Norwich,  New  York,  November  ,15,  1808,  and  died 
at  his  home  in  Cazenovia,  February  15,  1889.  He 
was  the  eldest  son  of  John  F.  and  Flavia  Fairchild. 
He  became  a  resident  of  Cazenovia  in  1835,  and, 
after  attending  the  Seminary  then  just  instituted, 
entered  Hamilton  College,  but  soon  removed  to 
Union  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1829.  He 
studied  law  in  the  offices  of  Childs  and  Stebbins  at 
Cazenovia,  and  of  Joshua  A.  Spencer  at  Utica,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1831.  He  commenced 
the  practice  of  law  in  partnership  with  E.  P.  Hurl- 
but  at  Utica.  In  1834  he  married  Helen,  the  second 
daughter  of  the  late  Perry  G.  Childs,  of  Cazenovia, 
and  in  the  following  year,  upon  the  death  of  Mr. 
Childs,  removed  to  Cazenovia,  and  entered  into 
partnership  with  the  late  Charles  Stebbins,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Stebbins  &  Fairchild.  Upon  the 
organization  of  the  Syracuse  and  Utica  Railroad 
Company  this  firm  became  its  attorneys,  and,  upon 
the  consolidation  of  this  company,  with  others,  into 
the  New  York  Central  Railroad  Company,  con- 
tinued in  charge  of  its  local  business.  About  1858, 
Mr.  Fairchild  was  appointed  General  Attorney  of 
the  New  York  Central  Railroad  Company,  having 
his  office  at  Albany,  and,  since  that  time,  continued. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


159 


in  the  service  of  that  company,  viutil  his  decease, 
withdrawing  latterly,  however,  from  the  charge  of 
the  general  legal  business  of  the  corporation.  His 
last  work  in  his  profession  was  the  argument  of  a 
cause  in  the  Court  of  Claims  of  the  United  States,  in 
which  the  New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River 
Railroad  Company  was  complainant,  and  in  which  a 
favorable  decision  was  rendered  in  January,  1889. 
He  was  a  Director  and  the  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
of  the  Third  Great  Western  Turnpike  Road  Com- 
pany during  the  last  twenty-five  years  of  its  exist- 
ence, a  Director  of  the  Madison  County  Bank,  the 
President  of  the  Cazenovia  and  Cauastota  Railroad 
Company,  and,  for  many  years  previous  to  his  death, 
a  Trustee  of  the  Union  Trust  Company  of  New  York. 
In  his  profession,  Mr.  Fairchild  was  thoughtful, 
studious,  indefatigable,  cautious,  persistent,  saga- 
cious, learned.  As  an  adviser,  he  was  discreet  and 
candid.  In  the  preparation  of  his  cases  he  was 
thorough  and  exhaustive,  both  as  to  the  facts,  as 
far  as  possible,  and  as  to  the  law.  In  making  his 
briefs,  it  was  his  habit  first  to  reflect  long  and 
deeply  upon  the  principles  involved,  and  then  to 
resort  to  the  books  for  authorities  in  support  of  his 
opinions,  or  for  precedents  which  it  might  be 
necessary  to  combat.  An  adverse  opinion,  unless 
it  was  from  the  court  of  last  resort  and  squarely 
upon  the  point,  did  not  shake  his  convictions,  once 
deliberately  formed.  In  the  earlier  years  of  his 
practice  it  was  his  custom  to  make  as  complete  a 
brief  as  possible,  even  in  the  most  trifling  cases. 
As  an  advocate,  he  did  not  possess  or  claim,  and 
probably  did  not  desire,  the  grace  of  eloquence  or 
the  power  of  persuasion.  He  never  talked  to  the 
bystanders,  or  for  display.  His  aim  was  always  to 
enlighten  the  dullest  juror  in  the  panel,  or  to  con- 
vince the  court.  His  forensic  efforts  were,  therefore, 
labored,  exhaustive,  and  often  prolix.  As  a  drafts- 
man, both  of  pleadings  and  of  other  instruments,  he 
was,  probably,  unsurpassed,  if  indeed  he  was 
equalled,  in  Central  New  York.  For  clearness,  con- 
ciseness, comprehensiveness,  aptness  and  neatness, 
his  papers  of  all  kinds  were  models.  It  was  his 
habit,  before  drawing  any  intricate  document,  to 
reflect  long  upon  the  object  sought,  and,  after  formu- 
lating in  his  mind  the  scheme  of  the  paper,  to  com- 
mit it  to  writing.  It  was  rarely  necessary  for  him 
to  make  a  second  draft,  or  to  amend  the  original. 
It  may  be  doubted  whether  there  can  be  found 
upon  the  files  of  the  court,  or  elsewhere,  a  paper  of 
his  which  contains  a  proviso,  or  in  winch  is  an 
erasure  or  an  interlineation.  Upon  arriving  at  man- 
hood, after  a  candid  and  thorough  examination  of 
the  questions  which  were  at  issue  between  the  two 
great  political  parties,  he,  contrary  to  parental  in- 


fluence, united  with  the  Democratic  party.  For 
forty  years,  at  least,  preceding  his  death  he  was  a 
prominent  and  trusted  leader  of  that  party,  attend- 
ing its  conventions,  local,  State  and  National,  and 
largely  influencing  its  policy,  and  the  policy  of  the 
administration,  whenever  that  party  was  in  power. 
He  was  the  valued  friend  and  adviser  of  Seymour, 
Richmond,  Cassidy,  Hoffman,  Tilden,  Robinson  and 
Cleveland,  and  his  opinions  were  always  received 
with  respect  and  deference.  He  was,  however,  no 
slave  to  party  platforms  or  political  chieftains,  and 
whenever  his  party  strayed  from  what  he  regarded 
as  true  Democratic  principles  or  practice,  no  criti- 
cism was  more  scathing  than  his.  He  never  sought 
or  held  any  office,  except  those  of  Clerk  and  Presi- 
dent of  his  village,  and  was  never  a  candidate  for 
office  but  once,  and  then  only  at  the  request  and  in 
the  interest  of  a  friend,  and  in  a  hopeless  canvass. 
As  a  man  he  was  absolutely  pure  and  just.  From 
this  it  resulted,  that  he  had  little  tolerance  of  those 
whom  he  regarded  as  vicious  or  dishonest,  and 
judged  them  unsparingly.  His  opinions  were  not 
borrowed  from  others,  but  were  the  product  of  his 
own  intellect.  They  were  his  offspring,  and  he 
cherished  and  adhered  to  them  with  the  tenacity  of 
a  parent.  His  convictions  were  not  the  subject  of 
compromise,  and  his  estimates  of  men  were  without 
qualification.  Yet,  withal,  he  was  modest  and  unas- 
suming, and  without  a  spark  of  personal  vanity. 
To  his  friends,  he  was  loyal  and  true.  His  time,  his 
labor  and  his  influence  were  ever  at  their  service. 
To  his  dependents,  he  was  a  kind  and  indulgent 
master,  always  sympathizing  and  assisting  them  in 
troxible,  and  ever  aiding  them  towards,  and  rejoic- 
ing in  their  prosperity.  In  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, the  widow  and  the  helpless  found  in  him  a 
pains-taking,  prudent  and  feeling  adviser,  defender 
and  helper,  and  all  without  fee  or  reward.  Into  the 
sanctity  of  his  domestic  relations  it  is  not  the 
province  of  this  sketch  to  obtrude  farther  than  to 
say  that  for  those  who  were  nearest  to  him,  he  had 
a  lavishness  of  affection,  a  wealth  of  tenderness,  an 
intensity  of  devotion,  and  a  depth  of  sentiment  little 
suspected  by  those  who  knew  him  but  casually,  and 
it  was  there  that  his  large-hearted,  noble-minded 
manhood  found  its  chief  delight.  Mr.  Fairchild's 
surviving  family  consists  of  his  estimable  widow 
and  three  children:  Katharine  S.,  wife  of  John 
Stebbins  of  Cazenovia ;  Hon.  Charles  S.  Fairchild, 
late  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  the  Cabinet  of 
President  Cleveland,  and  now  President  of  the  New 
York  Security  and  Trust  Company,  New  York 
City  (see  following  biography);  and  Sophia  C.  F., 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Townsend  G.  Jackson,  of  Balti- 
more, Maryland. 


i6o 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


FAIRCHILD,  HON.  CHARLES  •  STEBBINS, 
LL.D..  United  States  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
iu  1887-9,  and  now  President  of  the  New  York 
Security  and  Trust  Company,  was  born  in  Cazenovia, 
New  York,  April  30,  1842,  and  is  the  son  of  the  late 
Sidney  T.  Fairchild,  one  of  the  most  prominent  men 
of  Central  New  York,  and  for  many  years  attorney 
for  the  New  York  Central  Railroad.  (See  preceding 
biography,  i  Mr.  Fail-child's  preliminary  studies  wen- 
made  iu  the  common  schools,  and  at  the  Oneida 
Conference  Seminary  at  Cazenovia.  He  passed 
from  thence  to  Harvard  College  in  1859,  and  gradu- 
ated from  that  university  with  the  class  of  18G3.  He 
chose  the  law  as  a  profession,  and  at  once  entered 
the  Harvard  Law  School:  and,  after  completing 
the  prescribed  course,  he  received  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1805.  He  removed  to  Albany, 
where  he  continued  his  legal  studies,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  I860.  In  1871  he  became  a 
partner  in  the  famous  firm  of  Hand.  Hale  &  Swart/., 
one  of  the  most  successful  law  firms  in  the  State. 
Mr.  Fairchild's  name  was  added  to  the  title  of  the 
firm,  of  which  he  remained  a  member  until  1870. 
In  1874  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Attorney-General 
of  the  State  by  the  Hon.  Daniel  Pratt,  who  had  been 
chosen  Attorney-General ;  and  in  the  ensuing  year 
he  was  himself  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party 
of  the  State  of  New  York  for  the  Attorney-General- 
ship, and  was  elected.  It  was  the  course  which  he 
followed  while  holding  the  office  of  Deputy  Attor- 
ney-General which  commended  him  to  his  party 
and  secured  him  the  nomination  for  the  higher  po- 
sition. Early  in  1874  he  represented  the  people, 
and  conducted  iu  person  the  celebrated  case  against 
the  New  Y'ork  Police  Commissioners  Gardner  and 
Charlick.  The  skill  which  he  displayed  in  the  con- 
duct of  this  important  trial,  in  which  he  was  op- 
posed by  some  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  the  metropo- 
lis, brought  him  into  prominence  and  effected  a 
substantial  addition  to  his  reputation.  During  the 
last  of  his  two  years'  service  as  Deputy  Attorney- 
General  that  office  was  made  more  than  usually  on- 
erous and  important  by  reason  of  the  legal  proceed- 
ings occurring  out  of  the  reports  of  the  Canal  In- 
vestigation Commission.  As  fast  as  these  reports 
were  received  by  the  Governor  he  transmitted  them 
to  the  Attorney-General,  with  instruction  to  take 
such  action  as  was  necessary  on  the  basis  of  the 
facts  presented  iu  them.  Referring  to  the  work  of 
the  Attorney-General's  office  during  1875  the  Albany 
Argus  took  occasion  to  remark  :  "  It  is  no  dispar- 
agement to  Judge  Pratt  (the  Attorney-General)  to 
say  that  Mr.  Fairchild  has  been  the  right  arm  of  the 
Attorney-General  iu  the  prosecution  of  the  import- 
ant suits  devolving  upon  the  law  office  of  the 


State."  In  the  Democratic  State  Convention  of 
1875  Mr.  Fairchild  was  recognized  as  the  candidate 
most  likely  to  succeed,  and  his  nomination  was 
made  by  acclamation.  His  name  was  proposed  by 
the  Hon.  Rvifus  W.  Peckham.  son  of  the  late  Judge 
Peckham,  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  who,  in  the 
course  of  an  eloquent  speech,  expressed  himself  as 
follows  :  "  It  is  uot  too  much  to  say  that,  by  rea- 
son of  unavoidable  engagements  of  Judge  Pratt  on 
other  and  official  business,  the  department  of  the 
office  of  the  Attorney-General  devoted  to  the  inves- 
tigation of  these  alleged  caual  frauds  and  to  their 
prosecution  has  devolved  upon  Mr.  Fairchild,  and 
that  as  to  those  special  matters  he  has  been  for  the 
last  year  practically  Attorney-General.  That  he 
has  discharged  those  duties  with  ability  and  con- 
spicuous fidelity  and  discretion  no  one  conversant 
with  the  subject  for  one  moment  doubts.  He  has 
thus  become  familiar  with  the  questions  at  issue  in 
these  cases,  both  upon  the  law  and  upon  the  facts  ; 
aud  these  questions  will  without  doubt  be  the  chief 
ones  which  will  be  discussed  in  the  Attorney-Gen- 
eral's coming  term  of  office.  Under  such  circum- 
stances it  would  be  not  only  impolitic  but  ungrate- 
ful to  set  aside  a  faithful  and  able  public  officer 
and  place  one  in  his  stead  not  hitherto  connected 
with  the  office."  In  the  election  which  followed  he 
received  a  majority  vote  of  23.302  over  George  F. 
Danforth,  of  Rochester,  his  Republican  competitor. 
Out  of  this  number,  however,  should  be  taken  7,274 
votes,  which  were  disallowed  by  the  Board  of 
State  Canvassers,  on  account  of  an  error  in  the  votes 
cast  for  the  Republican  candidate.  By  virtue  of  his 
position  of  Attorney-General.  Mr.  Fairchild  became 
also  a  Commissioner  of  the  Land  Office  and  of  the 
Canal  Fund,  a  member  of  the  Canal  Board,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  State  Charities,  a  Trustee  of  the 
State  Capitol,  and  a  Trustee  of  the  State  Hall.  Mr. 
Fairchild  served  as  Attorney-General  for  two  years. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  in  1878  he 
visited  Europe,  and  remained  there  until  1880. 
Upon  his  return  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law 
in  New  York  City,  where  he  remained  until  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  appointed  him  Assistant  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  in  March,  1885.  While  holding  tins 
office  he  was  frequently  called  upon  to  represent 
Secretary  Daniel  Manning ;  and  when  the  latter  was 
compelled  by  failing  health  to  surrender  his  office 
Mr.  Fairchild  became  Acting-Secretary.  On  April 
1,  1887.  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Manning  went  into 
effect,  and  President  Cleveland  appointed  Mr.  Fair- 
child  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  He  held  that  of- 
fice until  the  end  of  President  Cleveland's  adminis- 
tration in  March,  1889.  In  1888  Mr.  Fairchild  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  Colum-. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


161 


bian  University  and  also  from  Harvard  University. 
He  is  now  President  of  the  New  York  Security  and 
Trust  Company  of  New  York  City.  In  the  latter 
part  of  September,  1889,  Mr.  Fairchild  addressed  a 
large  audience  in  the  hall  of  the  Harlem  Branch  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  during  the 
opening  exercises  of  the  season  of  1889-90.  In  this 
address  he  referred  to  the  good  which  the  Associa- 
tion is  doing  in  all  parts  of  the  world ;  and  said  that 
the  great  duty  incumbent  upon  its  members  was  to 
come  in  contact  as  much  as  possible  with  other  less 
fortunately  situated  fellow  citizens.  He  did  not 
believe  that  the  young  men  were  provided  with  all 
the  luxuries  which  surrounded  them  in  their  beauti- 
tiful  building  for  themselves  alone,  but  that  they 
should  thereby  be  so  fortified — bodily,  mentally  and 
morally — that  they  would  be  able  to  do  their  duty 
in  an  educational  way  by  contact  with  people  whose 
conditions  of  life  or  whose  geographical  position  in 
this  large  city  debarred  them  from  the  opportunity 
of  such  education  in  any  other  way.  Of  all  the  pres- 
ent social  problems  he  believed  that  cities  seemed 
to  offer  the  most  difficult  ones.  In  reference  to  this 
fact  he  said  :  "  The  city  is  the  heel  of  our  American 
Achilles,  the  place  where  our  popular  government 
may  be  wounded  to  its  destruction."  Mr.  Fairchild 
has  ever  held  a  position  among  his  fellow  citizens  and 
throughout  the  country  as  a  man  of  exalted,  manly 
principles,  and  high  rectitude  of  purpose,  as  well  as 
one  whose  thorough  acquaintance  with  affairs  and 
remarkable  intellectual  grasp  have  enabled  him  to 
comprehend  and  control  the  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities of  any  position  in  which  he  has  been  placed. 
Personally,  he  is  affable  and  genial,  and  greatly  re- 
spected and  admired  by  those  who  know  him  most 
intimately. 


ERICSSON,  JOHN,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
engineers  and  inventors  of  the  age,  was  born 
in  Langbanshyttan,  province  of  Wermland, 
Sweden,  July  31,  1803,  and  died  at  his  home  in  New 
York  City,  March  8,  1889.  His  father,  Olof,  was  a 
mining  proprietor,  and  his  brother,  Baron  Nils 
Ericsson,  was  colonel  of  engineers  and  became  chief 
of  the  Swedish  railways.  On  the  high-road  of  the 
quaint  village  of  Langbanshyttan  stands  an  iron 
shaft  on  a  pedestal  of  coarse  granite.  It  bears  an 
inscription,  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation : 

In  a  miner's  hut  at  Langbanshyttan 
were  born  the  two  brothers 
Nils  Ericsson,  January  31, 1802, 
and  John  Ericsson,  Jdly  31,  1803. 
Both  honored  their  native  land. 
Their  way  through  work  to  knowledge  and  lasting 
fame  is  open  to  every  swedish  youth. 


John's  mother,  Sophie,  was  a  woman  of  excellent 
family  and  of  superior  education,  whose  father  lost 
a  fortune  in  unlucky  investments.  John  was  born 
in  the  midst  of  mines  and  iron  works,  and  the  first 
sound  he  heard  was  the  clang  of  the  cumbersome 
machinery  used  for  drawing  coal  from  the  mines. 
As  a  boy  he  had  ample  opportunity  for  watchiug 
the  mechauism  connected  with  the  mines,  and  his 
natural  talent  was  thus  early  developed.  His  earli- 
est instruction  was  received  from  a  Swedish  gov- 
erness, and  a  German  engineering  officer  who  had 
served  under  General  Bernadotte.  Before  he  was 
eleven  years  old  the  boy  had  designed  the  model  of 
a  miniature  saw-mill,  which  he  constructed  with  his 
own  hands  and  after  his  own  plans,  and  had  made 
numerous  drawings  of  complicated  mechanical  con- 
trivances. Among  these,  one  of  a  new  variety  of 
pumping  engines  was  shown  to  Admiral  Count 
Platen,  and  so  interested  this  celebrated  engineer 
that  he  appointed  young  Ericsson  a  cadet  in  the 
Corps  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  and  after  six  months 
made  him  a  leveler  at  the  Gotha  ship  canal,  of 
which  Count  Platen  was  chief  of  construction. 
Two  years  later,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  the  boy  was 
engaged  to  set  out  the  work  of  a  section  employing 
six  hundred  soldier  operatives,  while  he  occupied  his 
leisure  in  making  drawings  of  every  implement  and 
machine  connected  with  the  canal.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen,  despite  tli  eprotest  of  Count  Platen,  the 
lad  entered  the  Swedish  army  as  an  ensign,  and  was 
rapidly  promoted  to  a  lieutenancy,  gaining  this  rank 
on  account  of  his  beautiful  military  maps  which  had 
even  attracted  the  attention  of  King  Charles  John 
(Bernadotte).  Shortly  afterwards  he  passed  with 
distinction  a  competitive  examination  for  an  ap- 
pointment on  the  survey  of  northern  Sweden.  Not- 
withstanding the  labor  attendant  upon  his  duties  as 
a  surveyor,  he  undertook  to  make  drawings  for  a 
work  on  canals  and  to  engrave  the  plates  in  the 
style;  which  was  known  as  machine  engraving. 
When  about  twenty-two  years  old  he  constructed  a 
condensing  flame  engine  of  ten  horse-power,  and  in 
1826  he  went  to  England  to  introduce  it.  It  was, 
however,  not  successful.  In  1827,  after  having  been 
promoted  to  a  captaincy  in  the  army,  he  resigned 
his  commission,  and  thereafter  devoted  himself  to 
mechanical  pursuits.  He  produced  in  rapid  suc- 
cession an  instrument  for  the  taking  of  sea  sound- 
ings, an  hydrostatic  weighing  machine,  tubular 
steam  boilers,  and  artificial  draft,  by  centrifugal 
fan-blowers,  dispensing  with  huge  smoke-stacks, 
economizing  fuel  and  showing  the  fallacy  of  the  as- 
sertion that  the  product  of  steam  was  dependent 
upon  the  amount  of  fire  surface.  In  the  steamship 
"  Victory,"  in  1828,  he  made  the  first  application  of 


l62 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


the  principle  of  condensing  steam  and  returning  the 
water  to  the  boiler  ;  and  in  the  same  year  submitted 
to  the  Admiralty  his  self-acting  gun  lock,  the  pecu- 
liarity of  it  being  that  by  its  means  naval  cannon 
could  be  automatically  adjusted  at  any  elevation, 
notwithstanding  the  rolling  of  the  ship.  He  did  not 
succeed  in  disposing  of  this  invention  in  England, 
and  kept  it  secret  until  1843,  when  he  applied  it  to 
the  wrought-iron  gun  of  the  "  Princeton."  In  1829 
the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railroad  offered  a 
prize  of  five  hundred  pounds  for  the  best  loco- 
motive, capable  of  fulfilling  certain  stipulations. 
The  prize  was  awarded  to  George  Stephenson  with 
his  locomotive  "Rocket,"  which  was  planned  by 
his  father;  but  his  sharpest  competitor  in  the  con- 
test was  John  Ericsson.  On  the  issue  of  the  trial 
turned  the  future  of  the  railroad  system  in  England. 
Ericsson  produced  the  celebrated  steam  engine 
"  Novelty,"  which  was  planned,  completed  and 
placed  on  the  trial  ground  within  seven  weeks.  The 
speed  demanded  by  the  railroad  directors  was  only 
ten  miles  an  hour.  Ericsson's  engine  made  thirty.  It 
is  related  that  astonishment  for  the  moment  silenced 
the  multitude  who  watched  the  contest,  and  then 
their  excitement  found  vent  in  enthusiastic  ap- 
plause. Railroad  shares  went  up  ten  percent.,  and 
the  voting  engineer  might  well  have  considered  his 
fortune  made ;  but  disappointment  awaited  him,  for, 
in  spite  of  much  adverse  criticism,  the  judges  de- 
cided to  make  traction  power  rather  than  speed  the 
critical  test,  and  the  prize  was  awarded  to  the 
"Rocket,"  which  drew  seventeen  tons  for  seventy 
miles  at  the  rate  of  thirteen  and  a-half  miles  an 
hour  Four  features  introduced  into  the  "Novel- 
ty "  by  Ericsson  are  retained  in  the  locomotive  of 
the  present  day.  In  1829,  also,  he  invented  a  steam 
fire  engine,  which  excited  great  interest  in  London, 
and  for  which  he  afterwards  received  (in  1840)  the 
great  gold  medal  of  the  Mechanics'  Institute  at  New 
York.  But  by  far  the  most  important  invention  to 
which  Ericsson  laid  claim,  and  which,  according  to 
the  present  accessible  testimony  must  be  justly  as-, 
signed  to  him,  is  that  of  the  screw  propeller.  Eng- 
land, France,  Germany  and  Sweden  all  contend  for 
their  own  inventions,  and  even  China  asserts  prior- 
ity :  nevertheless  it  may  be  safely  said  that  Erics- 
son's claim  to  the  invention  stands  on  a  firmer  foun- 
dation than  any  other.  He  patented  his  new  pro- 
peller, which  revolutionized  navigation:  and  his 
first  boat,  the  "F.  B.  Ogden,"  wTas  propelled  on  the 
Thames  in  1836,  at  the  rate  of  ten  miles  an 
hour.  In  1837  he  built  a  vessel  having  twin  screw 
propellers,  which  on  trial  towed  the  American 
packet  ship  "  Toronto"  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an 
hour  on  the  river  Thames.    Subsequently  the  ad- 


I  miralty  barge,  bearing  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty, 

|  was  towed  at  the  rate  of  nine  and  one-half  miles  an 
hour :  but  the  endeavor  to  convince  them  of  the 
practicability  of  the  new  device  was  a  failure,  since 
they  thought  that  as  the  power  must  be  applied 
from  the  stern  the  vessel  would  not  steer.  Captain 
R.  F.  Stockton,  then  in  Loudon,  and  a  friend  and 
relative  of  John  T.  Stevens,  of  Hoboken,  was  so  sat- 
isfied with  Ericsson's  success  that,  in  1838,  he  en- 
gaged him  to  construct  a  vessel  for  the  Delaware 
and  Raritan  Canal.    This  boat,  named  after  Captain 

|  Stockton,  was  sent  from  Liverpool  to  New  York 
under  sail  in  the  spring  of  1839,  her  machinery  be- 
ing stowed  in  her  hold.  Her  name  was  changed  by 
Act  of  Congress  to  the  "  New  Jersey,"  and  she  was 
employed  as. a  tow-boat  on  the  river  Delaware  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  At  this  time  Ericsson  was 
superintending  the  engineering  of  the  Eastern 
Counties  Railway  in  London ;  but,  urged  by  Com- 
modore Stockton,  he  resigned  his  position  and  came 
to  the  United  States,  in  November,  1839.  Soon  af- 
ter his  arrival  his  remarkable  abilities  were  recog- 
nized by  the  Government,  and,  in  1841,  under  or- 
ders from  the  United  States  Navy  Department,  he 
furnished  designs  for  the  screw  war-ship  "  Prince- 
ton"— the  first  vessel  having  her  propelling  ma- 
chinery below  the  water  line  and  out  of  reach  of 
hostile  shot.  This  vessel  dictated  the  reconstruc- 
tion of  the  navies  of  the  world ;  and  besides  its 
screw  propeller,  it  was  remarkable  for  numerous 
mechanical  novelties  devised  by  Ericsson, — suchas  a 
telescopic  wrought-iron  gun  carriage,  and  an  opti- 
cal instrument  to  enable  the  commanding  officer 
when  making  an  inspection  to  ascertain  accurately 
the  distance  of  the  object  to  be  aimed  at.  The 
"  Princeton  "  is  correctly  regarded  as  the  pioneer  of 
modern  naval  construction,  also  as  the  foundation  of 
the  steam  marine  of  the  world.  This  was  the  vessel 

I  on  which  the  "  Peacemaker"  gun  burst  in  1844,  kill- 
ing, among  others,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
Meanwhile,  the  first  French  screw  line-of-battle 
ship  was  launched,  also  the  first  screw  vessels  of 

J  the  British  navy,  the  "  Dw  arf  "  and  the  "  Rattler." 
Prior  to  1843  numerous  propeller  vessels  were  built 
and  furnished  with  engines  by  Ericsson  for  carry- 
ing freight  on  the  rivers  and  inland  waters  of  the 
United  States,  and  his  propellers  were  in  successful 
application  to  more  than  sixty  vessels  in  this  coun- 
try before  a  single  attempt  was  made  to  evade  his 
patent.  In  1851,  in  the  United  States  division  of 
the  World's  Fair,  held  in  London,  Ericsson  exhibi- 

i  ted  several  of  his  inventions — the  hydrostatic 
gauge,  for  measuring  the  volume  of  fluids  under 
pressure;  the  alarm  barometer ;  the  deep  sea  lead, 

|  contrived  for  taking  soundings  at  sea  without  stop- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ping  the  vessel's  way ;  and  others.  For  these  ex- 
hibits Ericsson  was  awarded  the  prize  medal  of  the 
exhibition.  Ericsson's  pet  invention  was  the  Caloric 
Engine,  which  was  realized  as  early  as  1833,  and 
was  hailed  with  astonishment  by  the  scientific 
world  of  London.  Lectures  were  delivered  on  it 
by  Dr.  Dionysius  Larduer  and  Michael  Faraday.  A 
working  engine  of  rive  horse-power  was  bnilt,  but  it 
was  unsuccessful,  owing  to  the  high  temperature 
required,  which  actually  destroyed  the  valves  and 
other  parts  by  oxidation.  In  1853  the  Caloric  ship 
"  Ericsson,"  of  2,000  tons,  was  propelled  by  a 
motor  on  the  same  principle.  A  sea  trial  from  New 
York  to  Washington  established  great  economy  in 
fuel,  but  at  a  speed  too  slow  to  compete  with  steam. 
For  several  years  thereafter  Ericsson  devoted  him- 
self to  the  improvement  of  a  stationary  Caloric  en- 
gine and  its  application  to  high  mechanical  pur- 
poses, and  more  than  six  thousand  of  such  engines 
have  been  built  up  to  1887,  hundreds  being  em- 
ployed in  New  York  City  in  pumping  water  into 
private  dwellings.  In  1802  the  American  Academy 
of  Arts  and  Sciences  awarded  the  gold  and  silver 
Kumford  medals  to  Ericsson  "for  his  improve- 
ments in  the  management  of  heat,  particularly  as 
shown  in  his  Caloric  engine  of  1858."  Previous  to 
1836  Ericsson  conceived  the  idea  which  was  put  in 
practical  shape  when,  in  1854,  he  presented  to  Em- 
peror Napoleon  III.  plans  of  a  partially  submerged  ! 
armored  vessel,  with  guns  in  a  revolving  shot-proof 
cupola  placed  centrally  on  the  deck.  This  was  the 
first  suggestion  of  the  "  Monitor,"  which  was  de- 
signed and  built  by  him  in  Greenpoint,  New  York, 
in  1861,  for  the  United  States  Government,  under 
very  arbitrary  conditions.  The  calculations  and 
working  plans  were  made,  and  the  ''Monitor" 
launched  with  steam  machinery  complete,  within 
one  hundred  days  from  the  laying  of  the  keel.  She  ; 
arrived  in  Hampton  Roads  just  in  time  to  defeat, 
on  March  9,  1862,  the  Confederate  ironclad  "  Mer- 
rimack," which  on  the  day  preceding  had  destroyed 
the  "  Cumberland  "  and  "Congress,"  and  was  about 
to  sink  or  disperse  the  rest  of  the  Government's 
wooden  fleet.  But  for  the  victory  of  the  "Moni- 
tor "  the  result  of  the  war  might  have  been  changed 
and  European  interference  attempted.  Other  iron- 
clad vessels  of  the  "  Monitor  "  type  were  built  with 
extraordinary  rapidity  after  the  victory  at  Hamp- 
ton Roads.  Six  of  them,  in  Charleston  harbor  with- 
in fifty-two  days,  were  struck  by  hostile  shots  an 
aggregate  of  six  hundred  and  twenty-nine  times 
without  one  of  them  injuring  their  side  armor,  tur- 
rets or  pilot-houses.  The  "  Weehawken  "  defeated 
and  captured  the  Confederate  ram  "Atlanta;"  and 
the  "  Montauk  "  destroyed  the  "  Nashville."  In  1864 


the  "Monitor,"  captured  the  ram  "Tennessee." 
Russia,  Sweden,  Norway  and  Turkey  then  adopted 
the  American  turret  system;  and  when  the  "  Mian- 
tonomoh  "  crossed  the  ocean,  even  the  British  con- 
struction yielded  and  carried  it  out  on  a  far  larger 
plan.  In  1864  Ericsson  constructed  for  the  Spanish 
government  a  fleet  of  thirty  steam  gun-boats,  which 
was  intended  to  guard  Cuba  from  filibustering  par- 
ties. In  1881  he  devised  his  latest  war  vessel,  the 
"  Destroyer."  This  was  an  iron  boat  with  the  hull 
almost  entirely  submerged.  Upon  this  hull,  placed 
well  aft,  was  a  deck-house  of  iron.  The  hull  was 
one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  long,  twelve  wide  and 
eleven  deep.  It  was  a  double-ender  and  propelled 
by  an  engine  of  1,000  horse-power.  The  steering 
apparatus,  the  gun,  and,  in  fact,  all  of  her  effective 
appointments  were  below  the  water  level.  The 
armament  consisted  of  a  single  gun,  which  was 
just  above  the  keelson  in  the  forward  part  of  the 
boat,  its  muzzle  opening  directly  into  the  water.  It 
was  sixteen  inches  calibre,  and  discharged  three 
hundred  pounds  of  gun  cotton  in  a  one  thousand 
five  hundred  pound  projectile,  which  could  be  di- 
rected against  an  ironclad's  hull  beneath  the  water 
line.  One  of  Ericsson's  peculiar  inventions  was  his 
"  sun  motor,"  which  was  erected  at  New  York  in 
1883,  and  winch  succeeded  in  developing  a  steady 
power  obtained  from  the  supply  of  mechanical  en- 
ergy stored  up  in  the  sun's  rays.  This  solar  engine 
was  worked  by  using  a  lens  to  concentrate  the  di- 
rect rays  of  the  sun;  but  it  was  not  found  .to  be- 
practical.  Ericsson  contributed  numerous  papers 
on  scientific,  naval  and  mechanical  subjects  to  vari- 
ous journals  in  America  and  Europe.  Many  honors 
were  bestowed  upon  him.  Besides  various  Swedish 
orders  and  decorations,  he  was  a  Knight  Commander 
of  Loyal  Orders  in  Denmark  ami  Spain,  and  he  re- 
ceived the  Grand  Cross  of  naval  merit  from  the  late 
King  Alphonso  of  Spain,  and  a  special  gold  medal 
senl  by  the  Emperor  of  Austria  for  advancing  naval 
science.  He  also  received  the  thanks  of  Congress. 
He  was  a  member  of  various  scientific  institutions 
in  Europe  and  America.  Wesleyan  University  gave 
him  the  degree  of  LL.D.,  in  1862.  In  1867  a  huge 
monument,  quarried  from  one  piece  from  a  neigh- 
boring granite  mine,  was  set  up  in  his  birthplace, 
bearing  the  inscription  in  the  Swedish  language  : 

JOHN  ERICSSON 
was  born  here 
31st  of  July,  1803. 

This  was  in  addition  to  the  memorial  monument 
and  inscription  already  described.  For  over  a 
quarter  of  a  centurj'  Ericsson  lived  in  the  house  in 
which  he  died,  No.  36  Beach  Street,  New  York, — a 
plain,  old-fashioned  building.    He  was  a  widower 


164 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


and  childless.  For  a  long  time  prior  to  his  death 
lie  had  been  gradually  sinking  under  an  attack  of 
Brisiht's  disease  of  the  kidneys,  but  it  was  not  until 
a  week  before  his  end  that  he  permitted  medical 
service  to  be  employed.  His  last  words  are  said  to 
have  been  :    "  Have  I,  then,  got  to  die  ?" 


EDISON,  THOMAS  ALVA,  was  born  on  the  11th 
of  February,  1847,  at  Milan,  Erie  County,  Ohio, 
which  at  that  time  was  a  flourishing  town 
numbering  several  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  sit- 
uated at  the  head  of  the  Milan  Canal,  four  miles 
from  Lake  Erie,  and  its  decline  subsequent  to  the 
birth  of  Edison  is  attributed  to  the  building  of  the 
Lake  Shore  Railroad  and  the  consequent  falling  off 
of  the  canal  traffic,  which  compelled  the  parents  of 
young  Edison  to  seek  a  living  elsewhere,  and  they 
settled  themselves  at  Port  Huron,  Michigan.  Sam- 
uel Edison,  the  father  of  Thomas  Alva  Edison,  is  a 
man  of  Dutch  descent,  whose  pedigree  can  be 
traced  for  several  centuries.  In  1730  some  of  the 
family  emigrated  to  America,  and  the  grandfather 
of  Samuel  Edison  was  one  of  the  leading  bankers 
on  Manhattan  Island  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution. 
This  family  is  notable  for  the  longevity  of  its  mem- 
bers. Samuel  Edison,  who  has  already  reached  the 
ripe  old  age  of  87  years,  is  hale  and  hearty,  and  his 
grandfather  and  great-grandfather  attained,  respec- 
tively, the  ages  of  102  and  103  years.  The  mother 
of  Thomas  Alva  Edison,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Elliott,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  of 
Scotch  parentage.  She  had  the  benefit  of  a  good 
education  and  taught  her  son,  Thomas  Alva,  the 
rudiments  of  learning — in  fact,  he  derived  his  edu- 
cation from  the  lessons  of  this  admirable  woman, 
for  lie  was  not  at  a  regular  school  for  more  than 
two  months  together.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
young  Edison  had  read  through  Gibbon's  "Decline 
and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,"  Smiles'  "History 
of  the  World,"  and  Hume's  "  History  of  England" 
and  "  History  of  the  Reformation,"  and  a  number 
of  treatises  on  scientific  subjects.  It  was  at  about 
this  period  that  he  commenced  his  career  as  a 
"  newsboy  "  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  running 
between  Port  Huron  and  Detroit,  an  employment 
which  would  have  been  sufficient  for  almost  any 
ordinary  boy.  Not  so,  however,  with  young  Edi- 
son. While  personally  engaged  in  supplying  trav- 
elers between  these  two  cities  with  the  news  of  the 
day,  and  edibles  of  various  degrees  of  indigesti- 
bility,  for  which,  owing  to  some  mysterious  reason, 
the  human  appetite  is  only  developed  on  a  moving 
train,  he  was  conducting  a  book  store,  a  vegetable 


store  and  a  news  stand  in  the  town  of  Port  Huron, 
each  of  these  being  a  separate  and  independent 
enterprise.  His  employes  numbered  eleven  boys. 
The  supplies  for  his  vegetable  store  were  brought 
by  him  from  Detroit  and  other  points  along  the  line 
of  railway,  and  he  secured  permanent  advantage 
over  his  competitors  by  carrying  his  freight  in  the 
United  States  mail  car,  where  his  friendly  relations 
with  the  mail  clerk  secured  him  freedom  from 
transportation  charges.  He  was  now  obliged  to 
spend  a  portion  of  his  time  in  the  city  of  Detroit, 
and  having  no  commercial  interests  there  to  oc- 
cupy his  time,  he  set  himself  the  ambitious  task  of 
reading  through  the  Detroit  Free  Library.  The 
largest  shelves  were  at  the  bottom  and  contained 
the  largest  books.  Commencing  at  the  left,  hand 
corner  of  the  first  row  he  went  systematically  to 
work.  The  Penny  Encyclopedia  gradually  yielded 
up  the  knowledge  stored  within  its  pages,  as  vol- 
ume after  volume  was  taken  out,  perused  and  re- 
placed by  this  energetic  youth.  Burton's  "Anat- 
omy of  Melancholy,"  said  to  be  the  prime  favorite 
of  Samuel  Johnson,  and  the  only  book  which  se- 
duced him  from  his  pillow  earlier  than  usual,  fol- 
lowed, and  was  succeeded  by  Ure's  "  Dictionary  of 
the  Sciences."  Then  came  Newton's  "  Principia," 
and  here  he  formed  his  first  opinion  in  regard  to 
mathematics,  which  has  not  been  materially  altered 
to  this  day.  He  read  diligently  through  the  work, 
understanding  an  occasional  portion  of  it,  until  fi- 
nally he  sought  assistance,  applying  to  a  baggage 
master  on  the  train  for  an  explanation  of  one  of  the 
problems.  "This  man,"  says  Edison,  "explained 
the  problem  to  me  by  the  use  of  very  simple  lan- 
guage and  without  the  employment  of  mathematics. 
I  at  once  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Newton  could 
have  dispensed  his  knowledge  in  a  much  wider 
field  had  he  known  less  about  figures.  It  gave  me 
a  distaste  for  mathematics  from  which  I  have  never 
recovered.  If  I  were  asked  to  explain  the  phono- 
graph to  one  unfamiliar  with  it,  I  would  not  dis- 
play all  the  tools  and  machinery  which  are  used  in 
making  the  instrument.  I  look  iipon  figures  as 
mathematical  tools  which  are  employed  to  carve 
out  the  logical  result  of  reasoning,  but  I  do  not  con- 
sider them  necessary  to  assist  one  to  an  intelligent 
understanding  of  this  result."  Early  in  the  jTear 
1862,  while  still  engaged  in  the  various  occupations 
already  referred  to,  Edison  turned  his  attention  to 
journalism.  A  freight  car  attached  to  the  train  in 
question  had  been  altered  for  transporting  baggage 
and  for  the  accommodation  of  smokers,  but  being 
deficient  in  those  comforts  which  lovers  of  the  weed 
demand,  this  portion  of  the  car  was  seldom  occupied, 
and  Edison  proceeded  to  appropriate  it  to  his  own 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


I65 


use.  The  Detroit  Free  Press,  one  of  the  leading  news- 
papers of  that  city,  was  about  to  effect  a  change  of 
dress,  and  Edison  negotiated  with  the  manager  for 
the  supplies  required  to  rill  his  fonts  and  also  for  a 
number  of  stereotypes  such  as  are  used  to  make  up 
what,  in  technical  journalistic  language,  are  called 
"Patent  Insides."  These  he  transferred  to  his 
"den  "  in  the  baggage  car,  and  proceeded  to  issue 
The  Grand  Trunk  Herald.  He  combined  in  his 
own  person,  proprietor,  editor,  reporter,  typesetter, 
"devil  "and  vendor.  The  columns  of  the  paper 
were  devoted  to  local  news  along  the  railroad  and 
train  gossip  interesting  to  employees  of  the  line. 
The  subscribers  numbered  over  four  hundred  and 
the  paper  ran  through  about  forty  numbers.  Para- 
graphs from  this  journal  were  quoted  in  the  London 
Times,  and  the  celebrated  engineer,  George  Steph- 
enson, as  he  was  traveling  on  -the  train,  once 
bought  a  copy  and  took  occasion  to  compliment 
young  Edison  for  his  enterprise.  It  remains  to-day 
the  first  and  only  newspaper  ever  published  on  a 
railway  train.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  this 
journal  had  a  contemporary  under  the  same  man- 
agement, but  published  under  somewhat  different 
circumstances.  Edison  had  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  "devil"  in  the  office  of  the  Port  Huron 
Oommeroial.  During  the  day  these  two  youths 
collected  news  of  a  somewhat  persoual  nature  rela- 
tive to  their  acquaintances,  and  repairing  at  night 
to  the  Commercial  office,  they  set  in  type  the  re- 
sult of  their  investigations,  which  appeared  the 
next  morning  on  a  sheet  called  Paul  Pry. 
For  months  this  paper  continued  to  be  circulated. 
No  one  knew  where  it  came  from  or  who  was  re- 
sponsible for  its  issue.  Eventually,  however,  a 
young  man  who  had  been  treated  to  a  somewhat 
severe  notice  in  its  columns,  discovered  the  author, 
and  expressed  his  appreciation  by  throwing  young 
Edison  into  Lake  Huron.  After  this  Paul  Pry 
was  discontinued.  Edison's  "  sanctum"  in  the  bag- 
gage car  was  also  used  by  him  as  a  chemical  labora- 
tory, and  passengers  used  frequently  to  come  and 
watch  him  analyze  the  various  liquids  and  sub- 
stances which  he  was  investigating.  On  one  unfor- 
tunate day  when  engaged  in  some  experiments  he 
upset  a  phosphorus  bottle  and  set  the  car  on  fire,  in 
consequence  of  which  he  was  summarily  ejected. 
An  incident  occurred  during  Edison's  career  as  a 
newsboy  which  graphically  illustrates  his  foresight 
and  enterprise.  It  was  customary  at  the  various  sta- 
tions along  the  line  to  hang  out  a  blackboard  which 
was  intended  to  display  the  anticipated  time  of  ar- 
rival of  the  different  trains,  but  was  seldom  if  ever 
used  for  this  purpose.  Edison  saw  where  he  could 
make  use  of  this  vacant  space.    By  agreeing  to  de- 


liver a  daily  paper  and  two  or  three  monthly  jour- 
nals for  the  term  of  one  year  he  subsidized  the  op- 
erator at  Detroit,  and  arranged  for  an  outline  of  the 
news  of  the  day  to  be  telegraphed  ahead  to  the  dif- 
ferent stations,  where  the  operators,  for  a  like  con-» 
sideration,  bulletined  the  news  upon  the  black- 
boards. The  war  between  the  Northern  and  South- 
ern States  was  at  this  time  in  progress,  and  just 
about  this  date  was  fought  the  battle  of  Pitts- 
burg Landing.  The  papers  came  out  with  double 
leaded  headings  a  column  and  a  half  in  length,  and 
announced  fifty  thousand  men  killed  and  wounded. 
Excitement  in  Detroit  reached  fever  pitch,  and 
Edison,  quick  to  take  advantage  of  any  circum- 
stance, saw  here  an  opportunity  to  reap  a  golden 
harvest.  His  usual  custom  was  to  buy  one  hundred 
and  fifty  papers,  which  were  ready  for  him  in  the 
press  room  each  day  about  half  an  hour  before  the 
train  on  which  he  worked  was  due  to  leave,  and  he 
i  had  only  sufficient  money  to  purchase  that  number. 
He  had  but  little  time  to  formulate  a  scheme  to  se- 
cure a  large  edition,  but  he  proved  himself  equal  to 
the  occasion.  Hurrying  to  the  telegraph  office,  he 
sent  out  paragraphs  for  his  bulletins.  He  then 
went  to  the  engine  driver,  who  agreed,  presumably 
for  a  consideration,  that  should  Edison  not  be  on 
hand  at  starting  time,  the  engine  would  be  out  of 
order  for  the  space  of  five  minutes.  These  prelimi- 
naries arranged,  young  Edison  rushed  off  to  the 
Detroit  Free-  Press  office,  and  sought  an  interview 
with  the  manager  and  editor,  Mr.  William  F.  Sto- 
rey, to  whom  he  confided  his  wants,  asking  to  be 
trusted  for  a  thousand  copies,  of  that  day's  issue. 
A  note  from  Mr.  Storey  to  the  manager  of  the  press 
room,  worded,  "Give  this  boy  a  thousand  papers" 
secured  the  coveted  edition,  and  Edison  marched 
triumphantly  back,  boarded  his  train  and  enlisted 
the  services  of  the  baggageman  and  brakeman  to 
help  him  "fold."  "At  Utica,"  he  says,  "the  first 
station  out  from  Detroit,  and  about  twelve  miles 
distant.  I  usually  sold  two  papers,  the  customary 
charge  being  five  cents  each.  As  we  approached 
the  station  on  this  day  I  put  my  head  outrto  look 
forward  and  thought  I  saw  an  excursion  party. 
I  had  a  half  dozen  papers  in  my  hand.  As  we  came 
nearer  and  the  people  caught  sight  of  me,  they 
commenced  to  gesticulate  and  shout  and  it  sud- 
denly occurred  to  me  that  they  wanted  papers. 
I  rushed  back  into  the  car,  grabbed  an  armful,  and 
when  I  got  upon  the  platform  I  sold  forty.  Mount 
Clemens  was  the  next  station.  When  it  came  in 
sight  I  thought  there  was  a  riot.  The  platform  was 
crowded  with  a  howling  mob,  and  when  the  tones 
became  intelligible  I  realized  that  they  were  after 
news  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  so  I  raised  the  price  of 


1 66 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


papers  to  ten  cents  and  sold  a  hundred  and  fifty 
where  I  had  never  before  disposed  of  more  than  a 
dozen.  As  other  stations  were  reached  these  scenes 
were  repeated,  but  the  climax  came  when  we 
got  to  Port  Huron.  The  station  there  was  a  mile 
from  the  town.  When  the  train  stopped  I  shoul- 
dered my  bundle  and  started  for  the  city.  When  I 
had  got  less  than  half  way  I  met  a  crowd  hurrying 
towards  the  station.  I  thought  I  knew  what  they 
were  after,  so  I  stopped  in  front  of  a  church,  where 
a  prayer  meeting  was  being  held,  raised  the  price 
to  twenty-five  cents  per  copy  and  commenced  to 
take  in  a  young  fortune.  In  two  minutes  the  prayer- 
meeting  was  adjourned,  the  members  came  rushing 
out  and  if  the  way  coin  was  produced  is  any  indi- 
cation, I  should  say  that  the  deacons  hadn't  passed 
the  plate  before  I  came  along."  He  now  turned  his 
attention  to  telegraphy  in  the  following  manner: 
Standing  on  the  platform  of  Mount  Clemens  station, 
he  saw  the  son  of  the  station-master,  a  child  of  three 
years,  in  danger  of  being  run  down  by  an  approach- 
ing train.  Springing  to  his  assistance,  Edison  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  boy  off  the  track  a  few  seconds 
before  he  would  have  been  crashed  beneath  the 
wheels  of  the  locomotive.  The  child's  father  out  of 
gratitude  offered  to  teach  Edison  telegraphy,  and 
here  his  career  as  an  operator  commenced.  He  rapid- 
ly acquired  the  art  and  as  rapidly  turned  it  to  profit- 
able account.  The  telegraph  office  was  some  dis- 
tance from  the  town.  Edison  strung  a  wire  from 
the  station  to  a  drug  store,  equipped  it  with  instru- 
ments, placed  an  assistant  at  the  other  end,  and 
received  ten  cents  for  each  message  which  he  re- 
peated over  his  private  line,  which  was,  however, 
in  a  few  months  sacrificed  to  "  corporation  greed," 
as  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  noting 
the  profitable  business  which  Edison  was  building 
up,  ran  one  of  their  own  wires  to  the  town.  From 
Mount  Clemens  Edison  went  to  Port  Huron.  The 
operator  in  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  office  had 
gone  to  the  war,  and  Edison  was  engaged  to  take  his 
place  at  a  salary  of  twenty  dollars  per  month.  The 
office  -was  in  a  jeweler's  store  and  through  it 
passed  one  of  the  trunk  wires  between  Buffalo  and 
Detroit,  over  which  were  sent  specials  and  reports 
of  various  kinds  for  the  press  of  the  latter  city.  It 
was  announced  one  afternoon  that  a  message  from 
the  President  of  the  United  States  to  Congress  was 
to  be  transmitted,  and  newspaper  men  and  others 
were  anxious  to  learn  the  text.  The  proprietor  of 
the  jeweler's  store,  who  was  also  the  Western 
Union  agent,  was  offered  sixty  dollars  if  he  could 
obtain  this  record,  and  he  in  turn  offered  Edison 
twenty  dollars  if  he  would  receive  it.  Edison 
agreed,  and  for  several  hours  while  the  message 


I  was  being  transmitted  lie  sat  in  front  of  the  instru- 
ment and  made  copy,  which  the  agent  read  as  it 
came  to  an  interested  gathering.  When  the  task 
was  ended  and  Edison  asked  for  the  promised 

j  twenty  dollars,  he  found  out  what  risk  is  sometimes 
incurred  in  performing  a  service  upon  the  promise 
of  reward.    This  agent  desired  to  apprentice  Edi- 

i  son  for  a  term  of  three  years,  but  the  boy's  father 
would  not  permit  it,  and  he  gave  up  his  employ- 
ment in  the  jeweler's  store.  His  next  engagement 
was  at  Stratford,  Canada,  as  night  operator  on  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railway.  Everything  ran  along 
smoothly  enough  until  one  night  he  received  in- 
structions by  telegraph  to  hold  a  certain  train  for 
orders.  The  rule  was  that  when  an  operator  re- 
ceived instructions  of  this  nature  he  should  imme- 
diately set  out  his  signal  to  stop  the  train,  and  then 
reply  to  the  train  dispatcher.  Edison  replied  before 
signalling  and  when  he  reached  the  platform  the 
train  had  passed.  He  could  see  the  lights  on  its 
rear  end  in  the  distance.  At  the  bottom  of  the  sta- 
tion yard  was  a  freight  depot  where  trains  some- 
times stopped.  He  hoped  this  train  would  stop 
there  and  ran  down  the  track  to  hold  it  should  it 
do  so,  but  had  only  taken  a  few  steps  when  he  fell 
into  a  culvert,  cutting  and  bruising  himself  severely. 
By  this  time  the  train  was  out  of  sight.  He  re- 
turned to  the  telegraph  office  and  informed  the  dis- 
patcher of  his  mishap.  The  latter  quickly  called 
up  another  office  and  asked  if  a  certain  train  had 
left.  The  reply  came  that  it  had.  "  Then,"  said 
the  dispatcher,  "there's  going  to  be  a  collision." 
There  was  nothing  to  do  but  await  the  result.  It 
came,  but  was  not  as  serious  as  it  might  well  have 
been,  the  drivers  of  the  respective  engines  having 
seen  each  other  in  time  to  prevent  disaster.  For 
this  Edison  was  summoned  to  Toronto  to  appear 
before  the  General  Manager,  Mr.  W.  J.  Spicer,  who 
was  noted  for  his  severity  of  manner.  "  Young 
man"  said  Mr.  Spicer,  "  this  offence  of  yours  is  a 
very  serious  one  and  I  think  I  shall  make  an  exam- 
ple of  you.  I  can  send  you  to  the  penitentiary  for 
five  years,  and — "  "Just  at  this  moment,"  says  Edi- 
son, "  two  English  swells  came  in,  and  Mr.  Spicer, 
now  all  affability,  rose  to  greet  them.  They  engaged 
him  in  conversation  and  as  I  couldn't  see  that  they 
really  needed  me  around  there,  I  slipped  quietly 
out  of  the  door  and  made  for  the  freight  depot 
where  I  found  a  train  about  to  start  for  Sarnia. 
I  knew  the  conductor,  told  him  I  had  been  down  in 
Toronto  on  a  little  holiday  excursion  and  said  I'd 
like  to  take  a  run  up  the  line  with  him  as  far  as 
Sarnia.  He  told  me  to  jump  aboard  and  I  wasn't 
long  in  getting  out  of  sight,  but  my  pulse  didn't  get 
down  to  normal  work  until  the  ferry-boat  between 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


167 


Sarnia  and  Port  Huron  had  lauded  me  iu  the  latter 
town.  I  haven't  been  in  Toronto  since  that  time." 
Edison's  next  employment  was  at  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  but  was  of  short  duration.  The  manager 
of  the  telegraph  office  had  a  friend  whom  he  de- 
sired to  place  in  Edison's  position  and  the  latter  was 
discharged,  and  proceeded  to  Indianapolis  in  the  > 
same  State.  He  was  now  becoming  very  proficient 
in  the  art  of  telegraphy,  and  like  all  ambitious 
operators,  aspired  to  taking  "  report,"  which,  be- 
sides requiring  a  higher  order  of  skill  than  the  hand- 
ling of  ordinary  despatches,  was  also  more  remuner- 
ative. His  regular  work  necessitated  his  presence 
at  his  desk  during  the  hours  of  the  day  only,  but  his 
industry  and  his  desire  to  succeed  were  so  great 
that  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  often  found  him 
seated  before  a  set  of  instruments  as  busily  engaged 
as  any  of  the  regular  night  staff.  The  all-absorbing 
question  which  occupied  his  mind  was  how  he 
could  obtain  control  of  a  report  wire  and  insure  suc- 
cess in  working  it,  and  at  last  he  hit  upon  a  scheme 
which  was,  to  say  the  least,  ingenious.  It  was 
necessary  for  him  to  have  a  confederate,  whom  he 
found  in  the  person  of  a  fellow  operator,  who,  like 
himself,  aspired  to  greater  deeds,  and  together  they 
commenced  to  mature  their  plans.  In  those  days 
there  could  be  found  in  every  telegraph  office  an 
instrument  which  is  now  somewhat  obsolete — the 
old  tape  recorder — a  machine  which  impressed  the 
dots  and  dashes  on  a  continuous  strip  of  paper  to  be 
subsequently  read  by  the  eye.  One  of  these  was 
put  in  circuit  on  the  report  wire  and  another  of  the 
same  instruments  was  set  up  alongside  it.  The  tape, 
after  passing  through  the  first  machine  and  record- 
ing the  indentations  made  by  the  lever  point,  was 
run  through  the  second  instrument,  which  was  so 
arranged  that  when  its  lever  point  passed  over  these 
indentations  it  opened  the  circuit  of  a  sounder, 
which  closed  again  as  soon  as  the  indentation  had 
passed,  the  result  being  that  the  first  recorder  would 
receive  its  impressions  at  the  rate  of  forty  words  a 
minute,  but  by  feeding  the  tape  more  slowly  into  the 
second  machine  the  speed  could  be  reduced  to  a 
point  where  these  young  men  could  make  their  copy 
with  accuracy  and  safety.  These  preliminaries  be- 
ing satisfactorily  arranged,  the  conspirators  applied 
for  permission  to  take  report,  the  manager  agreeing 
to  give  them  a  trial.  An  examination  of  their  work 
next  morning  proved  its  excellence.  The  copy  was  1 
perfect  and  the  manager  delighted.  For  several 
weeks  they  continued  to  furnish  "copper-plate" 
transcriptions.  The  "  sending  "  operator  was  ques- 
tioned as  to  whether  he  was  interrupted  very  fre- 
quently by  the  Indianapolis  office,  and  he  replied 
that  Indianapolis  never  "broke"  line — and  in  truth 


they  did  not,  for  they  had  no  need  of  doing  so.  It 
mattered  not  how  fast  the  dots  and  dashes  came  in, 
their  "  receiving  operator"  had  a  capacity  for  record- 
ing that  no  human  operator  ever  had.  The  tape 
was  fed  into  a  basket,  where  it  was  sometimes  al- 
lowed to  accumulate  while  a  lunch  was  being  par- 
taken of  by  these  hard  worked  young  men,  for  it 
was  only  necessary  that  their  copy  should  be  sent  to 
the  different  newspaper  offices  in  good  season  to  be 
distributed  and  set  in  type  for  the  next  morning's 
issue,  thus  giving  them  an  opportunity  to  finish  their 
work  of  copying  from  their  "automatic  repeater," 
after  the  despatches  had  been  concluded  on  the  main 
line.  But  one  night  there  came  a  longer  report  than 
usual  and  when  the  "receiver"  had  finished  its 
work  and  "good  night "  was  given  on  the  main  line, 
the  hour  had  arrived  when  the  copy  was  due  in  the 
newspaper  offices  of  Indianapolis.  Of  course  these 
young  men  were  still  several  hundred  words  behind 
and  when  at  last  they  completed  their  work  they 
had  succeeded  in  causing  serious  delay  in  several 
newspaper  offices  which  resulted  in  a  number  of 
complaints  being  laid  before  the  manager  of  the  tele- 
graph office,  who  commenced  an  investigation,  and 
the  next  night  walked  into  the  operating  room  and 
discovered  the  scheme  of  which  he  had  been,  in  part 
at  least,  a  victim.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  he  at 
once  suppressed  it.  It  was  during  his  engagement 
at  this  place  that  Edison  made  his  first  experiments 
with  a  repeater,  between  Indianapolis  and  Cincin- 
nati. From  Indianapolis  Edison  went  to  Cincinnati, 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  day  operator  at  a  salary 
of  #60  per  month,  working  also  at  night  whenever 
he  could  obtain  permission  to  do  so.  The  "Tele- 
graphers' Union,"  with  headquarters  at  Cleveland, 
was  at  this  time  in  process  of  formation,  and  a  dele- 
gation was  sent  one  day  to  organize  a  branch  at 
Cincinnati.  The  fraternal  feeling  which  exists 
amongst  members  of  the  telegraphic  profession  is 
proverbial,  and  when  any  number  of  them  come  to- 
gether, it  is  considered  that  the  signal  has  been  given 
for  a  "good  time."  This  perhaps  accounts  for  the 
fact  that  when  Edison  went  to  the  telegraph  office 
on  the  night  of  the  day  in  question  he  found  no  one 
there  but  the  office  boy.  "Report"  was  being 
called  on  the  Cleveland  wire,  but  the  operator 
whose  duty  it  was  to  answer  for  Cincinnati  was  pre- 
sumably assisting  in  the  preliminaries  of  a  branch 
organization  of  the  Telegraphers'  Union.  For  an 
hour  Edison  listened  to  the  fruitless  efforts  of  the 
Cleveland  operator,  the  while  making  up  his  mind 
to  turn  in  and  take  the  report  himself  should  no  one 
else  arrive.  No  one  came  and  Edison  finally  went 
to  work  and  succeeded  far  beyond  his  own  expecta- 
tions.  At  eight  the  next  morning  he  was  at  his  own 


« 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


desk,  intending  to  say  nothing  of  the  event  of  the 
night  before,  but  the  office  boy  informed  the  man- 
ager of  what  had  transpired.  Edison  was  ques- 
tioned and  his  report  examined.  There  was  no 
denying  the  evidence  of  the  latter.  The  operator  at 
Cleveland  was  interrogated  about,  "breaks"  and 
gave  a  good  account  of  Edison's  work,  the  result 
being  that  the  latter,  greatly  to  his  surprise,  was 
placed  in  charge  of  a  wire  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
over  which  passed  all  the  reports  from  the  South, 
and  his  salary  doubled.  In  the  year  18C4,  which  we 
now  reach,  Edison,  to  improve  his  position,  removed 
to  Memphis,  Tennessee.  The  telegraphers  were  un- 
der military  control  and  operators  received  ftlS.1)  per 
month  and  rations.  His  habits  were  still  those  of 
the  student  and  his  investigations  and  experiments 
ceaseless.  All  the  money  he  could  spare — the 
greater  part  of  his  earnings— was  spent  for  material 
and  apparatus  to  carry  on  the  work  which  he  pur- 
sued with  a  ceaseless  energy  w  hich  was  not  out- 
wardly visible  in  the  pale  delicate  looking  boy  of 
seventeen  years,  whose  total  neglect  of  personal 
appearance  and  unassuming  manner  contributed 
towards  concealing  from  the  casual  observers  around 
him  the  genius  whieh^fias  since  made  his  name  a 
household  word  in  all  the  countries  of  the  earth. 
He  was  passionately  fond  of  Victor  Hugo's  works, 
in  particidar  "  Les  Miserables,"  which  procured  for 
him  among  his  associates  the  nicknames  of  "  Victor" 
and  "Hugo."  His  courage,  too,  must  have  been 
great,  for  most  of  his  misfortune  came  as  the  direct 
result  of  Ins  experiments.  His  evil  (?)  genius  did 
not  desert  him  here,  but  followed  him  as  relentlessly 
as  it  had  in  the  past.  The  manager  of  the  office  was 
at  work  on  a  repeater  which  he  hoped  soon  to  per- 
fect. Edison  started  in  with  the  same  object  and 
was  first  to  succeed.  He  brought  his  instruments 
to  the  office  one  evening  and  for  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  telegraphy  New  York  and  New  Orleans 
were  placed  in  direct  communication  with  each 
other.  A  description  of  Edison's  instrument  was 
published  and  the  manager  of  the  Memphis  office, 
instigated  by  jealousy,  trumped  up  a  charge  against 
his  successful  rival  and  dismissed  him.  This  was 
an  awkward  catastrophe,  as  Edison  found  himself 
destitute  of  resources  and  in  debt.  His  desire  was 
to  reach  Louisville,  Kentucky.  He  obtained  free 
transportation  to  Decatur,  Alabama,  from  which 
point  he  walked  the  entire  distance  of  one  hundred 
miles  to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  he  again  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  assistance  in  the  shape  of  trans- 
portation to  Louisville.  At  six  o'clock  one  morning 
late  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  when  the  streets  of  Louis- 
ville were  covered  with  ice,  this  young  man  entered 
the  city.    The  soles  were  worn  off  his  shoes.  His 


clothing  consisted  of  the  lightest  kind  of  underwear, 
a  linen  duster  did  service  for  a  coat  and  a  straw  hat 
covered  his  head.  His  pockets  were  einpty  and  all 
his  worldly  effects  were  stowed  away  in  a  handker- 
chief, which,  at  least,  had  the  virtue  of  slight  encum- 
brance during  the  long  and  tedious  journey  he  had 
just  completed.  At  the  telegraph  office  he  found 
employment,  and  for  two  years  he  remained  in  the 
company's  service  at  this  place.  His  bedroom  was 
his  laboratory  and  his  engagement  in  Louisville 
would  have  been  of  longer  duration  had  he  confined 
his  experiments  to  this  room.  Unfortunately  he 
transferred  some  of  them  to  the  battery  room  in  the 
telegraph  building,  and  one  day  upset  a  bottle  of 
sulphuric  acid  on  the  floor.  The  water  which  he 
threw  over  it  to  dilute  it  and  lessen  its  burning  effect 
carried  it  down  between  the  boards,  where  it  dripped 
to  the  floor  of  the  manager's  room  below,  destroying 
the  carpet.  For  this  he  was  discharged.  Previous 
to  this  incident  he  had  become  smitten,  like  many 
others  of  his  class,  with  the  "  South  American 
fever."  It  was  rumored  that  operators  were  in  de- 
mand in  Brazil.  So  now,  in  company  with  two  of 
his  companions,  he  started  for  New  Orleans,  with 
the  intention  of  embarking  at  that  point;  but  on 
arrival  they  found  that  the  vessel  they  proposed  sail- 
ing in  had  left.  While  waiting  for  another  boat, 
Edison  came  in  contact  with  an  old  Spaniard  who 
had  visited  every  part  of  the  globe.  He  told  Edison 
there  was  no  country  he  had  seen  equal  to  America, 
that  her  climate,  people  and  form  of  government 
far  excelled  those  of  other  nations.  This  opinion 
decided  Edison  upon  remaining  in  his  native  land 
and  he  turned  his  steps  towards  Cincinnati,  where 
he  remained  for  a  year  and  a  half,  working  at  night 
on  "report."  His  companions  proceeded  to  South 
America  and  neither  of  them  has  been  heard  from 
since.  Tiring  of  work  in  the  Cincinnati  office  he 
returned  to  his  home  in  Port  Huron,  for  the  first 
time  in  many  years,  and  cast  about  to  find  other 
employment.  Amongst  others  he  wrote  to  a  friend 
\  in  Boston,  and  while  awaiting  a  response  he  hung 
about  the  office  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  Com- 
pany. This  company  had  a  wire  which  ran  from 
Detroit  to  Port  Huron,  and  thence  by  cable  beneath 
the  river,  to  Sarnia.  Another  wire  ran  from  Toronto 
to  Sarnia  and  the  authorities  desired  to  continue  the 
latter  to  Port  Huron  without  laying  a  second  cable. 
Edison  solved  the  problem,  using  the  same  cable  for 
both  circuits,  and  hearing  just  at  this  time  that  his 
friend  in  Boston  had  found  employment  for  him  he 
obtained  a  pass  to  that  city  as  a  reward  for  his 
work.  He  entered  'Boston  in  about  the  same 
condition  so  far  as  his  resources  and  personal 
appearance  were  concerned  as  afew  years  previously 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


169 


he  had  entered  Louisville.  The  telegraph  operators 
in  the  East  were  more  "fashionable"  than  their 
Western  brethren,  and  Edison's  appearance  when 
he  "entered  the  operating  room  was  the  cause  of 
much  merriment.  Of  course  the  first  thing  thought 
of  was  how  a  "rise  "  could  be  taken  out  of  the  new- 
man  who  had  the  audacity  to  announce  that  he  was 
capable  of  taking  "  report  "  from  the  fastest  opera- 
tors in  the  country — those  engaged  on  the  Boston 
and  New  York  wire.  In  the  New  York  office  an 
operator  named  Hutchinson  was  conceded  to  be  the 
most  rapid  sender  in  the  service  at  this  time,  and  he 
was  duly  informed  that  there  was  a  green  young 
man  at  the  Boston  end  whom  the  "  boys"  wished  to 
have  some  fun  with ;  that  they  were  going  to  have 
him  try  his  skill  on  Mr.  Hutchinson's  wire,  and  they 
requested  Mr.  Hutchinson  to  ''let  it  go"  in  his  best 
style.  These  preliminaries  had  not  escaped  Edison's 
attention,  but  of  this  he  gave  no  sign.  His  years  of 
work  upon  report  wires  had  made  him  very  skillful 
in  interpreting  the  combinations  of  dots  and  dashes, 
in  addition  to  which  he  had  experimented  with  the 
object  of  discovering  the  best  style  of  penmanship 
for  operators'  purposes.  He  had  settled  upon  a 
slight  backhand,  w  ith  regular  round  letters,  keeping 
them  apart  from  each  other  and  destitute  of  shadow  - 
ing, and  by  this  mode  was  able  to  produce  sixty-five 
words  a  minute — a  rate  fully  one-third  faster  than 
was  necessary  to  take  the  most  rapid  work  trans- 
mitted by  wire.  Indicating  his  readiness  to  begin, 
the  instrument  before  him  commenced  to  click,  and 
simultaneously  he  commenced  to  write.  Faster  and 
faster  it  came,  but  Edison's  ear  never  failed  him 
and  his  hand  went  quickly  to  and  fro  across  the 
paper,  his  writing  grow  ing  smaller  as  greater  speed 
was  required.  The  operators  who  stood  about 
gazed  in  wonderment,  and  the  New  York  man  com- 
menced to  get  desperate  and  abbreviate  his  words: 
but  Edison's  capacity  for  writing  gave  him  a  mar- 
gin, and  his  letters  only  got  smaller  as  he  readily 
filled  in  these  omissions  and  traced  line  after  line  on 
the  sheet  in  front  of  him.  Finally  when  he  thought 
the  joke  had  been  carried  far  enough,  he  opened  his 
key  and  quietly  inquired,  "Won't  you  please  send 
with  the  other  foot  ?  "  They  played  no  more  pranks 
of  that  kind  on  Edison,  who  was  placed  regularly 
at  work  on  the  wire  between  Boston  and  New  York. 
It  was  during  his  engagement  in  Boston  that  Edison 
took  out  his  first  patent,  which  was  for  a  chemical 
vote-recording  apparatus,  designed  for  use  in  legis- 
lative bodies.  By  means  of  this  device  the  "yea" 
or  "nay"  vote  of  each  member  was  instantly  re- 
corded at  the  Speaker's  desk,  where  an  indicator  in 
full  view  of  the  house  at  the  same  moment  displayed 
the  divided  result  of  the  total  vote  registered  in 


I  print.  Edison  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  and  con- 
siderable money  in  perfecting  this  apparatus,  w  hich 
he  subsequently  attempted  to  introduce  in  Congress. 
A  friend  was  sent  by  him  to  conduct  the  negotiations, 
and  when  he  returned  he  informed  Edison  that  the 
invention  was  a  "  dead  failure."  "But  that  is  im- 
possible," said  Edison.  "I  know  it  will  work." 
"  Yes,"  replied  his  friend,  "  that's  just  why  it's  a 
failure.  I  talked  with  some  of  the  members  and 
they  explained  to  me  how  the  great  power  of  the 
minority  m  the  House  lies  in  their  being  able  to  era- 
ploy  obstructive  tactics,  called  in  parliamentary  lan- 
guage, fillibustering,  and  indulged  in  for  the  purpose 
of  preventing  partisan  legislation.  This  invention 
of  yours  would  take  away  that  power,  and  they 
wouldn't  have  it  in  the  house  if  you  paid  them  to 
use  it."  "  From  (hat  moment,"  says  Edison,  "  I  de- 
termined never  to  work  upon  any  invention  unless 
beforehand  I  satisfied  myself  beyond  a  doubt  that  it 
w  ould  be  useful  in  the  field  for  which  it  was  intended, 
j  and  ever  since  I  have  adhered  strictly  to  that  rule." 

It  was  also  at  this  period  that  Edison  commenced 
'  work  on  duplex  telegraphy.  He  tested  his  instru- 
\  meuts  between  Rochester  and  New  York,  but  they 
I  were  unsuccessful,  and  it  remained  for  him  to  per- 
I  feet  this  invention  at  a  later  period.  His  engage- 
ment at  Boston  terminated  and  he  went  to  New 
York.  His  finances,  always  low-,  were  now  lower 
than  ever,  as  his  experimental  work  in  the  former 
city  had  been  carried  on  upon  an  unusually  larsre 
scale,  and  he  found  himself  some  two  or  three  hun- 
dred dollars  in  debt  and  in  want  of  a  situation. 
!  From  a  central  office  near  Wall  Street  was  oper- 
ated the  Law  Gold  Indicator  System,  and  the  same 
office  was  headquarters  for  the  Telegraphers'  Jour- 
nal. These  indicators  were  distributed  in  about 
six  hundred  brokers'  offices,  to  show  the  fluctua- 
tions in  the  price  of  gold,  and  from  them  the 
brokers  obtained  their  "  points"  as  to  buying  and 
selling.  When  anything  occurred  to  interrupt  the 
service,  each  broker  immediately  dispatched  a  boy 
post-haste  to  the  main  office,  and  on  such  an  occasion 
there  appeared  within  one  minute,  not  five  hundred 
boys,  nor  five  hundred  and  ninety-nine,  but  the  full 
complement  of  six  hundred.  It  was  upon  such  an 
occasion  as  this  that  Edison  one  day  happened  to 
I  be  in  Mr.  Law's  office.  An  accident  had  occurred 
to  the  transmitting  machinery  and  the  whole  indi- 
cator system  had  ceased  to  work.  Gold  was  high, 
but  the  excitement  caused  by  this  disaster  was 
higher.  Within  a  few  seconds  the  stream  of  boys 
commenced  to  pour  in  and  transform  the  office  into 
a  perfect  bedlam.  Mr.  Law,  a  nervous  man,  was 
wildly  appealing  to  his  superintendent,  Mr.  Frank 
Pope,  to  do  something,  while  Mr.  Pope's  nervous 


1 70 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


system,  as  badly  shattered  as  that  of  his  employer, 
rendered  him  just  as  incapable  of  doing  anything. 
In  the  midst  of  this  confusion  Edison  walked  quiet- 
ly over,  examined  the  apparatus,  and  turning  to 
Mr.  Law,  said,  "  I  think,  Mr.  Law,  I  can  show  you 
where  the  trouble  is.  There  is  a  contact  spring 
which  has  broken  and  fallen  between  two  cog 
wheels  and  prevents  the  gear  from  moving."  This 
removed,  everything  commenced  to  work  again 
regularly  and  the  office  was  cleared.  The  manager 
asked  Edison  his  name  and  the  episode  resulted 
in  the  latter  being  engaged  as  superintendent 
at  a  salary  of  two  hundred  dollars  per  month. 
From  this  time  on  he  commenced  to  succeed.  He 
invented  a  stock  printer,  which  is  in  use  to-day:  then 
a  gold  printer,  followed  by  his  automatic  telegraph 
system.  Then  came  his  quadruples:,  and  his  inven- 
tions in  accoustic  telegraphs  and  telephones,  electric- 
railways  and  many  others  of  lesser  importance.  In 
1878  he  invented  the  phonograph,  which  is  probably 
more  widely  known  than  any  of  his  other  work. 
His  name  is  indelibly  connected  with  electric  light- 
ing, the  advances  which  have  been  made  in  that  art 
during  the  past  twelve  or  thirteen  years  being 
largely  due  to  his  indefatigable  labors  and  exhaust- 
less  genius.  So  prolific  is  his  brain  of  inventions 
that  the  Commissioner  of  the  United  States  Patent 
Office  has  described  him  as  the  '•young  man  who 
has  kept  the  path  to  the  Patent  Office  hot  with  his 
footsteps."  He  has  taken  out  over  four  hundred 
patents  and  has  built  up  some  of  the  largest  and 
most  successful  manufacturing  institutions  in  the 
country.  His  laboratory  at  Orange,  New  Jersey,  is 
the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  is  a  marvel 
in  its  variety  and  completeness  of  equipment. 


BOOTH,  EDWIN,  the  great  tragedian,  whose 
father,  Junius  Brutus  Booth,  and  whose  two 
brothers,  were  all  actors,  was  born  in  Bel  Air, 
near  Baltimore,  Maryland,  November  13,  1833.  He 
was  named  Edwin  Thomas  in  compliment  to  his 
father's  friends,  Edwin  Forrest  and  Thomas  Flynn. 
The  boy  had  no  steady  nor  thorough  education,  re- 
ceiving instruction  from  different  teachers  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood  of  his  home :  but  he  was 
of  a  thoughtful  and  studious  nature  and  made  the 
most  of  his  limited  opportunities.  His  disposition 
was  peculiarly  reticent,  sensitive  and  profound,  and 
perhaps  the  fact  of  his  singularity  endeared  him 
more  to  the  elder  Booth  than  would  have  been  the 
case  had  he  been  of  a  more  ordinary  nature.  The 
eccentric  genius  of  his  father  discovered  in  him  an 
object  of  peculiar  sympathy ;  and  from  the  begin- 


ning father  and  son  were  fondly  attached  to  each 
other.  While  Edwin  was  yet  very  young  his  father 
made  a  companion  of  him  in  his  professional  jour- 
neys. The  elder  Booth — silent,  moody,  passionate, 
willful  and  erratic — was  greatly  benefited  by  his 
son's  companionship  and  care.  Edwin  was  the  only 
person  who  could  in  the  least  control  him  In  1849 
Mr.  J.  B.  Booth  was  playing  "Richard  III."  at  the 
Boston  Museum.  Edwin  was  induced  to  make  his 
first  appearance  on  any  stage  on  that  occasion  in  the 
part  of  Tressel,  a  messenger.  On  the  night  of  his 
debut,  Edwin,  dressed  for  his  part,  was  summoned 
to  his  father's  dressing-room.  The  elder  was  cos- 
tumed as  Richard  and  sat  moodily  smoking  a  cigar 
with  his  feet  on  the  table.  He  catechised  his  son  on 
the  part  he  was  to  act,  and,  observing  that  the 

i  young  man  had  forgotten  his  spurs,  said :  "  Here, 
take  mine."  Edwin  went  on  the  stage,  and  when 
he  came  back  his  father  sat  as  before.  "  Have  you 
done  welly"  he  asked.  "I  think  so,"  replied  Ed- 
win. ''Give  me  my  spurs."  And  that  closed  the 
interview.  It  was  not  until  years  afterward  that 
Edwin  learned  that  his  father  had  watched  him 
from  the  wings  all  the  time  that  he  had  been  on  the 
stage.  It  is  said  that  the  elder  Booth  opposed  his 
son's  choice  of  the  stage  as  a  profession  ;  but  if  this 
was  the  case  he  certainly  relinquished  his  opposi- 
tion.    The  boy  persevered,  and  afterwards  (still 

!  acting  in  his  father's  company)  he  appeared  at 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  at  Philadelphia,  and  at 
other  places,  as  Cassio  in  "  Othello,"  and  as  Wilford 
in  the  "  Iron  Chest " — the  latter  impersonation  being 
considered  particularly  good.  Edwin  continued  in 
his  father's  company  for  two  years  after  his  first  ap- 
pearance at  the  Boston  Museum.  He  first  appeared 
on  the  New  York  stage  on  September  27,  1850,  at 
the  National  Theatre,  Chatham  Street,  in  the  char- 
acter of  Wilford.  At  the  same  theatre,  in  1851,  the 
elder  Booth,  being  cast  for  Richard,  was  either  ill 
or  obstinate,  or  perhaps  desirous  of  seeing  what  his 
son  could  do  in  an  emergency ;  at  all  events  he  re- 
fused to  go  to  the  theatre  and  nothing  could  move 
him:  and  as  a  result  Edwin  took  the  place  of  the 
elder  tragedian  and  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  he 
acted  "Richard  III."  This  effort,  remarkably  suc- 
cesful  for  a  comparative  novice,  was  hailed  as  the 
indication  of  great  talent  and  as  the  augury  of  a 
brilliant  future.  It  is  stated  as  a  fact  that  his  father 
witnessed  the  entire  performance.  In  the  summer 
of  1852  Edwin  accompanied  his  father  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  his  elder  brother,  J.  B.  Booth,  Jr.,  had 
already  established  himself  as  an  actor  and  a  theatri- 
cal manager,  and  where  the  three  acted  in  company. 
Other  cities  were  visited  by  them,  and  the  elder 
Booth  remained  in  California  for  about  three  months. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


171 


One  night  at  Sacramento,  seeing  Edwin  dressed  for 
Jaffierin  "Venice  Preserved,"  he  said  to  him;  "You 
look  like  Hamlet;  why  don't  3'ou  play  it?" — are- 
mark  which  the  younger  Booth  probably  took  to 
heart,  as  Hamlet  was  his  most  notable  character,  as 
Richard  III.  was  that  of  his  father.  In  1852  the 
father  and  son  parted  for  the  last  time.  Junius 
Brutus  Booth  died  on  November  30,  1852,  on  board 
the  Mississippi  steamboat  "J.  W.  Cheneworth,"  on 
the  way  from  New  Orleans  to  Cincinnati— died,  as 
it  was  said,  for  the  lack  of  proper  medical  treatment. 
Edwin  remained  in  California  until  1854,  traveling 
through  the  State  and  playing  with  fair  success,  but 
experiencing  many  hardships  and  great  povert}'. 
Here  he  first  began  to  be  noted  for  his  admirable 
performance  of  Sir  Edwin  Mortimer  in  the  "Iron 
Chest."  He  played  in  his  brother's  theatre  at  San 
Francisco  as  "Richard  III.,"  "Shylock,"  "Macbeth" 
and  "Hamlet,"  and  acquired  a  local  reputation.  In 
1854  he  joined  a  dramatic  company,  in  which  Miss 
Laura  Keene  was  leading  lady,  in  a  trip  to  Australia, 
and  on  the  return  voyage  stopped  and  acted  at  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  He  made  his  reappearance  in  San 
Francisco  in  1855  at  the  Metropolitan  Theatre,  at 
that  time  managed  by  Catharine  Sinclair  (Mrs.  Ed- 
win Forrest,  who  then  had  obtained  a  divorce  from 
her  husband) ;  and  at  this  theatre  Edwin  Booth  was 
the  original  representative  in  America  of  "Raphael " 
in  the  "Marble  Heart."  At  this  time  also  he  made 
his  first  appearance  in  "Richelieu."  In  1856  Mr. 
Booth's  name  and  reputation  having  reached  the 
Eastern  cities  and  been  largely  noticed  in  the  lead- 
ing newspapers,  he  left  California,  after  receiving 
several  farewell  testimonial  benefits,  and  w^ent  to 
Baltimore,  where  he  first  appeared  at  the  Front 
Street  Theatre  :  and  then  he  made  a  rapid  tour  of 
all  the  large  cities  of  the  South,  meeting  with  a 
favorable  reception  wherever  he  played.  In  April, 
1857,  he  appeared  at  the  Boston  Theatre  as  Sir  Giles 
Overreach  in  "A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts." 
This  engagement  was  a  brilliant  triumph  and 
formed  a  turning-point  in  Mr.  Booth's  career.  His 
success  was  repeated  in  an  engagement  in  Burton's 
Metropolitan  Theatre,  New  York,  commencing  May 
14,  1857,  when  he  played  "  Richard  III.";  and  in 
the  following  August  he  again  appeared  there  in  a 
round  of  great  characters— all  of  which  he  acted 
with  brilliant  ability  and  entirely  to  the  public  satis- 
faction. On  April  12, 1858,  "  Othello  "  was  given  at 
Wallack's  Theatre  (formerly  Brougham's  Lyceum), 
New  York,  for  the  benefit  of  H.  C.  Jarrett,  with  Edwin 
Booth  as  "Iago,"  E.  L.  Davenport  as  "Othello,"  A. 
H.  Davenport  as  "Cassio"  and  Mrs.  Hoey  as  "Des- 
demona."  On  July  7,  1860,  Mr.  Booth  married  Miss 
Mary  Devlin,  of  Troy,  New  York,  an  actress,  whom 


he  had  met  three  years  before  at  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia. With  her  he  shortly  afterwards  made  a  visit 
to  England,  where  their  only  child — a  daughter, 
Edwina — was  born  at  Fulham,  December  9,  1861. 
After  their  return  to  America  Mrs.  Booth  sank  under 
a  sudden  sickness  and  died  at  Dorchester,  Massa- 
chusetts, February  21,  1863.  ■  In  September,  1861, 
Mr.  Booth  appeared  in  London  in  the  Haymarket 
Theatre,  under  the  management  of  J.  B.  Buckstone 
—appearing  as  "Shylock,"  "SirGiles  Overreach"  and 
"  Richelieu."  It  is  said  the  English  actors  received 
him  coldly  and  that  the  support  which  he  obtained 
and  the  properties  and  scenery  with  which  his 
pieces  were  produced  were  exceedingly  poor;  but 
notwithstanding  these  drawbacks  his  artistic  genius 
shone  out  with  wonderful  lustre.  He  played  in 
Liverpool  and  Manchester  afterwards  and  produced 
a  marked  impression.  Returning  to  America, 
Booth  became  manager  of  the  Winter  Garden 
Theatre,  New  York,  where  he  appeared  on  Septem- 
ber 29,  1862,  and  with  which  house  he  was  asso- 
ciated until  March  23,  1867,  except  for  a  brief 
period  after  the  death  of  his  wife.  On  Friday, 
November  25,  1864,  a  remarkable  performance  was 
given  at  the  Winter  Garden  in  aid  of  the  fund 
for  the  Shakespeare  statue  (by  J.  Q.  A.  Ward),  in 
Central  Park,  this  being  the  occasion  when  the  three 
brothers  appeared  in  the  tragedy  of  Julius  Csesar — 
Edwin  playing  "Brutus,"  Junius  Brutus  playing 
"Cassius"  and  John  Wilkes,  "Marc  Antony."  This 
performance  was  memorable,  not  only  for  the  extra- 
ordinary and  unique  nature  of  the  cast,  but  for  the 
fact  that  it  was  the  last  appearance  of  John  Wilkes 
Booth  in  New  York.  The  magnificent  productions 
which  marked  Mr.  Booth's  management  of  the 
Winter  Garden  Theatre  were  the  marvel  of  New 
York.  Here  he  presented  "Hamlet,"  "Othello," 
"The  Merchant  of  Venice,"  "Richelieu"  and  his 
other  great  plays  in  a  style  never  before  attempted 
in  that  city ;  and  it  was  at  this  time  that  he  accom- 
plished the  unprecedented  achievement  of  running 
"Hamlet"  for  one  hundred  consecutive  nights.  In 
honor  of  this  event  a  public  presentation  of  a  gold 
medal,  offered  in  behalf  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
New  York,  took  place.  In  the  management  of  the 
Winter  Garden  Theatre  Mr.  Booth  was  associated 
with  his  brother-in-law,  the  celebrated  comedian 
John  S.  Clarke,  and  the  well  known  journalist 
William  Stewart,  until  March  23,  1867,  when  that 
theatre  was  destroyed  by  fire.  From  the  summer 
of  1863  to  March,  1870,  Clarke  and  Booth  were  also 
associated  in  the  management  of  the  Walnut  Street 
Theatre,  Philadelphia.  Booth  then  sold  out  his  in- 
terest to  Clarke.  On  April  14,  1865,  occurred  the 
appalling  tragedy  of  the  assassination  of  Abraham 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Lincoln  by  John  Wilkes  Booth,  Edwin's  brother: 
and  after  that  Mr.  Booth  was  in  retirement  for 
nearly  a  year — in  fact,  he  designed  then  never  to 
return  to  the  stage  again,  but  his  great  personal 
popularity  and  the  necessity  of  business  demands 
finally  induced  his  reappearance,  and  on  January  3, 
1866.  he  again  appeared  at  the  Winter  Garden  as 
"Hamlet"  and  was  received  with  acclamation  by  a 
vast  audience.  In  February  of  the  same  year 
'•  Richelieu "  was  revived  with  great  splendor  and 
had  a  good  run  ;  and  in  January,  1867,  "The  Mer- 
chant of  Venice "  was  put  on.  On  March  22  of 
this  year — the  night  before  the  burning  of  the 
theatre — Booth  played  "Brutus"  in  John  Howard 
Payne's  tragedy,  the  "  Fall  of  Tarquin."  Mr.  Booth 
did  not  play  after  this  until  his  own  theatre  was 
completed.  In  the  meantime,  186T,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  the  body  of  John  Wilkes  Bootli  had  been 
buried  in  a  grave  known  to  but  a  few  persons  and 
located  somewhere  in  the  arsenal  grounds  at  Wash- 
ington. Mr.  Booth  sent  Mr.  Weaver,  the  sexton  of 
Christ  Church,  in  Baltimore,  to  Washington,  with 
the  request  that  the  remains  of  his  brother  might  be 
taken  up  and  removed<te>  the  family  burying-place. 
After  some  delay,  President  Johnson  was  finally  ap- 
pealed to  and  granted  the  request,  and  Mr.  AVeaver 
removed  the  body  to  the  cemetery  in  Baltimore  and 
buried  it  beside  the  elder  Booth  and  others  of  the 
family.  This  removal  was  conducted  with  the 
greatest  secrecy.  On  April  8.  1868,  the  corner  stone 
of  Booth's  Theatre  was  laid  at  the  southeast  corner 
of  Twenty-third  Street  and  Sixth  Avenue:  and  on 
February  5,  1869,  Booth  opened  the  new  house  with 
"  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  with  Mr.  Booth  as  "  Romeo," 
Mis-;  Mary  McVicker  < afterwards  Mrs.  Booth)  as 
"Juliet,"  and  Edwin  Adams  as  "Mercutio."  Miss 
McVicker  was"  the  step-daughter  of  James  H. 
McVicker.  the  prominent  actor  and  manager,  and 
took  his  name.  She  was  married  to  Mr.  Booth 
June  7,  1869,  and  died  in  New  York'in  1881,  leaving 
no  children.  Booth's  Theatre  had  a  splendid  pro- 
fessional career  of  thirteen  years,  and  its  stage  was 
adorned  with  some  of  the  grandest  pageants  and 
graced  with  the  presence  of  some  of  the  most  re- 
nowned actors  of  the  period.  It  continued  under 
the  management  of  Edwin  Booth  until  the  spring  of 
1874,  when  it  passed  out  of  his  possession.  Under 
his  management  were  produced  sumptuous  revivals 
of  "Romeo  and  Juliet,"  "Othello,"  "Hamlet," 
"Richelieu,"  "The  Winter's  Tale,"  "  Julius  Casar," 
"Macbeth,"  "Much  Ado  About  Nothing,"  "The 
Merchant  of  Venice,"  "  Brutus,"  and  other  plays. 
The  revival  of  "Julius  Ca-sar,"  beginning  at  Christ- 
mas, 1871,  and  ending  March  16,  1872,  was  particu- 
larly notable,  Mr.  Booth  alternating  characters  with 


Lawrence  Barrett,  Junius  Brutus  Booth,  Jr.,  F.  C. 
Bangs  and  William  Creswick.  Besides  those  named, 
his  stock  company  consisted  of  E.  L.  Davenport,  J. 
W.  Wallack,  Jr..  .Mark  Smith.  A.  W.  Fenno,  D.  W. 
Waller.  Robert  Pateman,  Miss  Emma  Waller, 
Bella  Pateman  and  others.  Among  the  stars  who 
acted  at  this  theatre  were  Joseph  Jefferson, 
Kate  Bateman,  James  H.  Hackett,  Charlotte 
Cnshman  John  S.  Clarke,  John  E.  Owens  and  James 
H.  McVicker.  The  performance  of  "As  You  Like 
It."  with  Miss  Adelaide  Neilson  as  "  Rosalind,"  June 
14,  1873.  terminated  Mr.  Booth's  personal  manage- 
ment of  the  theatre.  Under  his  management  it  was 
almost  invariably  a  prosperous  house,  but  it  was  not 

i  economically  managed,  and  for  this  reason  and  this 
alone  it  eventually  carried  its  owner  into  bank- 
ruptcy. Edwin  Booth  then  began  his  dramatic 
career  over  again ;  and  in  the  course  of  time  paid 
his  debts  and  earned  another  fortune.  The  theatre 
ended  its  history  in  May,  1882,  when  it  was  finally 

i  closed  with  a  performance  of  "Juliet,"  by  Mme. 
Modjeska.  In  1876  Mr.  Booth  made  a  tour  of  the 
Soutl),  which  was  a  triumphal  progress.  In  San 
Francisco  in  eight  weeks  he  drew  upwards  of 
$96,000.  It  is  stated  that  in  fifty-six  weeks  his  per- 
formances brought  in  nearly  #200,0.0.  In  1880,  and 
again  in  1882,  Mr.  Booth  visited  Great  Britain  and 
acted  with  brilliant  success  in  London  and  other 
cities.  He  went  to  Germany  in  the  autumn  of  1882, 
and  was  there  received  with  extraordinary  enthu- 
>iasm.    In  1883  he  returned  home  and  resumed  his 

|  starring  tours  in  America.  For  some  years  past 
Mr.  Booth  played  principally  in  partnership  with 
.Air.    Lawrence   Barrett,  his   repertory  including 

I  "Hamlet,"  "Macbeth,"  "King  Lear,"  "Othello." 
"Cardinal  AVolsey,"  "Richard  III.,"  "  Shylock," 
"  Richard  II.,"  "Benedick,"  "  Petruchio,"  "Riche- 
lieu," "  Ruy  Bias"  and  "Don  Caesar  de  Bazan." 
At  this  writing  (December  1889)  he  is  playing  with 
Mme.  Modjeska  in  the   "  Merchant  of  A'enice," 

j  "Fool's  Revenge,"  "Much  Ado  about  Nothing," 
"Richelieu,"  "Hamlet,"  "  Macbeth,"  &c,  &c.  In 
1888  Mr.  Booth  presented  to  the  actors  and  friends  of 
the  drama  a  club  house  at  No.  16  Gramercy  Park. 
NewYork,  which  is  called  "  The  Players."  It  was 
formally  opened  on  New  Year's  eve:  and  con- 
tains on  the  first  floor  a  billiard-room  and  various 
offices :  on  the  second  floor  the  reading-room  and 
lounging-room  and  grill-room ;  on  the  third  floor 
the  library ;  the  top  floor  contains  Mr.  Booth's 
private  apartments.  He  is  the  President  of  the 
club.  Augustin  Daly  A'ice-President,  and  Law- 
rence Hutton  the  Secretary.  The  entire  cost  of 
the  land  and  building,  with  its  remodeling  and 
furnishing,  was  borne  by  Mr  Booth.    The  dra- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


I  73 


matic  library  is  invaluable,  containing  the  collec- 
tions of  Augustin  Daly,  Edwin  Booth,  Lawrence 
Barrett  and  many  others.  In  November,  1889,  a 
similar  instance  of  the  tenderness  towards  his  pro- 
fession which  is  characteristic  of  Mr.  Booth  occurred 
in  his  undertaking  the  task  of  repairing  the  monu- 
ment of  George  Frederick  Cooke,  the  great  English 
actor,  whose  remains  occupy  a  central  position  in 
St.  Paul's  churchyard.  Cooke  was  born  in  West- 
minister, England,  April  17,  1755.  and  after  ranking 
as  an  actor  with  John  Kemble,  came  to  New  York 
in  1810,  and  died  here  September  26,  1812.  The 
monument  was  erected  in  1821  by  Edmund  Kean, 
and  repaired  by  Charles  Kean  in  1846.  and  again  re- 
paired by  E.  A.  Sothern  in  1874 ;  but  time  and  the 
action  of  the  climate  continued  their  ravages,  ami 
fifteen  years  so  impaired  the  lines  and  blurred  the 
inscription  on  the  monument  that  its  restoration  be- 
came necessary:  and  this  time  Mr.  Booth  undertook 
the  generous  task. 


SULLY.  ALFRED,  a  prominent  American  finan- 
cier and  railroad  projector,  recently  President 
of  the  Richmond  and  West  Point  Terminal 
Railway  and  the  Richmond  and  Danville  Rail- 
road Company,  and  for  many  years  actively  iden- 
tified with  a  large  number  of  important  busi- 
ness interests  in  New  York  City,  was  born  at  Otta- 
wa, Canada,  May  2,  1841.  He  is  the  sou  of  James 
and  Laura  Maria  Bull}',  both  natives  of  England. 
While  he  was  a  child  two  years  of  age.  his  parents 
removed  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  taking  him  with 
them,  and  since  then  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
United  States.  The  foundation  of  his  education 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  Buffalo. 
When  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age  he  re- 
moved to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  shortly  after  began 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  the  Hon.  Bellamy 
Store,  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  State  of 
Ohio,  entering  about  the  same  time  the  Cincinnati 
Law  School.  In  the  year  1863  he  graduated  from 
that  institution  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws  and  was  duly  admitted  to  the  Ohio  bar.  Im- 
mediately following  this  event  he  removed  to  the 
thriving  city  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  when  he  became 
a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Brown  and  Sully, 
which  was  then  organized  to  succeed  the  old  law 
firm  of  Corbiu,  Dow  and  Brown,  the  head  of  which, 
Mr.  Austin  Corbin,  the  well-known  New  York 
banker,  capitalist  and  railroad  magnate,  withdrew 
to  engage  in  the  business  of  banking.  For  a  period 
of  nine  years  Mr.  Sully  practiced  his  profession  at 
Davenport,  rising  to  prominence  as  a  member  of 


the  Iowa  bar  and  acquiring  an  important  and  lucra- 
tive practice.  In  1872  he  retired  from  the  profession 
of  law  with  a  competency.  Too  young  in  years  and 
altogether  too  active  in  temperament  to  remain  any 
length  of  time  without  engrossing  occupation,  Mr. 
Sully,  after  enjoying  his  well-earned  leisure  for  a 
few  months,  yielded  to  the  earnest  request  of  Mr. 
Austin  Corbin  and  came  to  New  York  as  a  partner 
in  the  latter's  banking  house.  In  1874,  feeling  the 
need  of  rest  and  recuperation,  he  refused  a  share  in 
the  Corbin  Banking  Company  then  organized,  and 
spent  a  twelvemonth  or  more  traveling  in  the 
South  and  Southwest.  Upon  his  return  to  New 
York  in  the  fall  of  1870,  greatly  improved  in  health, 
he  re-entered  business  as  c  hief  counsel  and  one  of 
the  principal  managers  of  the  New  York  and  Man- 
hattan Beach  Railroad  Company— an  important  en- 
terprise, including  railroad  construction  and  land 
improvement,  for  the  purpose  of  developing  a 
watering  place  on  Coney  Island  on  a  scale  commen- 
surate with  the  growing  needs  of  the  metropolis. 
Of  this  company  Mr.  Corbin  was  President.  Mr. 
Sully  had  previously  had  experience  in  railroad  af- 
fairs as  counsel  to  the  Davenport  and  St.  Paul 
Company,  now  a  part  of  the  St.  Paul  system  ;  and 
the  knowledge  thus  obtained  he  utilized  to  good 
advantage  in  the  new  enterprise.  In  1876  and  for 
several  years  immediately  following  he  was  largely 
interested  in  building  and  operating  the  Manhattan 
Beach  Railroad,  and  in  connection  therewith  or- 
ganized the  Eastern  Railroad  of  Long  Island  for 
the  purpose  of  extending  the  Manhattan  Beach  road 
throughout  the  entire  length  of  the  Island.  In  this 
enterprise  Mr.  Austin  Corbin  was  associated  with 
him.  In  1878  he  became  connected  with  the  Indi- 
ana, Bloomington  and  Western  Railroad  Company 
as  its  Secretary.  Of  this  road  he  became  one  of  the 
principal  owners.  After  two  years  of  continual 
warfare  with  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company, 
Messrs.  Sully  and  Corbin  united  in  buying  the  con- 
trol of  the  entire  Long  Island  Railroad  system  from 
the  New  York  banking  house  of  Drexel,  Morgan  & 
Co.  At  the  time  they  acquired  control  the  stock  of 
the  Long  Island  road  was  selling  at  15  to  18  cents. 
The  property  was  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver  and 
physically  was  going  to  ruin.  "  Nearly  all  its  dif- 
ferent issues  of  bonds  were  in  default ;  the  equip- 
ment was  almost  worthless,  the  track  in  dangerous 
condition,  and  it  was  thought  impossible  to  resusci- 
tate the  road  without  a  complete  reorganization." 
As  soon  as  Mr.  Sully  and  his  astute  partner  secured 
control  a  new  mortgage  of  #5,000,000  was  placed 
upon  the  property  and  the  proceeds  therefrom  used 
in  raising  it  to  a  condition  bordering  on  perfection. 
The  stock  was  at  the  same  time  increased  from 


174 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


$3,200,000  to  #10,000,000,  and  has  pai'd  regular  divi- 
dends ever  since,  notwithstanding  the  increased 
capitalization.  Mr.  Sully  was  until  lately  the  owner 
of  a  large  interest  in  the  Long  Island  Road  and  for 
many  years  the  President  of  the  Long  Island  City 
and  Flushing  Railroad,  one  of  its  principal  branches. 
In  1881  Mr.  Sully  personally  and  alone  purchased 
a  coal  road  in  Ohio,  about  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  in  length.  With  a  facility  as  successful  as  it 
is  remarkable  he  reorganized  this  road  as  the  "Ohio 
Southern,"  put  the  property  in  the  best  physical 
condition  and  established  it  on  a  paying  basis.  Of 
this  road  he  became  President  in  1881  and  still 
holds  that  position.  In  1885  he  made  large  invest- 
ments in  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  Railroad, 
and  is  to-day  the  largest  individual  owner  of  its 
stocks  and  bonds.  When  he  became  interested  in  it 
the  late  F.  B.  Gowen  was  its  President.  Mr.  Sully 
became  his  principal  backer.  Mr.  Gowen's  remark- 
able contest  with  the  Drexel-Morgan  syndicate, 
who  proposed  to  re-organize  that  property  on  a 
plan  which  he  thought  was  without  due  regard  to 
the  rights  and  interests  he  represented,  attracted 
widespread  attention  and  became  familiar  in  rail- 
road circles  throughout  the  United  States.  The 
property  involved  ranked  as  second  in  importance 
of  its  kind  in  the  world,  its  estimated  cash  value 
being  $200,000,000.  More  than  $160,000,000  in 
money  have  been  expended  in  the  Reading  Railroad 
and  its  coal  and  iron  properties.  At  the  close  of  a 
year  of  bitter  warfare  Mr.  Sully  and  those  associ- 
ated with  him  succeeded  in  bringing  the  Drexel- 
Morgan  syndicate  to  terms.  This  victory  was  con- 
ceded to  be  due  to  Mr.  Sully's  tact  and  ability  in 
holding  the  Reading  security-holders  in  line,  and 
it  placed  him  at  once  in  the  front  rank  among  the 
railroad  men  and  financiers  of  \Vall  Street.  In 
1886  the  West  Point  Terminal  Company,  then  capi- 
talized at  $15,000,000,  was  in  debt  over  $3,000,000, 
and  the  President,  Mr.  W.  P.  Clyde,  had  given 
notice  to  the  stockholders  that  the  property  would 
have  to  be  sold  to  meet  the  claims  against  it.  Mr. 
Clyde  and  all  the  directors  of  the  "  Terminal  "  were 
likewise  members  of  the  Richmond  and  Danville 
syndicate,  and  also  members  of  the  Richmond  and 
Danville  Board  of  Directors,  and  it  seemed  to  them 
that  the  "  Terminal  Company  "  had  become  a  use- 
less appendage.  A  committee  of  Terminal  stock- 
holders worked  for  over  a  year  to  re-establish  their 
property,  but  made  no  progress.  Seeing  that  there 
was  danger  of  the  stock  being  extinguished  by  a 
Trustee's  sale  of  the  company's  assets,  these  stock- 
holders through  the  influence  of  mutual  friends  in- 
duced Mr.  Sully  to  join  their  committee  as  Chair- 
man.   The  result  was  little  less  than  marvellous. 


Within  three  months  thereafter  the  "  Richmond 
Terminal  "  was  renewed  in  its  strength  enough  to 
swallow  up  the  Richmond  and  Danville  and  the 
East  Tennessee,  Virginia  and  Georgia  Railroads. 
Thus  augmented,  it  became  the  greatest  railroad 
power  in  the  South,  absolutely  owning,  controlling 
and  operating,  as  it  now  does,  over  four  thousand 
seven  hundred  miles  of  railroad.  Appreciating  his 
ability  the  stockholders  elected  Mr.  Sully  President 
of  the  entire  Terminal  system  and  he  remained  at 
its  head  until  April,  1888,  when,  being  dissatisfied 
with  the  policy  of  the  company  as  determined  by 
the  Board  of  Directors,  which  was  entirely  at  vari- 
ance with  his  views  as  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
system,  he  resigned,  preferring  to  retire  than  to  be 
further  responsible  for  the  company's  future.  Im- 
mediately upon  Mr.  Sully's  retirement,  the  stock- 
holders made  a  vigorous  effort  to  remove  the  con- 
trol of  the  company  from  the  Board  of  Directors 
then  in  office,  which  became  one  of  the  memorable 
contests  of  Wall  Street.  Mr.  Sully's  resignation 
had  put  every  shareholder  upon  guard  ;  and  it  has 
been  said,  with  every  appearance  of  truth,  that  the 
clique  of  the  Board  of  Directors  opposed  to  his  pol- 
icy succeeded  in  perpetuating  their  power  only  by 
becoming,  through  purchase,  the  absolute  owners 
of  a  majority  of  the  stock  of  the  company.  While 
Mr.  Sully  was  President  of  the  Richmond  Terminal 
system  he  negotiated  with  Mr.  Robert  Garrett  of 
Baltimore,  the  purchase  from  the  latter  of  a  con- 
trolling interest  in  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 
Company.  This  negotiation  created  more  public 
interest  and  excitement  than  any  other  financial 
question  within  ten  years  preceding  it.  Every 
newspaper  of  prominence  in  the  United  States  pub- 
lished columns  daily  regarding  it,  for  several  weeks, 
and  in  connection  with  the  transaction,  Mr. 
Sully's  name  became  well  known  throughout  the 
United  States  and  his  portrait  was  reproduced  in 
almost  every  newspaper.  Mr.  Sully's  plan  was  for 
the  Richmond  Terminal  Company  to  purchase  Mr. 
Garrett's  control  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Road, 
and  then  exchange  the  "Richmond  Terminal" 
stock,  on  a  fair  and  equitable  basis,  for  stock  of  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  thus  mak- 
ing one  grand  system  of  the  combined  properties. 
As  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  name  was  well  known 
throiighout  the  entire  financial  world,  and  its  stock 
had  a  market  in  all  the  great  financial  centres,  here 
and  abroad,  it  is  evident  that  Mr.  Sully's  plan,  had 
it  been  carried  out,  would  have  made  the  Richmond 
Terminal  stock  very  valuable.  At  this  time  Mr. 
Sully  made  the  following  prediction,  which  was 
given  wide  publicity  in  the  press; 

"I  believe,"  said  he,  "in  the  amalgamation  or- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


175 


consolidation  of  railroads  into  strong,  efficient  sys- 
tems. Such  a  policy  gives  efficiency  to  the  service 
and  strength  to  the  organization,  increases  the  earn- 
ing capacity  and  results  in  general  economy.  If 
each  separate  property  is  self-sustaining  and  revenue 
producing,  there  are  many  expenses  which  can  be 
saved  by  consolidation  and  the  returns  from  traffic 
service  made  more  profitable ;  provided,  of  course, 
that  the  natural  laws  governing  traffic  favor  such 
combinations.  In  my  opinion  all  the  railroads  of  any 
note  hi  the  United  States  will  within  ten  years  be  com- 
bined into  less  than  twenty  systems.  There  is  nothing 
in  this  that  would  operate  against  the  interests  of  the 
people.  The  people  want  the  best  accommodations, 
faster  transportation  and  safest  travel,  which  com 
forts  and  conveniences  it  is  impossible  to  give  them 
in  emasculated  roads  that  have  been  made  inefficient 
by  those  penurious  economies  which  are  practiced 
as  a  protection  against  the  severest  competition. 
New  Orleans  is  now  clamorous  for  a  fast  mail  ser- 
vice. How  can  such  be  afforded  if  it  must  be  car- 
ried over  half  a  dozen  different  lines,  each  having 
different  interests,  and  therefore,  naturally  in  eter- 
nal warfare  with  each  other  ?  Combine  these  roads 
into  one  system  and  you  have  a  corporation  power- 
ful in  its  ability  to  serve  the  people  and  anxious  to 
create  and  maintain  the  very  best  service,  and  there- 
by derive  the  fullest  revenues.  I  think  that  time 
will  yet  bring  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  into  the  Ter- 
minal system.  The  Terminal  Company  now  owns 
forty-five  hundred  miles  of  railroad,  and  an  alliance 
of  tiiis  property  with  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  would 
be  of  immense  mutual  benefit,  and  certainly  of 
great  advantage  to  the  city  of  Baltimore,  as  it  would 
make  that  place  the  metropolis  of  the  South." 

To-day  similar  views  are  held  b}-  some  of  the 
ablest  thinkers  and  writers  of  the  time,  and  recent 
events  have  given  them  substantial  attestation.  At 
the  time  he  laid  down  the  Presidency  of  the  Ter- 
minal system,  Mr.  Sully  announced  that  he  retired 
from  active  business  life.  The  sincerity  of  this  as- 
sertion is  proven  by  the  fact  that  since  making  it  he 
has  given  very  little  attention  to  business  matters  of 
any  kind.  The  condensed  form  in  which  the  fore- 
going statements  are  necessarily  given  in  a  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  this  character  does  not  enable 
the  reader,  unless  familiar  with  such  matters,  to  ob- 
tain a  proper  conception  of  the  magnitude  and  im- 
portance of  the  operations  conducted  by  Mr.  Sully, 
more  particularly  since  his  advent  in  New  York  in 
1872.  But  it  must  be  evident  to  all  that,  from  the 
length  of  roads,  importance  of  the  traffic  over  them, 
and  the  vast  capital  involved,  these  operations  have 
had  but  few  equals.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
the  success  of  the  operations  thus  briefly  described 
and  fraught  with  such  important  results  to  large 
sections  of  the  country,  was  due  to  Mr.  Sully's  com- 
manding genius  as  a  railroad  expert  and  to  his  ex- 
traordinary skill  as  a  financier.  The  combination 
of  the  two  qualities  in  the  same  individual,  rare  as 
it  is,  might  not  have  evolved  the  same  results  un- 
aided by  a  knowledge  of  the  law.    It  will  thus  be 


seen  that  Mr.  Sully's  special  experiences  as  a  lawyer, 
financier  and  railroad  organizer  were  all  essential  to 
the  achievement  of  the  magnificent  successes  he  ac- 
complished and  which  entitle  him  to  rank  among 
the  foremost  business  men  of  the  country.  Being 
involved  in  such  stupendous  transactions  earns  for 
the  participant  a  degree  of  celebrity  and  notoriety 
which  sometimes  operates  to  unbalance  even  the 
strongest  minds,  puffing  them  up  with  a  sense  of 
their  own  importance  and  prompting  them  to  ride 
rough-shod  over  their  less  conspicuous  and  success- 
ful fellows.  The  last  man  in  the  world,  apparently, 
to  be  thus  affected  is  Mr.  Alfred  Sully.  In  manner 
he  is  reserved  and  thoughtful,  chary  of  his  words, 
perhaps,  but  always  speaking  to  the  point.  In 
physique  he  is  tall  and  commanding.  Intense 
mental  labor  has  robbed  him  of  some  of  his  color, 
but  the  close  observer  cannot  fail  to  note  the  youth- 
fulness  of  the  man  despite  the  magnitude  of  his 
labor.  The  hair,  dark  brown  in  color,  is  as  profuse 
as  at  any  time  in  life.  No  beard  shrouds  the  face, 
and  in  consequence  the  play  of  the  muscles  during 
thought  is  clearly  visible.  The  eyes  are  penetrating, 
but  have  a  pleasant  twinkle  very  re-assuring  to  a 
friend  but  doubtless  no  less  enigmatical  to  an 
enemy.  Mr.  Sully  is  a  man  of  unassuming  bearing 
and  simple  tastes,  modest  in  speech  and  demeanor, 
and  though  generous  not  prodigal.  He  is  the  pos- 
sessor of  an  ample  fortune  and  is  likely  to  increase 
it  largely ; .  his  judgment  being  reliable  and  his 
opportunities  extraordinary.  He  possesses  a  re- 
markable capacity  for  work  and  has  the  reputation 
of  being  patient  and  untiring  iu  working  out  his 
plans.  For  unimportant  and  minute  details  he  does 
not  appear  to  have  any  special  aptitude.  His  great 
talent,  perhaps  genius  is  the  better  name — "asserts 
itself  in  solving  the  perplexing  problems  of  conflict- 
ing interests,  and  adjusting  wisely  the  controlling 
forces  for  gigantic  organizations."  His  positions 
have  been  weighty  with  responsibility,  and  a  certain 
gravity  of  manner  indicates  as  much,  even  to  the 
casual  observer.  Mr.  Sully  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  also  of  the 
Masonic  Fraternity.  His  tastes  are  domestic  and 
when  free  to  command  his  time  he  finds  his  highest 
enjoyment  in  his  home  in  the  New  Jersey  mountains. 
He  is  a  widower,  with  one  son,  Mr.  Winfield  Price 
Sully,  born  in  1868,  who  is  now  an  under-graduate 
at  Princeton  College.  Mr.  Sully  married,  in  July, 
t8(5o\  Miss  Louise  Price,  youngest  daughter  of  Hon. 
Hiram  Price  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  who  was  for  many 
years  a  member  of  Congress  from  that  State,  and 
also  for  several  years  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs 
at  Washington.  The  two  elder  sisters  of  Mrs. 
Alfred  Sully  married  respectively  Judge  John  F. 


1 76 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY   OF   NEW  YORK. 


Dillon,  formerly  Judge  of  the  United. States  Circuit 
Court,  and  the  Rev.  Robert  Laird  Collier,  D.D.  Mr. 
Sully's  second  child,  a  daughter,  died  at  the  age  of 
two  years.  His  wife  died  in  1882,  since  which  time 
Mr.  Sully  has  made  his  home  with  his  widowed 
mother,  Mrs.  Laura  M.  Sully,  and  w  ith  his' sister, 
Mrs.  Mary  P,  My  ton  Mr.  Sully's  place  at  Hacketts- 
town,  New  Jersey,  is  a  perfect  home  in  all  its 
appointments,  and  the  views  from  the  broad  piazzas 
extend  for  twenty  miles  over  the  Musconetcong 
Valley.  The  estate  comprises  several  hundred  acres 
with  a  beautiful  country  residence  surrounded  by 
greenhouses  and  conservatories.  Not  the  least 
among  the  attractions  of  this  beautiful  retreat 
among  the  New  Jersey  mountains  is  a  large  and 
well-stocked  library,  in  which  the  owner  takes  a 
justifiable  pride  and  to  which  he  devotes  no  small 
part  of  his  leisure.  More  than  one-half  of  his  entire 
time  is  passed  at  hie  Hackettstown  residence.  Mr. 
Sully  also  has  a  country  seat  at  Amityville,  Long 
Island,  where  he  passes  part  of  the  year.  lie  is  and 
always  has  been  a  great  lover  of  Nature  and  no 
monetary  temptations  an-  strong  enough  to  induce 
him  to  forego  the  delight  derived  from  a  residence 
far  removed  from  the  hurry  and  turmoil  of  the  city. 
He  is  a  philosopher,  too,  as  will  be  seen  from  the 
following  remark  which  one  of  his  friends  quotes 
him  as  saying  : 

"  Too  much  money  is  an  evil,  a  burden.  I  do  not 
want  to  have  the  money,  the  responsibilities,  the 
cares,  the  work  of  a  Vanderbilt  or  an  Astor,  or  of 
Gould  or  Sage.  The  man  with  two  millions  is  fully 
as  rich  as.  and  should  be  much  more  contented  and 
happy  than  a  man  with  fifty  millions.  When  a 
man  has  enough  to  supply  every  want  and  give  him 
means  for  everything  his  judgment  prompts  him 
to  accomplish,  then  every  additional  amount  of 
money  becomes  a  burden  and  care  anil  a  waste  of 
energy.  I  like  the'mountains :  they  lift  a  man  up. 
The  little  petty  concerns  of  life  down  in  a  valley 
seem  below  and  beneath  him.  With  the  eyes  the 
mind  seems  to  have  a  wider  horizon.  One  skips 
over  the  trifles  of  life  and  grasps  the  great  prob- 
lems and  principles  of  existence,  in  man  and  nature. 
1  cannot  understand  why  Sage  and  Gould  can 
spend  twelve  hours  out  of  every  twenty-four  in 
ceaseless,  continued  application  to  business  matters. 
I  suppose  they  find  pleasure  in  the  excitement,  but 
for  me,  I  want  part  of  my  time  for  nature.  I  want 
to  know  the  world  I  live  in." 


SHEEHAN,  HON.  WILLIAM  FRANCIS,  was 
born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  November  6,  1859, 
of  Irish  parentage.  His  father,  William  Shee- 
han,  and  his  mother,  Miss  Honora  Crowley,  were 
both  from  County  Cork,  Ireland,  but  married  in 
Buffalo,  the  former  having  arrived  in  this  country 


i  in  1842,  and  settled  in  Buffalo  while  still  a  young 
man.    Eight  children  were  born  to  the  pair,  of 

i  whom  tire  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest ; 

'  but  of  the  family  there  remain  alive  at  present  only 
five,  the  father  and  four  children  ;  Mrs.  Sheehan 
having  died  Hay  30,  1873.  Mr.  Sheehan  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive city.  After  leaving  these  he  entered  St.  Jo- 
seph's College,  Buffalo,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
187(1 :  and  soon  after  he  was  appointed  Bond  and 
Insurance  Clerk  in  the  Comptroller's  office,  Buffalo, 
a  fact  which  shows  the  reputation  he  had  already 
gained,  although  so  young,  and  the  confidence 
which  was  felt  in  him  by  persons  high  in  position. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  commenced  the  study  of 
law,  in  the  office  of  Hon.  0.  F.  Tabor,  at  present 
Attorney-General  of  the  State,  and  this  profession 
he  pursued  with  such  earnestness  and  perseverance, 
that  in  January,  1881,  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  now  formed 
a  partnership  with  Mr.  Tabor,  a  relation  which  has 
continued  ever  since.  From  the  beginning  of  his 
career,  Mr.  Sheehan  interested  himself  warmly  in 
politics,  uniting  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  he 

!  soon  grew  to  be  recognized  by  the  party  leaders  of 
Erie  County  as  a  young  man  possessing  valuable 
positive  qualities,  likely  to  make  him  in  the  highest 
degree  useful  to  the  party.  In  1884  he  was 
nominated  for  the  Assembly,  on  the  Democratic 
ticket,  from  the  First  Assembly  District,  and 
was  elected  by  a  majority  of  1,499.  He  has  been 
continuously  re-elected  from  that  time  forward, 

I  by  increasing  majorities ;  for  his  second  term  by 
1,971,  and  for  his  third  by  3,003.  being  the  largest 
majority  up  to  that  time  ever  given  for  any  public 

1  office  in  that  district.  He  was  elected  for  the 
fourth  consecutive  term  in  the  fall  of  1887.  and 
again  in  1888  by  a  majority  of  2,860  votes.  Mr. 
Sheehan  has  proven  a  valued  and  earnest  member 
of  the  Judiciary  Committee,  of  the  Committee  on 
State  Charitable  Institutions,  the  Committee  on 
Rules,  the  Committee  on  Revision  and  the  Commit- 
tee on  Ways  and  Means.  He  was  nominated  for 
Speaker  of  the  House  by  the  Democratic  caucus  in 
1880,  an  honor  to  which  his  ability  as  a  lawyer,  de- 
bater and  leader  eminently  entitled  him.  He  was 
subsequently  presented  with  a  handsome  gold 
watch  and  chain  by  the  Democratic  members  of  the 
Assembly.  At  the  next  Democratic  caucus  he  was 
a  ii  a  in  honored  with  the  nomination  for  Speaker,  and 
again  in  1888  and  1889.  He  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  Democratic  State  Committee  in  October,  1889, 
and  was  again  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  November 
following.  He  has  long  been  the  recognized  leader 
of  the  minority  in  the  Assembly.    Always  in  the 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


177 


advanced  rank  of  the  enterprising  Democracy  of 
the  western  part  of  the  State,  Mr.  Slieehan  has 
earned,  by  persistent  fidelity  to  his  party,  and  by 
his  strong  intellectual  and  social  personality,  a  pop- 
ularity which  has  carried  him  far  higher  in  political 
position  than  is  usual  with  men  so  young.  Still 
only  in  his  thirty-first  year,  it  would  be  no  baseless 
prediction  to  assume  that  he  may  reach  the  very 
highest  official  positions  within  the  reach  of  political 
aspirations.  The  New  York  Star,  one  of  the  few 
faithful  Democratic  newspapers  in  the  metropolis, 
said  of  Mr.  Sheehan:  "  He  has  led  the  Democratic 
minority  in  the  Assembly  with  distinguished  ability, 
and  his  record  there  and  everywhere  else  is  unas- 
sailable." On  November  27, 188!),  Mr.  Sheehan  was 
married  to  Miss  Blanche  Nellany.  daughter  of 
Michael  Nellany.  of  Buffalo,  the  ceremony  being 
performed  by  Bishop  Ryan,  at  St.  Joseph's  Cathe- 
dral. Buffalo. 


BULGER,  WILLIAM  JAMES,  M.D.,  a  leading 
physician  and  surgeon  of  Oswego,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Volney,  near  the  village  of  Ful- 
ton, Oswego  County,  New  York,  May  28,  1857. 
His  father,  the  late  Patrick  Bulger,  was  the  son  of 
a  weil-to-do  farmer  in  the  east  of  Ireland,  and  was 
born  in  Castle  Comer.  Queens  County  August  17, 
1806.  In  1844  Patrick  Bulger,  who  was  possessed 
of  some  means,  came  to  the  United  States,  bringing 
with  him  his  wife,  who  was  the  daughter  of  a  pros- 
perous neighbor  in  the  old  country.  Mrs.  Bulger, 
previous  to  marriage  Miss  Bridget  Murphy,  was  an 
accomplished  and  cultivated  lady,  having  received 
a  thorough  education  in  the  excellent  schools  of  her 
native  place,  which  was  finished  at  the  Dublin  Sem- 
inary. She  was  a  woman  of  high  character,  as  well 
as  fine  education,  ami  proved  a  faithful  and  inspir- 
ing help-meet  to  her  husband  in  his  manly  efforts 
to  found  a  home  and  rear  his  family  in  the  New 
World.  With  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  advan- 
tages of  the  district,  Mr.  Bulger,  shortly  after  his 
arrival  in  America,  purchased  a  farm  in  the  town 
of  Yolney,  near  Fulton,  Oswego  County,  where  he 
remained  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  State.  About  ten  years  prior  to  his 
death  he  disposed  of  his  farming  interests  in  that 
locality,  and  set  about  to  find  a  place  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  He  then  purchased  a  farm 
charmingly  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Oswe- 
go River,  about  five  miles  distant  from  Oswego, 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  beautifully  lo- 
cated in  that  section  of  the  State :  and  is  still  owne  1 


by  the  heirs  of  Mr.  Bulger.  Skilled  in  agriculture 
and  having  sufficient  means  at  his  command  to 
enable  him  to  carry  out  his  ideas,  Mr.  Bulger  con- 
ducted his  farming  interests  successfully  and  added 
largely  to  his  worldly  possessions.  His  family  con- 
sisted of  five  children,  one  of  whom,  the  eldest, 
died  in  infancy  in  the  old  country.  The  remaining 
four  were  brought  up  under  benign  home  influences, 
with  a  devoted  Christian  mother  to  supervise  their 
education,  and  with  every  comfort  at  their  com- 
mand. Mrs.  Bulger  died  October  20, 1879,  and  was 
followed  by  her  husband  August  3,  1881.  The  four" 
children  who  still  survive  them  are  the  Hon.  P.  F. 
Bui  ger,  of  Utica,  formerly  for  twelve  years  Re- 
corder of  that  city  ;  the  Hon  C.  N.  Bulger,  at  pres- 
ent Recorder  of  the  city  of  Oswego:  Dr.  Bulger, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Mrs.  M.  Hennessey. 
Dr.  Bulger  was  the  youngest  child  of  his  parents. 
In  his  youth  he  was  afforded  good  educational 
advantages.  After  finishing  the  ordinary  public 
school  studies,  he  took  a  course  at  Falley  Seminary 
in  Fulton,  after  which  he  took  a  course  at  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Oswego,  New  York.  Deciding 
to  adopt  the  profession  of  medicine,  he  began  med- 
ical studies  under  Dr.  Ira  L.  Jones,  of  Minetto, 
New  York,  and  afterwards  was  the  pupil  of  the  late 
Dr.  James  A.  Milne,  of  Oswego.  In  187!)  he  en- 
tered Long  Island  College  Hospital  at  Brooklyn, 
and  after  a  year's  study  in  that  splendidly  equipped 
institution,  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  re- 
mained a  year,  when  he  returned  to  Long  Island  Col- 
lege Hospital  as  the  assistant  of  the  noted  anatomist, 
Dr.  Garden  L.  Ford,  and  graduated  from  that  insti- 
tution Juue  15,  1882.  Well  qualified  to  begin  his 
life  work,  he  now  returned  to  Oswego,  and  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  former  preceptor,  the  late 
Dr-  Milne,  which  partnership  was  continued  until 
a  short  time  prior  to  the  latter's  death,  in  1887. 
Thorough  in  his  attainments,  a  conscientious  stu- 
dent and  a  close  observer,  Dr.  Bulger  has  steadily 
advanced  to  a  leading  position  among  his  profes- 
sional brethren,  and  is  now  recognized  as  the  peer 
of  any  physician  in  Oswego,  and  the  most  skillful 
surgeon  in  the  city.  His  practice  extends  to  people 
in  all  walks  in  life,  for  the  confidence  reposed  in  his 
ability  and  skill  is  shared  alike  by  the  wealthy  and 
the  humble,  the  learned  and  the  unlearned.  No 
medical  man  in  Oswego  is  held  in  higher  regard  by 
the  profession,  and  few,  if  any,  hold  a  higher  place 
in  the  public  esteem.  Some  of  the  most  difficult 
cases  which  have  occurred  during  his  residence  in 
Oswego,  have  been  successfully  treated  by  Dr.  Bul- 
ger, and  of  late  years,  cases  unusually  severe  or 
presenting  strange  complications  are  always  sent  to 


1 78 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


him  for  treatment.  His  attainments  are  not  limited 
to  scientific  subjects,  but  are  of  a  broad  and  com- 
prehensive character  which  befit  the  advanced  pro- 
fessional man  of  modern  times  and  embrace  near- 
ly all  branches  of  polite  learning.  Dr.  Bulger  mar- 
ried on  August  26,  1883.  Miss  Mary  Cusick,  who 
was  at  that  time  principal  of  one  of  the  public 
schools  at  Oswego.  They  had  one  child,  a  boy, 
named  Charles  William  Bulger,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  months. 


BUENTHER,  HON.  HENRY  H.,  Member  of  the 
State  Assembly  from  the  Fourth  Assembly 
District  of  Erie  County,  was  born  in  Buffalo, 
in  the  county  named,  January  29,  18G2.  His  father, 
the  late  Christian  C.  Guenther,  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Buffalo,  was  born  in  Wildberg,  Germany. 
Accompanied  by  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Mary  M.  Weick,  and  who,  like  himself,  was  a  native 
of  Wildberg,  Christian  C.  Guenther  came  to 
America  in  1855  and  settled  in  Philadelphia,  Penn., 
where  he  followed  his  calling — that  of  confectioner 
and  baker — for  two^ears,  during  which  time  a 
daughter,  who  died  in  infancy,  was  born  to  him. 
In  1857  he  removed  with  his  wife  to  Buffalo,  where 
a  few  years  later,  he  had  a  prosperous  business  of 
his  own  in  operation.  He  remained  at  the  head  of 
this  business  until  his  death,  on  January  2,  1880, 
when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  widow,  who, 
aided  by  her  sons  Charles  G.,  Frederick  C.  and 
William,  still  conduct  it  under  the  founder's  name. 
When  but  a  child  of  eighteen  months  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  met  with  an  unfortunate  accident. 
Left  unattended  fjor  a  few  moments  he  strayed  into 
the  street  and  was  run  over  by  a  passing  horse  car, 
sustaining  injuries  which  necessitated  the  amputa- 
tion of  his  right  hand.  This  severe  casualty,  which 
would  have  seriously  interfered  with  the  future 
success  of  a  youth  less  happily  endowed  mentally, 
has  never  seemed  to  be  the  slightest  obstacle  to  the 
advancement  of  Mr.  Guenther.  As  a  boy  he  was 
healthy  and  hearty,  and  if  he  was  compelled  to  take 
a  little  less  active  part  in  outdoor  sports  he  was 
fully  compensated  by  a  natural  taste  for  reading 
and  study,  which  he  was  thus  given  time  to  culti- 
vate. When  he  had  passed  through  the  public 
schools  in  his  native  city  he  read  law  for  two  years 
in  the  office  of  Giles  E.  Stilwell,  Esq.,  (who  subse- 
quently became  City  Attorney  at  Buffalo,)  and  also 
assisted  in  the  clerical  duties  of  the  office.  Being 
satisfied  that  he  had  found  his  true  vocation,  he 
then  entered  the  Law  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  completing 


the  usual  course  was  graduated  high  in  his  da--, 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws,  in  1881.  Af- 
ter graduation  he  went  to  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
where,  at  the  well-known  Raven  High  School,  he 
took  a  special  course  of  study  in  literature  and  the 
higher  English  branches.  He  then  returned  to  Buf- 
falo and  resumed  the  study  of  law  under  Mr.  Stil- 
well. In  1883,  being  then  of  age,  he  was  appointed 
to  a  clerkship  in  the  office  of  the  Corporation  Coun- 
sel, the  incumbent  of  which  was  his  preceptor,  Mr. 
Stilwell,  a  Democrat.  When  that  gentleman  was 
succeeded  in  office  by  Mr.  Herman  Hennig,  who 
:  was  also  a  Democrat,  no  objection  could  be  found 
against  young  Mr.  Guenther,  and  he  was  retained 
in  his  clerkship,  and  was  the  only  subordinate  thus 
honored.  He  held  this  position  until  the  close  of 
Mr.  Hennig's  term,  in  1885.  Bright  and  capable, 
and  prompt  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  du- 
ties, official,  professional  and  social,  he  became  very 
popular,  and  in  1885  was  prominently  mentioned  as 
a  candidate  for  the  office  of  Civil  Justice,  but  de- 
clined to  stand  at  the  request  of  his  father,  who  dis- 
approved of  his  entering  public  life  at  this  early  age, 
although  he  would  certainly  have  been  nominated 
and  elected.  In  the  same  year  he  was  a  delegate 
from  the  Fourth  Erie  District  to  the  Saratoga  Con- 
vention, which  nominated  David  Bennett  Hill  for 
Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  has  since  con- 
tinuously represented  his  district  in  the  Democratic 
State  Conventions.  In  1886,  yielding  to  the  wishes 
of  his  party,  he  accepted  the  Democratic  nomination 
of  Assemblyman  and  was  elected,  defeating  Mr.  John 
Krause,  the  Republican  nominee,  and  who  was  the 
then  representative  of  the  district,  by  a  plurality  of 
338  votes.  He  carried  the  Twelfth  Ward,  in  which 
he  lived,  by  a  majority  of  716  votes,  and  ran  574 
votes  ahead  of  his  ticket.  Mr.  Guenther  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1887,  to  practice  in  all  the  courts 
of  the  State.  The  same  year  he  was  renominated 
for  the  Assembly,  and  defeated  his  Republican  op- 
ponent, Mr.  John  R.  Patton,  of  Tonawanda,  and 
Mr.  John  A.  Thompson,  Prohibitionist,  by  a  plur- 
ality of  1,428  votes,  running  1,000  votes  ahead  of 
his  ticket,  and  carrying  his  own  ward  in  Buffalo  by 
1,122  votes  out  of  1,432  polled.  In  1888  he  was 
again  renominated  for  Assemblyman,  and  re-elected, 
defeating  Mr.  Christopher  Smith,  a  popular  Repub- 
lican of  the  Twelfth  Ward,  by  a  majority  of  1,144 
votes.  In  1889  he  was  a  fourth  time  placed  in  the 
field,  running  again  against  Christopher  Smith,  of 
the  Twelfth  Ward,  who  was  renominated  by  the 
Republicans,  and  whom  he  defeated  by  1,491  votes, 
running  over  1,500  ahead  of  his  ticket.  As  a  legis- 
lator, Mr.  Guenther  has  proved  more  than  ordin- 
arily active  and  efficient,  and,  notwithstanding  his 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


179 


comparative  youth,  has  earned  and  holds  the  re- 
speet  of  his  colleagues  in  the  Assembly.  In  1887 
he.served  on  the  Committees  of  Railroads  and  House 
Expenditures:  in  1888,  on  those  on  General  Laws 
and  Internal  Affairs;  and  in  1889  on  those  on  Gen- 
eral Laws  and  House  Expenditures.  Aside  from 
his  official  duties  he  has  a  large  law  practice  and 
stands  among  the  foremost  of  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  Erie  County  bar.  He  is  at  present 
associated  with  George  M.  Browne,  a  graduate  of 
Yale  College,  and  a  lawyer  of  prominence  and 
standing.  The  firm  name  is  Browne  &  Guenther, 
and  their  offices  are  in  the  city  of  Buffalo. 


DUKKEE.  CHARLES  RIX,  formerly  Clerk  and 
afterwards  Treasurer  of  Erie  County,  was 
born  in  Randolph,  Vermont,  December  12, 
1821.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Ziba  Durkee,  and 
Hannah  Arlotta  Baylies,  the  latter  being  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  Timothy  Baylies,  the  first  practicing  physi- 
cian in  Randolph,  Vermont.  Ziba  Durkee  moved 
to  York,  Pennsylvania,  in  1828,  where  for  four 
years  the  subject  of  our  sketch  attended  the  York 
Academy,  his  father  being  extensively  engaged  in 
staging  between  Philadelphia  anil  Pittsburg,  Harris- 
burg,  Baltimore  and  Hagerstown.  and  Philadelphia 
and  Baltimore.  In  1832  Mr.  Durkee's  interests  re- 
quired him  to  remove  to  Philadelphia,  where  his 
son  was  placed  in  Prof.  Lake's  private  school  at  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  Arcli  Streets.  He  remained 
in  this  school  for  two  years,  and  spent  the  two  fol- 
lowing at  the  Bedford,  (Pennsylvania),  Military  Insti- 
tute, which  completed  his  education.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1836,  James  Watson  Webb,  of  the  New  York 
Oowrier  and  Inquirer,  in  order  to  obtain  the  pro- 
ceedings of  Congress  in  advance  of  any  other  paper, 
conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  a  horse  express 
to  run  between  Washington  and  Philadelphia,  dur- 
ing the  session  of  Congress.  He  entered  into  a  con- 
tract with  Ziba  Durkee  to  carry  out  this  scheme, 
which  was  to  place  a  horse  and  a  boy  every  ten 
miles  between  Washington  and  Philadelphia,  this 
express  to  connect  with  the  Camden  and  Amboy 
Railroad,  as  during  the  winter  season  navigation 
between  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  was  closed. 
Charles  Durkee,  who  was  then  only  fifteen  years  of 
age,  took  charge  of  this  express  from  Washington 
to  Havre  de  Grace.  The  next  two  years  he  was 
engaged  as  clerk  in  the  old  United  States  Hotel  in 
Philadelphia.  In  1840,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
in  connection  with  his  father,  he  entered  into  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  mill  machinery,  in  which 
he  continued  until  1861,  having  in  1843  removed  the 


business  to  Buffalo,  where  he  became  prominently 
identified  with  the  politics  of  Erie  County.  In  1847 
he  removed  to  Alden,  Erie  County,  New  York, 
where  lie  lias  continued  to  reside  up  to  the  present 
time,  and  where  on  December  10,  1851,  he  was 
married  to  Helen  Bass,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Bass 
and  Abigail  Baylies,  of  Randolph,  Massachusetts. 
In  1861  Mr.  Durkee  was  elected  Clerk  of  Erie 
County  by  the  Republican  party,  in  winch  position 
lie  served  three  years.  In  1866  he  was  elected 
County  Treasurer  on  the  union  ticket  of  Johnson 
Republicans  and  Democrats,  and  in  this  office  also 
he  served  three  years.  Since  that  time  he  has  acted 
with  the  Democratic  party,  having  been  many 
years  a  member,  first  of  the  Republican  and  after- 
wards of  the  Democratic  County  Committees.  Mr. 
Durkee  is  greatly  esteemed  wherever  known  for  his 
sterling  qualities  of  head  and  heart,  and  has  a  host 
of  appreciative  personal  friends. 


EDDY,  JOSEPH  WILLIAM,  M.D.,  a  leading 
medical  practitioner  of  Oswego,  and  one  of  the 
Attending  Surgeons  to  the  Oswego  Hospital, 
was  born  at  Williamson,  Wayne  County,  New  York, 
April  17,  1851.  He  is  of  New  England  ancestry, 
which  dates  b-ick  to  some  time  in  the  last  century. 
Joseph  Eddy,  his  grandfather,  was  born  in  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island,  and  Norman  Eddy,  son  of  the 
foregoing,  at  the  same  place  in  1815.  The  latter, 
who  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Williamson  when  he 
was  a  mere  child  in  arms,  his  father  having  bought 
a  farm  there  with  the  intention  of  settling  down  to 
an  agricultural  life.  Left  an  orphan  in  his  youth, 
Norman  Eddy  took  charge  of  the  farm,  which  con- 
stituted the  most  valuable  property  of  his  father, 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  At  the  age  of  thirty-two  years  he  married 
Miss  Eliza  Potter,  of  Williamsou,  who  survives  him, 
together  with  her  two  children,  a  son,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  and  a  daughter.  Mrs.  Eddy  and  her 
daughter  still  reside  at  the  old  homestead.  Joseph 
W.  Eddy  grew  up  on  the  parental  farm.  When  fif- 
teen years  old  lie  was  sent  to  Marion  Collegiate  In- 
stitute, where  he  remained  several  years.  He  then 
went  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  began  the  study  of 
medicine  under  the  celebrated  Dr.  Theodore  A 
McGraw,  attending,  in  the  meantime,  the  usual 
courses  of  lectures  at  the  Detroit  Medical  College. 
In  1874  he  received  the  Degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
and  soon  afterwards  established  himself  in  practice  at 
Oswego,  where  he  remained  until  1878,  when,  desir- 
ing to  avail  himself  of  the  advantages  of  study  un- 


i8o 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


der  foreign  teacliers,  he  went  abroad  ttnd  entered  the 
Ecole  de  Medecine  in  Paris,  wbere  he  spent  a  year, 
devoting  his  time  principally  to  the  study  of  surgery 
under  the  ablest  instructors.  Wbile  abroad  he  met 
Miss  Hannah  C.  Eggleston,  an  acquaintance  from 
Oswego,  who  was  then  traveling  in  Europe  with  her 
sister,  and  the  result  was  that  they  were  married  at 
the  Church  of  St.  Martin's-in-tbe-Fields,  London, 
England.  After  spending  some  time  in  travel  they 
returned  to  Oswego,  where  Dr.  Eddy  resumed  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Eddy's  success  has 
brought  him  reputation  and  has  led  to  his  appoint- 
ment to  several  important  medical  positions,  notably 
that  of  Attending  Surgeon  to  the  Oswego  Hospital. 
He  is  likewise  Examining  Surgeon  United  States 
Pension  Board.at  Oswego,  and  Surgeon  of  the  Rome, 
Watertown  and  Ogdensburg  Railroad  Company.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society, 
and  also  of  the  Oswego  County  Medical  Society  and 
has  been  President  of  the  latter.  His  professional 
duties  so  fully  occupy  his  time  that  he  is  obliged 
to  refrain  from  active  participation  in  politics, 
although  he  maintains  an  affiliation  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  has  one  child,  a  daughter  named 
Louise,  now  in  her  eigrfth  year. 


HPWMAN,  WILLIAM  H.  II.,  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Buffalo,  New  York,  widely  known  in  busi- 
ness circles  as  the  head  of  the  old-established 
firm  of  W.  H.  H.  Newman  &  Co.,  and  identified 
with  many  of  the  leading  interests  of  the  city 
in  business,  benevolence  and  otherwise,  was  born 
in  New  York  City,  February  8,  1826,  and  has  been  a 
resident  of  Buffalo  since  June  30,  1833.  lie  is  the 
second  son  of  the  late  John  Newman,  of  Buffalo, 
who  was  born  October  lfl,  1796,  in  Saratoga  County, 
New  York,  and  who  was  the  son  of  Thomas  B. 
Newman,  who  removed  thence  a  few  years  later  to 
Oneida  County,  same  State.  There  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  but  on  reaching  manhood  he  removed  to 
New  York  City,  where  he  established  himself  in  the 
mechanical  and  machinery  business  and  became 
prominent  as  a  pioneer  in  the  construction  of  steam 
engines  and  boilers,  during  the  earlier  days  of 
steam  navigation.  On  January  1,  1823,  he  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Miller,  daughter  of  Joseph  Miller, 
then  of  New  York  City,  but  formerly  a  resident  of 
Mamaroneck,  Westchester  County,  New  York, 
where  the  Miller  family  had  resided  many  years 
previous  to  and  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
where  Miss  Miller  herself  was  born,  January  9, 
1789.    This  lady  died  at  Buffalo,  March  12,  1859. 


In  1833  Mr.  John  Newman  removed  with  his  wife 
and  family  to  Buffalo,  transferring  thither  his  busi- 
I  ness  interests  also.  The  field  presented  to  him  in 
connection  with  the  development  of  the  lake 
steam  marine  then  in  its  infancy,  was  a  large  and 
promising  one  and  occupied  him  profitably  during 
the  remainder  of  his  long  and  honorable  business 
career.  He  was  an  active  factor  in  the  general 
business  life  of  Buffalo  for  a  generation  or  more  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  August  28, 
18G7,  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  highly 
respected  men  of  that  city.  William  II.  H.  New- 
man, the  subject  of  this  sketch,  with  a  taste  for 
mechanical  and  mercantile  pursuits,  quite  early  in 
life  entered  the  office  of  his  father's  iron  works, 
where  he  soon  assumed  important  duties  and  when 
of  age  was  admitted  as  a  partner  in  the  business. 
In  1858,  his  father  being  about  to  retire  from  active 
life,  he  withdrew  from  his  former  occupation  and 
established  the  mercantile  business  in  iron,  metals, 
tin  plate,  etc.,  etc.,  which  he  has  since  continued. 
Experience  and  skill  in  mechanical  pursuits  fitted 
him  for  the  requirements  of  the  trade,  more  partic- 
ularly the  supplying  of  materials  needed  for  rail- 
road purposes  and  in  connection  with  the  uses  of 
steam  on  land  and  water.  A  wide  and  varied 
range  of  ability,  which  he  devoted  with  untiring 
energy  to  the  business  and  conducting  it  with 
marked  thoroughness,  accuracy  and  close  attention 
to  detail,  meeting  all  engagements  with  fidelity  and 
promptness,  soon  gained  for  him  a  well-earned  rep- 
utation for  reliability,  with  assured  and  uninter- 
rupted success,  which,  wThile  building  up  a  large 
and  profitable  trade  for  himself,  has  contributed  in 
no  small  degree  to  promote  the  general  commercial 
prosperity  of  the  city.  The  firm  of  which  he  is  the 
founder  and  head  is  now  one  of  the  largest  in  its 
line  of  trade,  and  extensively  and  most  favorably 
known  throughout  that  section  of  the  country. 
Mr.  Newman  is  a  man  of  marked  individuality,  of 
Quaker  descent  and  possessing  a  liberal  heritage  of 
the  plain  and  practical,  seasoned  with  a  quiet  vein 
of  ready  humor.  His  character  is  of  the  posi- 
tive order,  and  he  is  strongly  inclined  to  indepen- 
dence in  his  views..  Energy,  both  mental  and  phy- 
sical, has  always  been  a  prominent  characteristic  and 
being  quick  to  decide,  once  having  done  so,  he  rarely 
has  occasion  to  recede  from  his  position.  His  judg- 
ments are  founded  on  the  logic  of  experience,  but 
derive  impulse  from  his  intuition,  which  seems  to 
penetrate  with  ease  to  the  depths  of  the  subject 
under  consideration.  Held  in  high  esteem  as  a 
merchant  of  unquestioned  responsibility,  with  irre- 
proachable character  and  occupying  a  leading  posi- 
tion in  business  circles,  he  might  reasonably  aspire 


AllnntwPuiUsliWf&E-iiaravin^Co 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


181 


to  political  honors  and  as  well  expect  the  support 
of  the  best  element  of  his  fellow-citizens  :  but  poli- 
tics have  never  had  any  attraction  for  him,  his 
tastes  being  averse  to  the  excitement  of  campaigns 
and  inclining  rather  to  quieter  fields,  those  of  phil- 
anthropy and  literature  more  especially — his  library 
with  its  valuable  collection  of  rare  manuscripts  and 
missals,  old  Bibles  and  early  printed  books,  attests, 
to  tastes  in  that  direction.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Merchants  Exchange  since  the  date  of  its 
organization,  and  identified  with  many  of  the  insti- 
tutions of  the  city  in  connection  with  public  and 
benevolent  interests,  and  for  years  prominent  in  the 
management  of  many  of  them,  including  boards  of 
direction  of  railroads,  one  of  the  savings  banks  and 
one  of  the  gas  companies  of  the  city,  and  the  Niag- 
ara Falls  Railway  Suspension  Bridge  Company.  In 
works  of  benevolence  he  has  always  manifested  a 
sincere  interest  with  liberal  contributions  to  assist 
worthy  charities,  among  these  the  Buffalo  Or- 
phan Asylum,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  times  past.  As 
Trustee,  Treasurer  and  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  he  has  continued  to  render  valuable  as- 
sistance in  church  work  for  many  years.  It  is  a 
matter  of  public  knowledge  that  no  man  is  more 
conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  devolv- 
ing upon  him.  Every  interest  which  has  enlisted 
his  services  has  received  the  most  careful  attention. 
For  many  years  lie  has  been  actively  connected 
with  the  Buffalo  Historical  Society,  contributing 
largely  to  its  prosperity  and  permanence  by  dona- 
tions, well-timed  advice  and  disinterested  service. 
In  graceful  recognition  of  his  tastes  and  labors  in 
historical  research,  and  in  grateful  acknowledgment 
of  his  valuable  assistance  in  developing  its  useful- 
ness and  furthering  its  efforts,  he  was  elected  to  the 
honorable  position  of  President  of  the  Buffalo  His- 
torical Society  in  1879,  and  was  re-elected  in  1885. 
Through  his  executive  connection  with  this  and  other 
public  institutions,  he  has  a  considerable  acquain- 
tance with  men  of  distinction  in  letters,  in  the  arts 
and  sciences  and  in  religious  and  benevolent  work, 
and  by  these,  as  well  as  his  peers  and  associates  in 
business,  he  is  esteemed  as  a  man  of  liberal  and  en- 
lightened views,  stainless  life,  and  humane  and 
generous  impulses.  Mr.  Newman  was  married  on 
October  2,  1849,  to  Miss  Jerusha  A.  Burrows, 
daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Latham  A.  Burrows,  of 
Buffalo,  New  York.  He  has  two  children  :  a  son, 
John  B.  Newman,  who  has  been  associated  with 
his  father  in  business  for  several  years  past  (in  the 
firm  of  W.  H.  H.  Newman  &  Co.);  and  a  daughter, 
Emily  A.,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Harry  Walbridge,  of 
the  firm  of  Walbridge  &  Co.,  Buffalo. 


HOUGHTON,  JAMES  WAR  BEN,  County  Judge 
of  Saratoga  County,  was  born  at  Corinth  in  the 
same  county,  September  1,  1856.  His  father 
wasTilley  Houghton,  also  a  native  of  that  county  and 
a  son  of  Tilley  Houghton  who  came  to  Saratoga 
County  at  an  early  day  from  Leominster,  Massachu- 
setts. His  mother  was  Charlotte  Dayton,  daughter 
of  Joel  Dayton,  also  of  the  same  county.  His  father 
was  a  man  of  great  native  ability  and  widely  known 
throughout  the  county.  Upon  his  death,  in  1809,  the 
widow  and  children  were  thrown  largely  upon  their 
ow  n  resources,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the 
eldest  of  four  children.  He  found  a  home  however, 
near  schools  of  the  first  class,  with  his  father's  sister 
at  Canandaigua,  New  York.  By  manual  labor 
upon  a  fruit  farm  owned  by  her,  he  acquired  a 
sturdy  constitution,  which  stood  him  in  good  stead 
in  his  study  and  profession  in  after  years.  In  1871 
he  entered  Canandaigua  Academy,  a  college  pre- 
paratory school  of  note,  teaching,  however,  at  in- 
tervals as  a  means  of  meeting  necessary  expendi- 
tures. He  was  recognized  by  the  faculty  as  a 
studious  and  ambitious  boy  and  on  several  occasions 
was  awarded  rhetorical  prizes,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  school  3-ear  of  1870  delivered  an  oration  upon 
the  "Past  and  Future  of  the  Republic,"  by  special 
designation  of  the  trustees  of  the  Academy.  It  was 
his  design  to  obtain  a  collegiate  training,  but  the 
lack  of  means  and  the  seeming  pressing  necessity  to 
qualify  himself  for  some  remunerative  business 
obliged  him  to  content  himself  with  advance  studies 
at  the  Academy,  which  at  that  time  were  nearly 
identical  with  the  first  two  years  of  most  colleges. 
In  the  fall  of  1870  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge 
II.  L.  Comstock  and  subsequently  that  of  E.  W. 
Gardner,  at  Canandaigua,  and  in  October,  1879,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Rochester,  New  York.  In 
January  following  he  came  to  Saratoga  Springs, 
having  secured  a  position  in  the  office  of  Surrogate 
E.  H.  Peters.  In  1882  he  opened  an  office  for  him- 
self. The  care  and  research  displayed  in  the 
preparation  of  his  cases  before  the  courts  soon  at- 
tracted to  him  a  lucrative  and  responsible  clientage, 
and  he  rapidly  began  to  be  considered  one  of  the 
rising  young  lawyers  of  the  county.  Criminal  law, 
which  yields  so  broad  a  field  for  young  lawyers,  he 
did  not  neglect  and  amongst  his  early  cases  was  the 
defense  of  oue  Luke,  of  New  York  City,  charged 
with  having  robbed  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Saratoga 
County  of  over  $100,000  in  securities.  Although  an 
acquittal  was  not  secured,  so  tenacious  and  untiring 
was  the  defense  that  a  disagreement  of  the  jury  was 
obtained  011  each  of  the  three  trials  had,  and  the 
defendant  discharged.  This  case  established  his 
reputation  as  an  untiring  and  zealous  advocate  in 


182 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


the  interests  of  his  client.  His  familiarity  with  Sur- 
rogate practice  naturally  brought  litigation  of  that 
character  to  him,  and  he  has  been  engaged  in  many 
of  the  important  will  contests  within  the  county. 
September  6, 1888,  Mr.  Houghton  was  nominated  by 
the  Republican  party  for  the  office  of  County  Judge, 
having  for  his  competitors  for  the  honor,  several 
older  members  of  the  bar.  The  nominee  against 
him  was  Mr.  A.  C.  Dake  of  Ballston  Spa,  and  a 
desperate  effort  was  made  to  defeat  him  on  the 
ground  of  his  youth.  He,  however,  was  successful 
by  a  majority  of  nearly  fifteen  hundred — the  largest 
local  majority  in  the  county  on  a  contest  for  years. 
Judge  Houghton  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office 
January  1,  1889.  The  term  is  six  years.  Judge 
Houghton  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Smith  of  Saratoga 
Springs,  and  has  two  children. 


WARDWELL,  WILLIAM  T,.  a  prominent  citizen 
and  business  man  of  New  York,  specially  dis- 
tinguished as  a  leader  in  the"  cause  of  temper- 
ance, and  recently  the  candidate  of  the  Prohibition 
party  for  the  Mayoralty  'of  the  city  of  New  York, 
was  born  at  Bristol,  Rhode  Island.  February  1, 1827. 
On  both  sides  he  comes  from  old  and  highly  re- 
spectable New  England  ancestry.  The  earliest 
American  representatives  of  his  father's  family, 
William  and  his  brother,  Thomas  Wardwell,  came 
from  England  to  Boston  about  1633.  Uzal  Ward- 
well,  son  of  William,  was  a  freeman  in  the  town  of 
Bristol  (originally  called  Mount  Hope  Neck)  in 
1681,  when  the  place  first  took  its  new  name,  and 
joined  the  church  there.  He  died  at  Bristol,  Octo- 
ber 25, 1732,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three 
years.  By  his  wife,  Grace  Wardwell,  he  was  the 
father  of  several  children,  one  of  whom,  Joseph 
Wardwell,  born  July  30,  1686,  married  Martha 
Gideon.  A  child  of  this  marriage,  named  John 
Wardwell,  born  October  12,  1720,  married  Phoebe 
Rowland,  October  11,  1741.  The  latter  was  a  de- 
scendant in  the  third  generation  from  John  How- 
land,  one  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  who  came  over  in 
the  "Mayflower"  in  the  little  band  of  Puritans  led 
by  Governor  Carver,  with  whose  family  he  was 
classed,  and  landed  on  Plymouth  Rock,  December 
21,  1620.  Soon  after  the  settlement  of  Plymouth, 
John  Howland  married  a  daughter  of  Governor 
Carver.  He  became  Surveyor  of  the  Colony,  and 
later  a  member  of  Governor  Edward  Winslow's 
Council,  and  later  still  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Commissioners  to  treat  with  the  Colony  of  Massa- 
chusetts. His  youngest  son,  Lieutenant  Jabez 
Howland.  distinguished  himself  in  the  Indian  War 


I  of  1675-76,  known  as  King  Phillip's  War,  and  at  its 
I  close  joined  his  superior  officer,  Captain  Church, 
!  the  brave  commander  of  the  Colonial  troops  during 
I  this  bloody  struggle,  in  the  purchase  of  a  tract  of  land 
where  together  they  founded  the  settlement  which 
took  the  name  of  Bristol.  Lieutenant  Rowland's 
granddaughter,  Phoebe  Howland,  referred  to  above, 
was  the  great  grandmother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  She  was  the  youngest  of  five  sisters,  three 
of  whom  married  Wardwells.  John  and  Phcebe 
(Howland;  Wardwell  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children.  Allen  Wardwell,  their  youngest  child, 
born  March  1,  1765,  was  married  to  Abigail  Smith, 
daughter  of  Josiah  Smith,  September  4,  1786,  by  the 
Rev.  Henry  Wight  at  Bristol,  Rhode  Island.  Both 
lived  to  a  good  old  age  he  dying  March  31,  1840, 
aged  seventy-five  years,  and  she  October  6.  1844, 
aged  seventy-nine  years.  They  had  eight  children, 
of  whom  William,  the  sixth,  was  the  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  William  T.  Wardwell,  a 
native  of  Bristol,  and  born  at  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,  was  both  a  skillful  mechanic  and 
]  an  industrious  farmer.  He  was  a  man  of  superior 
intelligence,  unusual  energy  and  pure  character,  and 
during  his  earlier  life  in  New  England  and  later  life 
in  the  Northwest,  maintained  with  ease  and  dignity 
j  the  high  standard  of  worth  and  morality  which  had 
marked  his  ancestors  for  generations.  His  wife, 
Mary  Hawes,  was  a  woman  of  the  highest  excellence 
of  character,  a  helpmeet  in  all  the  varied  meanings 
j  of  that  comprehensive  term,  and  an  ornament  of  the 
Christian  circle  in  which  she  moved.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Captain  John  Hawes,  a  New  Bedford 
whaler  and  ship-owner,  a  gentleman  of  wealth  and 
high  standing,  who  was  for  many  years  Collector  of 
the  Port  of  New  Bedford,  and  who  is  described  in 
the  ''Memorials  of  Methodism  "  (by  Abel  Stevens, 
Boston,  1852),  as  "one  of  the  noblest  pillars  and 
fairest  ornaments  of  the  infant  church," — that  is, 
the  Methodist  Church  in  New  England,  to  which  he 
was  drawn  in  early  manhood,  and  of  which  he  be- 
came a  devout  member,  and  in  later  life  a  liberal 
benefactor.  William  T.  Wardwell,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  the  second  of  the  eight  children 
born  to  his  parents.  When  he  was  in  his  ninth  year 
his  father  became  affected  by  the  emigration  fever 
which  raged  at  that  time,  and,  believing  that  the 
region  then  newly  opened  up  in  the  West  presented 
the  opportunities  so  many  wrere  looking  for,  he  re- 
moved thither,  settling  on  a  farm  near  Niles,  Michi- 
gan. Here  William  spent  the  ensuing  three  or  four 
years,  receiving  such  educational  advantages  as  the 
primitive  schools  of  the  settlement  afforded,  but  ob- 
taining at  home  from  his  devout  and  cultivated 
mother  more  than  enough  to  supply  the  deficiency, 


JP 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


183 


and  in  addition  the  moral  and  religious  training 
which  nearly  every  New  England  parent  deems  as 
essential  to  earthly  as  to  future  happiness. 
When  thirteen  years  of  age  he  was  placed  as  a  clerk 
in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Mr.  Samuel  W.  Hawes,  of 
Buffalo,  who  was  engaged  in  the  oil  business.  The 
situation  proved  to  be  the  very  best  one  in  which 
his  young,  ambitions  could  have  been  brought  into 
play.  He  speedily  developed  surprising  business 
ability,  and  upon  attaining  his  majority  had  ac- 
quired such  an  insight  into  the  trade  and  a  com- 
mand of  its  facilities,  that  he  embarked  in  it  on  his 
own  account.  Shrewd,  active  and  enterprising,  he 
made  a  success  of  his  venture,  and  was  already  on 
the  high  road  to  fortune  when  petroleum  was  dis- 
covered in  Pennsylvania.  This  discovery  revolu- 
tionized the  business  in  which  he  was  engaged,  but 
Mr.  Wardwell,  who  was  one  of  the  first  to  appreci- 
ate the  extent  and  value  of  the  discovery,  erected  a 
large  refinery  at  Buffalo,  and  was  soon  occupied 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  new  product.  When  it 
became  evident,  that  the  great  business  in  petroleum 
was  to  be  for  export,  Mr.  Wardwell  cast  his  eyes 
toward  the  city  of  New  York.  The  advantages  of 
Hunter's  Point  as  a  location  for  a  refinery  to  supply 
the  export  trade  struck  him,  and,  finding  a  half 
completed  factory  building  conveniently  situated 
near  Newtown  Creek,  he  purchased  it  and  making 
suitable  alterations,  erected  the  pioneer  oil-still  on 
Long  Island.  He  kept  increasing  the  capacity  of 
his  factory  with  the  demands  made  upon  it,  and  in 
1875,  when  the  Standard  Oil  Company  purchased  it, 
it  was  the  largest  at  Hunter's  Point.  After  selling 
his  factory,  Mr.  Wardwell  became  connected  with 
the  Devoe  Manufacturing  Company  of  New  York 
City,  of  which  he  is  now  the  Treasurer  and  the 
administrative  head.  This  company  is  one  of  the 
largest  oil  enterprises  in  the  United  States.  It  an- 
nually sends  hundreds  of  shiploads  of  oil  to  every 
quarter  of  the  globe,  .as  high  as  ten  million  cases 
being  sometimes  shipped  in  the  course  of  the  year. 
The  active  factor  in  such  an  enormous  business  is 
necessarily  a  weighty  personage  on  'Change  and  in 
the  business  circles  of  the  metropolis,  but  apart 
from  this  Mr.  Wardwell  holds  a  high  place  in  the 
commercial  world,  as  a  gentleman  of  large  experi- 
ence, sound  judgment  and  inflexible  integrity.  He 
is  noted  for  the  earnestness  and  determination  with 
which  he  prosecutes  whatever  enterprises  he  un- 
dertakes, and  his  success  is  rarely  a  matter  of  doubt 
or  question.  Both  in  business  and  private  affairs 
he  is  scrupulously  exact,  holding  faith  fully  to  his 
agreements  and  expecting  the  same  of  others.  Mr. 
Wardwell  has  always  taken  a  warm  interest  in  the 
temperance  question,  but  his  attention  became  ab- 


I  sorbingly  drawn  to  it  in  the  fall  of  1884  during  a 
series  of  meetings  held  at  Chickering  Hall  in  New 
York  City.  Joining  the  society  under  the  auspices 
of  which  the  meetings  were  held,  he  was  honored 
by  being  chosen  Treasurer,  and  becoming  thus  a 
vital  part  of  the  organization,  threw  himself  with 
vigor  into  its  work.  The  more  closely  he  studied 
the  movement  the  more  convinced  he  became  that 
Prohibition  was  the  only  realty  permanent  remedy 
for  the  great  and  growing  evil  of  intemperance,  and 
he  became  and  is  to-day,  one  of  the  most  earnest 
and  enthusiastic  advocates  and  supporters  of  the 
Prohibition  movement,  ranking  in  prominence  with 
General  Clinton  B.  Fisk,  Ex-Governor  John  B.  St. 
John,  and  other  of  its  well-known  leaders.  In  view 
of  this  fact  a  brief  outline  of  the  origin  and  prog- 
ress of  the  Prohibition  party  may  properly  be 
given  in  connection  with  Mr.  Ward/well's  biographi- 
cal sketch,  and  is  here  published  as  a  matter  of  gen- 
eral interest.  The  call  for  the  first  National  Conven- 
tion to  organize  the  party  was  issued  during  the 
summer  of  1809.  Pursuant  thereto  nearly  five  hun- 
dred delegates  from  the  states  of  California,  Con- 
necticut, Delaware,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Kansas, 
Missouri,  Minnesota,  Massachusetts,  .Maine,  Michi- 
gan, New  Jersey,  New  York,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania, 
Tennessee,  Vermont,  Wisconsin  and  the  District  of 
Columbia  assembled  in  Farvvell  Hall,  Chicago, 
Wednesday,  September  1,  1869.  A  platform  was 
adopted,  its  chief  plank  declaring  for  the  complete 
overthrow  of  "  the  saloon."  An  Executive.  Com- 
mittee was  chosen  and  a  plan  of  work  outlined. 
The  first  nominating  Convention  was  held  at  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  February  22,  1872.  James  Black  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  John  Russell  of  Michigan,  were 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  ticket  as  candidates  for  the 
office  of  President  and  Vice-President,  respectively. 
In  support  ofthe  ticket  thus  named  five  thousand 
rive  hundred  and  eight  votes  were  polled.  In  1876 
the  National  Convention  met  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  on 
May  17,  and  placed  in  the  field  as  its  standard  bear- 
er, General  Green  Clay  Smith,  of  Kentucky,  and 
Gideon  T.  Stewart,  of  Ohio,  who  received  nine 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-seven  votes, 
polled  in  nineteen  States.  On  June  17,  1880,  the 
third  National  Convention  of  the  Prohibition  party 
met  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  put  in  nomination  the 
following  ticket :  For  President,  General  Neal 
Dow,  of  Maine  ;  for  Vice-President,  H.  A.  Thomp- 
son, of  Ohio.  These  candidates  received  eleven 
thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty  votes  at  the  November 
election.  The  fourth  nominating  convention  was  a 
larger  and  more  representative  body  than  any  of  its 
predecessors.  It  met  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania, 
on  July  23,  1884.    There  were  present  four  hundred 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


and  sixty-five  accredited  delegates,'  representing 
thirty-one  States  and  Territories,  viz.,  Alabama, 
Arkansas,  Connecticut,  California,  Georgia,  Illinois, 
Indiana,  Kansas,  Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Maryland, 
Massachusetts,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Maine,  Mis- 
souri, Nebraska,  New  Hampshire,  New  Jersey,  New 
York,  Ohio,  Oregon,  Pennsylvania,  Rhode  Island, 
Tennessee,  Texas,  Wisconsin,  West  Virginia.  Da- 
kota, Arizona  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  Hon. 
John  P.  St.  John,  ex-Governor  of  Kansas,  was  nom- 
inated for  President,  and  Hon.  William  Daniel,  of 
Maryland,  was  nominated  for  Vice-President.  A 
vigorous  campaign  followed,  and  the  ticket  secured 
one  hundred  and  fifty-one  thousand  and  seventy 
votes  in  thirty-lour  States.  The  last  nominating 
convention  met  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  on  May 
30,  1888.  The  delegates  numbered  one  thousand 
and  twenty-nine,  and  represented  forty-two  States 
and  Territories  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  This 
convention  was  marked  by  great  enthusiasm  Gen- 
eral Clinton  B.  Fisk,  of  New  Jersey,  and  John  A. 
Brooks,  of  Missouri,  were  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
ticket  nominated.  The  canvas  which  followed  was 
the  most  exciting  in  the  history  of  the  part}',  and 
was  vigorously  pushed  In  every  part  of  the  country, 
the  old  parties  being  divided  on  the  tariff  question, 
and  each  pressing  its  work  with  unusual  determina- 
ation  and  a  vast  expenditure  of  money.  In  this 
campaign  the  Prohibitionists  polled  for  their  ticket 
two  hundred  and  forty-nine  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  votes.  At  present  (1890)  the  party 
is  earnestly,  steadily  and  hopefully  at  work  build- 
ing up  its  organization  and  preparing  for  future 
campaigns.  Possessed  of  ample  means,  Mr.  Ward- 
well  has,  since  joining  the  Prohibition  movement, 
contributed  liberally  to  its  support,  and  wherever  it 
has  a  foothold  or  a  following  in  the  land,  his  name 
is  known  and  respected  as  that  of  one  of  its  most 
earnest,  generous  and  unselfish  champions.  In  the 
summer  of  188C  the  Prohibition  Party  in  New  York 
placed  Mr.  Wardwell  in  nomination  fur  the  office  of 
Mayor  of  the  city.  On  all  sides  the  nomination  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  best  that  could  be  made, 
even  those  most  violently  antagonistic  to  the  move- 
ment he  represented  conceding  the  strength  and  ac- 
knowledging the  high  character  and  superior  execu- 
tive ability  of  the  nominee.  Thoroughly  well- 
known  and  esteemed  in  the  business  community, 
and  in  the  best  social  circles  in  the  metropolis,  Mr. 
Wardwell  drew  to  the  cause  he  represented  many 
voters  to  whom  another  name  would  have  appealed 
in  vain.  Though  past  sixty  years  of  age,  Mr. 
Wardwell's  sturdy  frame,  sharp  cut,  energetic  look- 
ing features,  alert  movement  and  keen  glance,  de- 
note that  he  is  possessed  of  all  the  vigor  of  a  man 


twenty  years  younger.  He  is  of  medium  height, 
broad  shouldered  and  robust,  has  quick,  penetrating, 
brown  eyes,  and  wears  a  moustache  and  goatee, 
which,  like  his  hair,  are  iron-gray  in  color.  His 
features  are  somewhat  of  the  military  type,  and  the 
student  of  physiognomy  will  readily  perceive  in 
them  the  characteristics  of  a  leader  and  director  of 
men.  Witli  all  this  strength  of  character,  vigor  of 
physique,  earnestness  of  countenance,  and  sternness 
of  purpose  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  Mr.  Wardwell 
combines  social  qualities  which  make  him  a  most 
engaging  companion  and  a  valued  friend.  His 
voice  has  a  wonderful  range,  its  gentleness  and  per- 
suasiveness in  ordinary  conversation  being  no  less 
remarkable  than  its  strength  and  convincing  power 
when  employed  in  advocating  a  good  cause.  His 
speech  and  manners  are  urbane  and  polished,  and 
indicate  a  life-long  association  with  persons  of  cul- 
tivation and  refinement.  In  1852  Mr.  Wardwell 
married  Miss  Eliza  W.  Lanterman,  of  Binghamton, 
N.  Y.  Eight  children  were  born  of  this  union — of 
whom  three  survived  her  death  in  1887 ;  but  the 
death  in  1889  of  Dr.  William  L.  Wardwell,  a  brilliant 
and  promising  young  physician  of  New  York,  leaves 
a  son  and  daughter  surviving.  Mr.  Wardwell  was 
married,  a  second  time,  in  December,  1889,  to  Miss 
Martha  Wallace  Ruff,  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Sam- 
uel Wallace  Ruff,  U.  S.  N.,  and  stepdaughter  of  the 
late  Hon.  Edward  Y .  Rogers  of  New  Jersey. 


MOTT.  THOMAS  SMITH,  of  Oswego,  a  distin- 
guished citizen  and  political  leader,  President 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Oswego,  was 
born  in  Hamilton.  Madison  County,  New  York, 
December  15,  1826.  His  father,  Smith  Mott,  a 
prominent  and  influential  merchant,  was  a  native  of 
Bridgewater,  Oneida  County,  from  which  place  he 
removed  and  settled  in  Hamilton  in  1826,  having 
married  Lucinda  Rattoone  of  Lausingburg,  New 
York,  a  descendant  of  an  old  family  of  that  place, 
who  was  born  in  September,  1806,  and  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1827.  Thomas  Mott  attended  school  at  the 
"Nine  Partners'  Quaker  Boarding  School"  at 
Washington.  Duchess  County,  and  at  the  Hamilton 
Academy.  In  1847,  when  about  twenty'  years  of  age, 
he  commenced  business  in  Hamilton.  Removing  to 
Oswego  in  1851,  he  engaged  in  general  mercantile 
and  shipping  business  with  marked  success.  For  a 
long  time  during  the  years  of  Oswego's  greatest 
commercial  prosperity,  Mr.  Mott  was  its  lar^. ■■; 
ship-owner.  He  became  President  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Oswego  shortly  after  its  organiza- 
tion, which  was  in  1864,  and  still  holds  that  position 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


185 


— covering  a  period  of  a  quarter  of  a  century — with 
great  acceptance  to  those  interested  as  well  as  to  the 
general  public.  Since  1883  he  has  been  President  of 
the  Oswego  Water  Works  Company,  which  has,  un- 
der his  administration,  been  greatly  extended  and 
improved.  Some  fifteen  years  ago  Mr.  Mott's  eye- 
sight began  to  fail  and  he  has  for  years  been  the 
subject  of  partial,  and  for  several  years  last  past,  of 
total  blindness.  This  has  made  the  more  remarka- 
ble his  successful  management  of  his  extensive  busi- 
ness, which  he  has  kept  under  his  personal  super- 
vision, and  at  the  same  time  his  great  interest  in 
politics,  and  the  firm  hold  he  has  retained  of  politi- 
cal influence  and  management.  He  was  for  many 
years  an  active  member  of  the  Republican  State 
Committee,  where  his  judgment  was  much  relied 
upon  by  his  associates.  After  his  retirement  from 
the  Committee  he  still  continued  to  exercise,  and 
does  to  the  present  time,  an  influence  second  to 
none  in  the  political  affairs  of  that  part  of  the  State 
in  which  he  resides.  Mr.  Mott's  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  public  affairs,  and  the  soundness  of  his 
judgment  upon  all  questions  of  party  and  public 
policy,  are  most  remarkable  when  it  is  remembered 
that  by  reason  of  Ids  blindness  he  is  entirely  depend- 
ent on  others  for  his  knowledge  of  passing  events. 
Mr.  Mott's  regard  for  Roscoe  Conkling  and  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  that  statesman  are 
matters  of  public  record.  For  the  last  twenty  years 
of  Mr.  Conkling's  life  he  had  no  warmer  friend  and 
admirer  and  no  more  faithful  supporter  than  Mr. 
Mott,  and  it-is  an  unquestioned  fact  that  Mr.  Conk- 
ling greatly  valued  that  warm  and  faithful  friend- 
ship. Mr.  Mott  has  been  a  liberal  and  public  spirited 
citizen  for  many  years.  The  Oswego  City  Hospital, 
one  of  the  most  important  public  institutions  of  that 
city,  is  especially  indebted  to  him  for  generous  sup- 
port and  indorsement.  In  July,  1847,  Mr.  Mott 
married  Sarah  W.  B.  DeWolf ,  of  Bridgewater,  New 
York.  The  children  of  this  marriage  were  John 
T.  Mott,  Kate  Mott  Ward  (wife  of  Major  Thos. 
Ward,  U.  S.  A.)  and  Elliott  B.  Mott. 


BECKER,  HON.  PHILIP,  founder  and  head  of 
the  extensive  business  house  of  Philip  Becker 
&  Co.,  of  Buffalo,  thrice  Mayor  of  that  city, 
and  prominent  in  commercial  and  political  life  for 
the  last  twenty  years,  was  born  at  Oberotterbach, 
Rheinish  Bavaria,  in  April,  1830.  His  parents  were 
Frederick  and  Catherina  Seibel  Becker,  worthy 
and  well-to-do  residents  of  the  place  last  named. 
Thanks  to  the  excellent  system  of  instruction  pre- 
vailing in  his  native  land,  and  also  to  the  attention 


paid  by  his  parents  to  the  early  training  of  their 
children,  Philip  received  a  good  education  in  his 
youth.    At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  graduated  at 
the  public  school  and  after  that  studied  during 
two  complete  terms  at  a  classical  school.  Well 
equipped  mentally  to  begin  the  battle  of  life,  he  em- 
igrated to  America  in  the  spring  of  1847,  and  on 
May  27  of  that  year,  took  up  his  abode  iu  Buffalo, 
where,  within  a  fortnight  after  his  arrival,  he  en- 
tered upon  his  business  career  as  a  junior  clerk,  at 
the  monthly  salary  of  four  dollars,  in  the  grocery 
store  of  Jacob  Dorst,  then  at  the  corner  of  Mohawk 
and  Main  Streets.    On  March  13,  1848,  he  took  his 
first  step  in  advance  by  changing  his  employer, 
going  then  into  the  grocery  store  of  Abraham 
Twichell,  centrally   situated  under  the  Genesee 
House  on  Main  Street.    Here  he  received  a  salary 
of  seventy-five  dollars  a  year  and  board,  which  was 
increased  the  second  year  to  one  hundred  and 
twelve  dollars  and  board.    Early  in  1850  he  was 
engaged  by  Messrs.  Seibel  and  Neiss,  at  a  salary  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  and  board,  to  open 
a  grocery  store  for  them  in  Buffalo,  and  to  repre- 
sent the  junior  partner  during  his  absence.  In 
March,  1851,  he  entered  the  wholesale  grocery  house 
of  A.  P.  Yaw,  corner  of  Main  and  Dayton  Streets, 
where  he  remained  three  years.    At  first  he  re- 
ceived a  yearly  salary  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars,  but.  the  effective   manner  in  which  he 
discharged  las  duties  led  to  an  increase  of  fifty 
dollars  at  the  expiration  of  the  first  year,  which  was 
still  further  increased  at  the  close  of  the  second 
year.    The  house  was  one  of  the  largest  wholesale 
establishments  in  the  city,  and  in  it  Mr.  Becker 
may  be  said  to  have  perfected  his  knowledge  of  the 
grocery  business.    Having  early  determined  to  en- 
gage in  business  on  his  own  account,  he  husbanded 
his  earnings  and  in  the  spring  of  1854,  finding  him- 
self the  possessor  of  sufficient  capital  to  make  a 
start,  opened  a  store  at  390  (now  510)  Main  Street. 
By  industry  and  the  exercise  of  good  judgment  he 
made  his  venture  a  success  and  four  years  after 
engaging  in  it  was  obliged  to  seek  a  more  commo- 
dious store.    This  was  found  a  few  doors  below  the 
original  location  (at  what  is  now  No.  500).    At  this 
time  also  he  took  as  partner  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
George  Goetz,   who  proved  a  valuable  acquisi- 
tion.   As  the  population  of  the  city  increased  bold- 
er methods  of  transacting  business  came  into  vogue 
and  met  their  legitimate  reward.    In  1862  the  ne- 
cessity for  increased  accommodations  became  so 
pressing  that  removal  was  made  to  the  large  build- 
ing Nos.  468  and  470  Main  Street.    In  1867  Mr. 
Michael  Hausauer,  another  brother-in-law  of  Mr. 
Becker,  was  admitted  to  partnership,  but  the  title 


t86 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


of  the  firm,  which  since  1858  had  been  Philip 
Becker  &  Co.,  was  not  changed.  By  close  attention 
to  business  and  cautious  but  steady  expansion,  the 
firm  advanced  to  a  foremost  place  in  the  wholesale 
grocery  trade  of  the  city,  and  to-day  it  ranks  as  one 
of  the  largest,  wealthiest  and  most  enterprising  in 
Western  New  York.  Since  the  year  1883  Charles 
Groben,  George  W.  Goetz  and  Ed.  H.  Goetz,  the 
three  nephews  of  Mr.  Becker,  have  been  members 
of  the  firm,  but  the  founder  and  his  two  original 
partners  still  continue  to  take  an  active  share  in  the 
management  and  direction  of  the  business.  The 
house  of  Philip  Becker  «fc  Co.  is  widely  known  for 
its  reliability  and  honorable  dealing.  Its  patronage 
is  drawn  from  a  large  section  of  the  western  part  of 
the  State  and  contiguous  sections  of  adjoining 
States,  and  the  volume  of  its  yearly  business  is  very 
great.  Although  remaining  the  head  and  moving 
spirit  of  this  large  business,  Mr.  Becker  has  achieved 
distinction  in  other  fields.  Since  1867  he  has  been 
a  Director  in  the  Buffalo  German  Insurance  Com- 
pany, the  capital  stock  of  which  was  largely  sub- 
scribed through  his  personal  efforts.  This  com- 
pany was  founded  as  a  rebuke  to  the  insurance 
fraternity  in  general,  vfhich,  in  1866,  raised  the  rates 
to  what  was  deemed  an  unwarrantable  and  unjust 
extent.  In  1869,  after  serving  two  terms  as  Vice- 
President,  Mr.  Becker  was  elected  President,  a 
position  which  he  has  since  held  without  interrup- 
tion. The  affairs  of  the  company  are  carefully 
watched  over  by  Mr.  Becker  without  fee  or  reward. 
The  duties  of  th«  position  are  far  from  perfunctory, 
as  was  clearly  shown  in  1873,  when  by  a  vote  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  a  salary  of  two  thousand 
dollars  per  annum  was  attached  to  it.  Although 
elected  at  this  time  Mr,  Becker  declined  to  serve 
unless  this  resolution  was  rescinded.  In  deference 
to  his  wishes  this  was  done.  Mr.  Becker  has  al- 
ways taken  great  pride  in  this  company,  and  un- 
der his  able  guidance  it  has  attained  to  an  exalted 
position  among  its  compeers  and  rivals,  and  to-day 
ranks  with  the  best  in  the  country.  In  the  arena  of 
politics  Mr.  Becker  has  met  with  no  less  success. 
A  Republican  by  choice  from  the  inception  of  the 
party,  he  has  upheld  its  principles  and  followed  its 
fortunes  down  to  the  present  day.  In  1875  he  was 
honored  by  it  with  the  nomination  for  Mayor  of  the 
city.  In  the  canvas,  which  was  a  most  spirited  one, 
he  was  opposed  by  the  Hon.  A.  P.  Laning,  a  lawyer 
of  high  standing  and  a  man  of  great  popularity, 
who  had  made  a  record  in  the  State  Senate.  Mr. 
Becker  was  the  choice  of  the  people,  being  elected 
by  a  most  gratifying  majority.  He  served  as 
Mayor  of  Buffalo  during  the  year  1876-1877.  In 
the  latter  year  he  was  again  placed  in  nomination 


by  the  Republicans  and,  notwithstanding  the  deter- 
mined opposition  of  a  clique  in  his  own  party,  he 
was  re-nominated  through  the  active  efforts  of  the 
best  element  in  it.  The  factional  differences  in 
the  Republican  ranks  and  the  shrewd  manipula- 
tion of  the  "Labor  party"  vote,  resulted  in  the 
election  of  nearly  every  Democratic  nominee, 
including  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Mayor. 
At  the  close  of  his  term  of  office  Mr.  Becker  with- 
drew from  public  life  and  devoted  his  whole  ener- 
gies to  his  business  affairs,  which  had  now  assumed 
very  large  proportions  and  required  his  almost  con- 
stant attention.  With  a  keen  sense  of  his  high  per- 
sonal character  and  of  his  eminent  fitness  for  official 
station,  the  most  influential  men  in  the  Republican 
party  sought  repeatedly  to  swerve  Mr.  Becker  from 
his  determination,  and  used  the  strongest  argu- 
ments in  their  efforts.  In  every  campaign  between 
1878  and  1885  these  efforts  and  arguments  were  re- 
newed and  Mr.  Becker  was  at  various  times  solici- 
ted to  take  the  nominations  for  Mayor,  State  Sena- 
tor, Representative  in  Congress,  etc.  Up  to  1885  he  in- 
variably declined,  but  in  that  year  the  pressure  was 
so  urgent  that  he  consented  to  let  his  name  come 
up  in  Convention  for  the  office  of  Mayor.  He  was 
nominated  with  enthusiasm,  and  won  the  election 
by  a  handsome  majority.  In  1887  he  was  a  fourth 
time  placed  in  nomination  for  the  Mayoralty.  In 
this  canvass,  as  in  a  preceding  one,  he  encountered 
the  bitterest  factional  opposition,  which  resorted  to 
every  possible  means  to  compass  his  defeat.  De- 
spite this,  however,  he  was  triumphant  at  the  polls, 
the  very  best  element  of  the  population  rallying  to 
his  support  in  sufficient  numbers  to  overpower  all 
opposition  and  seat  Mr.  Becker,  the  regular  candi- 
date, in  the  Mayor's  chair  for  the  third  time.  The 
victory  was  a  notable  one,  and  an  emphatic  endorse- 
ment of  all  his  preceding  official  career.  At  no 
time,  even  during  the  hottest  moments  of  the  sev- 
eral campaigns  in  which  Mr.  Becker's  name  has 
headed  the  municipal  ticket,  has  any  imputation 
whatever  been  thrown  upon  his  personal  character. 
As  such  tactics  coidd  have  had  only  one  result,  viz : 
to  unify  all  truthful  and  high-minded  citizens  against 
the  slanderers,  they  were  wisely  omitted.  That 
Mr.  Becker  was  an  able  and  conscientious  chief  mag- 
istrate the  bitterest  of  his  political  foes  have  never 
denied;  and  that  he  has  always  discharged  his  official 
duties  without  fear  or  favor,  no  right-minded  citi- 
zen ever  honestly  questioned.  His  sense  of  duty  is 
exceedingly  strict,  and  in  public  life  as  well  as  in 
his  commercial  affairs  his  high  character  has  always 
been  manifest.  As  a  lover  of  the  customs  and  tra- 
ditions of  "  the  Fatherland  "  Mr.  Becker  has  always 
taken  a  warm  interest  in  the  sports  and  pastimes  of 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


I87 


his  German  fellow-citizens.  In  1862  he  was  elected 
President  of  the  Sangerfest,  which  was  held  at 
Buffalo  in  July  of  the  following  year,  and  was  one 
of  the  greatest  successes  of  the  present  generation — 
largely  through  his  untiring  efforts  in  building  it 
tip  and  in  strengthening  the  hands  of  those  charged 
with  subordinate  details  and  duties.  A  recent  evi- 
dence of  the  esteem  of  his  party  for  Mr.  Becker  was 
shown  by  his  being  chosen  a  Presidential  Elector  in 
the  campaign  which  resulted  in  the  election  of  Gen. 
Harrison.  Mr.  Becker  was  married  in  the  spring 
of  1852,  to  Miss  Sarah  Goctz,  of  Buffalo.  He  has 
recently  built  a  beautiful  residence  on  Delaware 
Avenue;  where  he  and  his  esteemed  wife  now  live 
and  dispense  a  generous  hospitality. 

 1  

SHERMAN,  GENERAL  WILLIAM  TECUMSEH, 
was  born  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  February  8,  1820. 
His  family,  of  English  origin,  was  among  the 
early  settlers  of  New  England ;  one  of  its  branches 
including  Roger  Sherman.  His  father,  the  Hon. 
Charles  R.  Sherman,  was  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  After  his 
death,  the  sixth  child,  William,  was  adopted  by  the 
Hon.  Thomas  Ewing.  John,  a  younger  brother, 
has  for  many  years  represented  their  native  State  as 
Senator  and  Representative,  and  was  at  one  time 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  At  sixteen  years  of  age 
Sherman  entered  the  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  graduating  in  1840.  He  was  at  once  ap- 
pointed Second  Lieutenant  and  assigned  to  duty  in 
Florida.  November,  1841,  he  attained  the  grade  of 
First  Lieutenant.  Succeeding  years  of  service  were 
spent  at  various  forts  in  the  South,  by  no  means 
idly,  as  he  devoted  himself  to  self-improvement, 
and  even  entered  on  the  study  of  law,  with  no  inten- 
tion, however,  but  to  qualify  himself  for  all  the  du- 
ties incident  to  his  profession.  During  the  Mexican 
War,  though  desirous  of  active  service,  he  was  sta- 
tioned in  California.  Here,  however,  he  won  credit 
as  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant  General  of  the  forces 
of  the  Tenth  Department,  first  under  Brig. -Gen. 
Stephen' W.  Kearney,  and  later  of  Col.  R.  B.  Mason. 
In  1850,  as  bearer  of  dispatches,  he  visited  New 
York  and  Washington,  and  was  married  May  1st  to 
Miss  Ellen  Boyle  Ewing,  at  the  residence  of  her 
father,  then  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Tinder  Presi- 
dent Taylor.  In  September  of  the  same  year,  he 
was  stationed  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  as  Commissary 
of  Subsistence  with  the  rank  of  Captain.  A  com- 
mission by  brevet  was  afterwards  received  for  meri- 
torious services  in  California.  In  September,  1852, 
he  was  ordered  to  New  Orleans,  and  September  6th, 


a  year  later,  he  resigned  the  army  to  enter  private 
life  as  a  banker  in  California,  with  a  branch  house 
in  New  York.  Subsequently  he  returned  to  St. 
Louis,  and  at  one  time  undertook  the  practice  of 
law  at  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  The  organization  of 
the  Louisiana  State  Military  Academy  at  Alexan- 
dria, offered  him  again  the  career  of  a  soldier  in 
times  of  peace,  which  he  accepted.  The  institution 
opened  January  1,  18(50,  but  with  the  outbreak  of 
secession,  he  tendered  his  resignation  and  hastened 
northward,  eager  to  devote  his  services  to  his  coun- 
try in  defense  of  the  Union.  At  this  time  he  was 
for  a  short  period  President  of  the  St.  Louis  Fifth 
Street  Railroad.  May  14,  1861,  he  received  a  com- 
mission as  Colonel  of  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  of 
Regular  Infantry,  and  after  the  Battle  of  Bull  Run, 
July  21st,  in  which  he  commanded  a  brigade  of  the 
First  Division  under  Gen.  Tyler,  was  promoted  .to 
Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  to  date  from  May 
17th.  On  October  7,  1861,  he  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand in  Kentucky,  relieving  Gen.  Robert  Anderson, 
whose  failing  health  rendered  him  unequal  to  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  of  his  position,  but  in 
consequence  of  a  misunderstanding  of  his  views  as 
to  the  number  of  men  deemed  requisite  to  hold  the 
State  and  reduce  the  enemy,  he  was  in  turn  re- 
lieved by  Gen.  D.  C.  Buell,  and  spent  most  of  the 
winter  in  command  of  Benton  Barracks,  a  camp 
of  instruction  near  St.  Louis.  When  Gen.  Grant 
moved  upon  Donelsou,  Sherman  was  assigned  to 
Paducah,  and  the  duty  of  forwarding  supplies  and 
troops.  His  efficiency  in  this  service  was  recog- 
nized in  times  of  unusual  difficulty.  Here  he  organ- 
ized the  Fifth  Division  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennes- 
see. "At  the  Battle  of  Shiloh,"  writes  Gen  Grant, 
"  on  the  first  day  he  held,  with  raw  troops,  the  key 
point  of  the  landing.  It  is  no  disparagement  to  any 
other  officer  to  say  that  I  do  not  believe  there 
was  another  division  commander  on  the  field  who 
had  the  skill  and  experience  to  have  done  it.  To 
his  individual  efforts  I  am  indebted  for  the  suc- 
cess of  that  battle."  "It  is  the  unanimous  opinion 
here," Gen.  Halleck  reported  from  the  ground,  "that 
Brig-Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  saved  the  fortunes  of  the 
day  on  the  6th,  and  contributed  largely  to  the  glo- 
rious victory  of  the  7th.  *  *  *  I  respectfully 
recommend  that  he  be  made  a  Major-General  of 
Volunteers  to  date  from  the  6th  instant."  This  was 
the  opening  of  a  career,  the  events  of  which  ful- 
filled its  promise.  He  participated  in  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  from  April  15th  to  May  30th,  and  his  con- 
gratulatory order  to  his  troops  on  the  evacuation, 
breathes  a  spirit  of  noble  triumph  and  ardent  deter- 
mination. A  promotion  to  Major-General  of  Vol- 
unteers was  received  for  May  1st.    On  July  21, 


i88 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


1862,  Sherman  assumed  command  of  .the  District  of 
Memphis,  which  he  found  in  a  state  of  disorganiza- 
tion requiring  immediate  remedy.  Business  was  at 
once  revived,  the  civil  authorities  restored  to  their 
public  functions,  and  guerrilla  warfare  sternly  re- 
pressed. The  question  of  slavery  being  not  yet  de- 
cided, the  negroes  were  obliged  to  work  for  their 
masters  or  for  the  Government,  but  no  fugitive  was 
compelled  to  return  to  a  master  against  his  will. 
Cotton  was  especially  a  source  of  difficulty.  No 
monej'  was  allowed  to  be  paid  on  purchases  until 
after  the  close  of  the  war ;  contracts  alone  were 
permitted,  and  finally  "the  Avhole  business  was 
taken  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  military  and  com- 
mitted to  treasury  agents  appointed  by  Mr.  Chase." 
Expeditions  were  also  sent  out  to  assist  the  army  in 
the  field.  In  the  latter  part  of  October,  Sherman 
was  summoned  to  Columbus,  Kentucky,  to  concert 
with  Gen.  Grant  a  plan  of  campaign,  the  anticipated 
result  of  which  was  the  fall  of  Vicksburg.  Pem- 
berton's  force,  forty-nine  thousand  strong,  was  dis- 
lodged from  the  Tallahatchie  by  the  combined 
forces  of  Sherman  and  Grant  moving  from  Mem- 
phis and  Jackson,  while  an  inferior  force  under 
Gen.  Washburne,  menaced  him  in  the  rear,  from  the 
direction  of  Friar's  Point,  Mississippi.  On  Decem- 
ber SJOth,  Sherman,  in  command  of  the  right  wing  of 
the  Thirteenth  Corps,  as  the  army  was  now  organ- 
ized, embarked  from  Memphis  for  the  mouth  of 
the  Yazoo  River,  to  attack  Vicksburg  from  the 
north,  in  conjunction  with  Admiral  Porter  ;  while 
Gen.  Grant,  with  the  left  wing,  preparing  to  move 
on  Jackson,  should  co-operate  from  the  rear,  and 
in  the  event  of  failure  to  carry  the  town  by  assault, 
at  once  proceed  to  investment.  A  landing  was  ef- 
fected about  twelve  miles  up  the  Yazoo,  and  a  vig- 
orous and  determined  effort  was  made,  December 
27th-9th  at  the  mouth  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  to  storm 
the  bluffs,  which  were  strongly  fortified  and  protected 
by  almost  impracticable  ground.  The  attempt  was 
fruitless.  Gen.  Grant  having  failed  to  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance, owing  to  unexpected  delay  caused  by 
the  capture  of  Holly  Springs  by  rebel  cavalry, 
Sherman  fell  back  upon  Milliken's  Bend,  where  he 
relinquished  the  command  to  Major-Gen.  McCler- 
nand,  January  4,  1863,  assuming  that  of  the  Fif- 
teenth Corps.  On  January  11th,  an  attack  made  up- 
on Fort  Hindman,  (Arkansas  Post),  suggested  and 
led  by  Sherman,  by  which  the  control  of  the  Ar- 
kansas River— the  key  to  the  military  possession  of 
the  State— was  secured,  proved  eminently  successful. 
The  brilliancy  of  the  adventure,  in  which  by  a  loss 
of  79  killed,  440  wounded,  150  of  the  enemy  lost 
their  lives  and  4,791  were  taken  prisoners,  in  a 
measure  retrieved  the  disappointment  before  Vicks- 


burg. The  expedition  then  returned  to  Milliken's 
Bend  to  await  the  arrival  of  Gen.  Grant  in  person. 
"  His  services  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  cap- 
ture of  Jackson,  and  the  dispersion  of  Johnston's 
army,  entitle  Gen.  Sherman"  remarks  Gen.  Grant, 
"to  more  credit  than  usually  falls  to  the  lot  of  one 
man  to  earn."  On  March  16th,  he  undertook  the  ex- 
pedition up  Steele's  Bayou  to  the  Yazoo  River,  in 
co-operation  with  Porter's  gunboat  fleet,  but  the 
joint  effort  was  abandoned  in  consequence  of  the 
difficulties  encountered  by  the  gunboats  in  the  nar- 
row and  tortuous  channel  of  Black  Bayou  and  Deer 
Creek.  The  demonstration  at  Haines'  Bluff,  April 
29th  to  May  1st,  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  enemy 
and  prevent  reinforcements  to  Grand  Gulf  "  suc- 
ceeded admirably."  Gen.  Grant  felt  hesitation  in 
requesting  this  manoeuvre,  lest  Sherman's  reputa- 
tion might  suffer  from  having  been  again  "re- 
pulsed," but  the  latter  was  assured  that  subsequent 
events  woidd  distinguish  between  a  feint  and  a  true 
attack.  The  troops  destined  to  re-inforce  Gen. 
Bowen  at  Grand  Gulf  and  Point  Gibson  were  re- 
called, and  May  1st,  Sherman  set  out  by  rapid 
marches  to  rejoin  the  main  army  at  these  points. 
May  14th,  he  occupied  Jackson,  and  on  the  18th, 
Walnut  Hills,  thus  securing  the  investment.  In 
the  subsequent  attacks  upon  the  land  defenses,  he 
was  also  largely  engaged,  but  was  presently  de- 
tailed with  three  army  corps  to  attend  to  the  move- 
ments of  Johnston,  who,  with  a  relieving  force 
gathered  at  Jackson,  Mississippi,  was  advancing  on 
the  rear,  to  raise  the  siege.  On  the  4th  of  July, 
Vicksburg  surrendered,  and  Sherman  at  once  moved 
on  Jackson,  whither  Johnston  had  retreated  in 
haste.  Preparations  for  a  siege  were  in  order, 
when,  on  the  17th,  the  city  was  evacuated.  The 
pursuit  was  maintained  to  Brandon,  and  after  de- 
stroying the  railroads  in  every  direction,  Sherman 
again  sought  the  line  of  the  Big  Black.  Repose 
was  of  short  duration.  The  loss  of  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  September  19th  and  20th,  caused  an 
immediate  demand  for  the  troops  encamped  at  and 
near  Vicksburg.  Orders  were  at  once  received  to 
forward  all  available  forces,  the  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  being 
also  at  once  detached  and  sent  by  rail  to  Nashville, 
under  Major-Gen.  Hooker.  By  the  27th  the  last  of 
Sherman's  corps  was  on  its  road  to  Memphis,  but 
owing  to  the  condition  of  the  river,  and  the  scarcity 
of  wood  along  the  banks,  did  not  reach  there  until 
October  4th.  Thence  they  were  directed  to  Chat- 
tanooga, repairing  railroads,  as  they  must  depend 
on  themselves  for  supplies,  and  about  this  time 
(October  18th),  Gen.  Grant,  receiving  command  of 
the  Division  of  the  Mississippi,  embracing  the  De- 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


189 


partments  of  the  Ohio,  Cumberland  and  Tennessee, 
with  the  armies  belonging  thereto,  assigned  the 
last  to  Gen.  Sherman.  Sherman  now  advanced 
steadily,  leaving  orders  for  reinforcements,  but 
October  27th,  was  met  at  Tuscumbia  by  a  message 
from  Gen.  Grant,  directing  him  to  suspend  all  work 
on  the  railroad  and  at  once  push  on  to  Bridgeport. 
The  Tennessee  River  was  crossed  November  1st  at 
Eastport,  and  telegraphic  communication  being 
opened  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  urgent 
orders  to  advance  were  repeated.  Preceding  his 
command,  Gen.  Sherman  arrived  November  15th  at 
the  headquarters  of  the  army  in  Chattanooga,  and 
was  warmly  received.  The  gravity  of  the  situation 
at  once  impressed  itself  on  his  mind.  The  army 
was,  in  fact,  besieged,  the  Confederate  forces  upon 
Lookout  Mountain  and  along  Missionary  Ridge, 
maintaining  a  commanding  position  and  cutting  off 
lines  of  supplies.  A  bridge  over  the  Tennessee  at 
Bridgeport,  however,  had  been  passed  by  Gen. 
Hooker,  October  27th,  who  advanced  to  Wauhat- 
chie,  thus  enabling  supplies  to  be  drawn  from 
Nashville,  and  Bragg,  having  failed  to  dislodge 
him,  dispatched  Longstreet  to  East  Tennessee, 
where  Buruside  was  beleaguered  at  Knoxville. 
Having  reconnoitered  the  ground  where  he  was  ex- 
pected to  take  the  initiative,  Sherman  hastened  to 
return  to  his  troops,  whom  he  brought  up  by  forced 
marches  over  almost  impassable  roads,  arriving  by 
the  23d.  Declaring  himself  with  three  of  his  own 
divisions  and  supported  by  one  of  the  Fourteenth 
Corps,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  J.  C.  Davis, 
prepared  to  commence  action,  General  Giles  A. 
Smith  was  dispatched  to  effect  a  landing  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Chickasaw  River,  having  captured 
the  enemy's  pickets.  The  success  of  the  expedi- 
tion was  complete,  and  a  pontoon  bridge  was  con- 
structed ;  by  the  evening  of  the  24th,  the  whole 
army  crossed  the  river,  and  favored  by  a  drizzling 
rain,  effected  a  lodgment  on  the  north  end  of  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  which  was  fortified  during  the 
night.  At  the  dawn  of  the  next  morning,  which 
proved  a  remarkably  brilliant  day,  the  attack  was 
begun  from  the  right,  and  maintained  with  desper- 
ate obstinacy  until  a  white  line  of  smoke  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  announced  Thomas' 
attack  on  the  centre.  This  movement  completed 
the  victory,  but  the  pursuit,  which  was  ardently 
pressed  by  both  Sherman  and  Hooker,  was  check- 
ed, to  direct  the  former  to  the  Hiawassee  and  the 
relief  of  Burnside.  The  troops  were  in  no  condi- 
tion for  the  march,  having  left  their  camp  with 
only  two  days'  rations,  and  "  stripped  for  the  fight." 
In  a  few  terse  sentences  the  report  of  their  Major 
General  sets  forth  their  endurance  of  hardship : 


"  In  reviewing  the  facts,  I  must  do  justice  to 
my  command  for  the  patience,  cheerfulness  and 
courage  which  officers  and  men  have  displayed 
throughout,  in  battle,  on  the  march,  and  in  camp. 
For  long  periods,  without  regular  rations,  or  sup- 
plies of  any  kind,  they  have  marched  through  mud 
and  over  rocks,  sometimes  bare-footed,  without  a 
murmur,  without  a  moment's  rest.  After  a  march 
of  over  four  hundred  miles  without  stop  for  three 
successive  nights,  we  crossed  the  Tennessee,  fought 
our  part  of  the  Battle  of  Chattanooga,  pursued  the 
enemy  out  of  Tennessee,  and  then  turned  more  than 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  north  and  compelled 
Longstreet  to  raise  the  siege  of  Knoxville,  which 
gave  so  much  anxiety  to  the  whole  country.  It  is 
hard  to  realize  the  importance  of  these  events  with- 
out recalling  the  memory  of  the  general  feeling 
which  pervaded  all  minds  at  Chattanooga  prior  to 
our  arrival.  I  cannot  speak  of  the  15th  Army  Corps 
without  a  seeming  vanity,  but  as  I  am  no  longer  its 
commander,  I  assert  that  there  is  no  better  body  of 
soldiers  in  America  than  it,  who  have  done  more  or 
better  service.  I  wish  all  to  feel  a  just  pride  in  its 
real  honors." 

On  January  10th  he  returned  to  Memphis.  In  pre- 
parationfor  the  next  campaign,  Sherman  now  decid- 
ed on  a  movement, February  3d,  which,  paralyzing  the 
enemy's  forces,  should  set  free  the  local  garrisons 
scattered  on  the  Mississippi  River.  Accordingly, 
with  20,000  men  hastily  collected  from  McPherson 
at  Vicksburg,  and  Hurlbut  at  Memphis,  he  set  out 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  Meridian,  Mississippi, 
the  center  of  converging  railroads.  These  he  de- 
vastated in  all  directions,  accomplishing  his  part  of 
the  campaign,  but  the  failure  of  Gen.  W.  Sooy 
Smith  to  destroy  the  rebel  cavalry  under  Forrest 
impaired  the  complete  success.  Having  awaited 
his  arrival  at  Meridian  from  the  15th  to  the  20th  of 
February,  and  sending  out  to  find  him,  the  expedi- 
tion returned.  In  a  conference  with  Gen.  Banks, 
held  March  3d,  at  New  Orleans,  Sherman  promised 
10,000  men  to  assist  in  an  expedition  up  Red  River, 
which  should  last  about  thirty  days.  The  troops 
were  accordingly  dispatched,  March  7th,  but  in  con- 
sequence of  delay,  and  the  failure  of  the  expedition, 
were  unable  to  take  any  part  in  the  subsequent  cam- 
paign of  Atlanta,  arriving  only  in  time  to  assist  Gen. 
Thomas  at  the  battle  of  Nashville,  December  15th. 
On  March  14th,  Gen.  Grant  was  invested  with  com- 
mand of  all  the  Armies  of  the  United  States  in  the 
field,  and  Sherman,  succeeding  to  his  Division  of 
the  Mississippi,  set  about  at  once  preparing  for  the 
contemplated  invasion  of  Georgia.  The  difficulty 
of  securing  supplies  for  an  army  of  100,000  men  was 
by  far  the  severest  to  be  encountered,  and  Sherman 
at  once  put  a  stop  to  the  issuing  of  provision  to  citi- 
zens in  East  Tennessee,  forcing  them  to  rely  upon 
early  vegetables  and  the  wagon  roads  from  Ken- 
tucky. Great  complaints  of  course  ensued,  but 
happily  no  suffering.  Railroad  trains  were  pressed  in- 


190 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


to  service,  and  by  April  27th,  the  armies  of  the  Cum- 
berland, Gen.  Thomas,  the  Tennessee,  Gen.  McPher- 
son,  and  the  Ohio,  Gen.  Schofield,  were  ordered  to 
rendezvous  at  Chattanooga.  The  events  of  this 
campaign,  as  numerous  as  they  were  important,  ad- 
mit of  but  rapid  summary.  The  movement  began 
May  6th,  simultaneously  with  that  of  the  army  of  the 
Potomac,  as  had  been  arranged  between  Generals 
Grant  and  Sherman,  in  a  parting  interview  at  Cin- 
cinnati, March  17th.  The  army  of  Sherman  number- 
ed upon  accurate  estimate  98,797,  w  hile  Johnston,  his 
"  true  objective,"  lay  intrenched  at  Dalton  with  50,- 
000.  "I  always  estimated  my  force,"  says  Sherman, 
"  as  about  double  his,  and  could  afford  to  lose  two 
to  one  without  disturbing  our  relative  proportion, 
but  I  also  reckoned  that  in  the  natural  strength 
of  the  country,  in  the  abundance  of  mountains, 
streams,  and  forest,  he  had  a  fair  off-set  to  our 
numerical  superiority  and  therefore  endeavored  to 
act  with  reasonable  caution  while  moving  on  the 
vigorous  offensive."  The  strong  position  at  Buzzard 
Roost  Gap  was  turned  by  a  flank  movement,  and 
evacuating  Dalton  on  the  12th,  Johnston  fell  back 
on  Resaca,  which  was  occupied  three  days  later. 
The  Oostanaula  was  crossed  on  the  16th,  and  Cass- 
ville,  where  battle  was  threatened,  was  peacefully 
entered  next  day.  Recognizing  Allatoona  Pass,  the 
next  obstacle  presented,  as  impregnable  by  direct 
attack,  Sherman  now  moved  on  Dallas  with  the  in- 
tention to  turn  it  by  the  right.  Johnston,  however, 
detected  the  movement,  and  a  series  of  bloody  con- 
flicts ensued,  May  25th,  near  New  Hope  Church,  as 
destructive  as  they  were  indecisive,  but  were  ter- 
minated June  1st,  by  the  final  capture  of  the  post  in 
dispute.  June4th,  Johnston  retreated,  and  Allatoona 
Pass  was  garrisoned  as  a  secondary  base  of  supplies. 
June  8th,  a  reinforcement  of  two  Divisions  of  the 
Seventeenth  Corps  under  Gen.  Frank  P.  Blair,  was  re- 
ceived at  Acworth,  compensating  in  a  great  degree 
for  previous  losses  and  the  garrisons  necessarily  left 
behind.  Operations  about  Keuesaw,  Pine  and  Lost 
Mountains,  carried  on  from  the  depot  at  Big  Shanty, 
were  protracted  from  June  10th,  the  enemy  contract- 
ing his  lines,  until  finally,  June  20th,  he  remained  cen- 
tered on  Kenesaw  only,  covering  the  railroad  with 
his  flanks  spread  back  towards  Marietta  and  At- 
lanta. Continuous  rains  delayed  action,  but  on  the 
27th,  an  assault  was  made.  "  Failure  as  it  was," 
declares  Sherman,  "and  for  which  I  assume  entire 
responsibility,  I  yet  claim  it  produced  good  fruits, 
as  it  demonstrated  to  Gen.  Johnston  that  I  would 
assault,  and  that  boldly,  and  we  also  gained  and 
held  ground  so  close  to  the  enemy's  parapets  that  he 
covdd  not  show  a  head  above  them."  His  position 
being  turned  from  the  left,  July  1st,  and  communica- 


tion with  Atlanta  threatened,  Johnston  fell  back 
behind  Marietta,  to  Smyrna  Camp  Ground,  and  sub- 
sequently to  the  Chattahoochee  River,  which  he 
crossed  on  the  night  of  the  9th,  leaving  Sherman  in 
possession  of  the  right  bank,  with  Atlanta  only  eight 
miles  distant.  The  railroads  about  Opelika,  A\a- 
bama,  were  at  this  time  completely  destroyed  by  a 
party  of  cavalry  under  Gen.  Rousseau,  sent  from 
Decatur  by  Gen.  Sherman's  orders.  The  second 
month  of  the  campaign  was  ended.  The  strategy 
of  Johnston  had  consumed  seventy-two  days  in  a 
march  of  little  over  a  hundred  miles,  but  at  this  im- 
portant crisis,  that  commander  was  displaced  by 
Hood,  July  17th,  who  abandoned  his  defensive  policy. 
Hood  promptly  sallied,  July  20th,  against  the  line  of 
Peach  Tree  Creek  and  was  defeated  and  driven  into 
his  forts;  and  the  subsequent  battle  of  July  22d,  de- 
livered with  impetuous  rashness,  was  added  to  the 
number  of  Sherman's  victories,  though  embittered 
by  the  death  of  McPherson.  A  third  engagement,  on 
the  28th,  terminated  also  successfully  to  the  Union 
Army,  Hardee  and  Lee  being  repulsed  in  an  at- 
tack upon  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  commanded  by  Gen. 
Logau,  and  Sherman  continued  to  extend  his  right, 
sending  out  expeditions  under  Generals  McCook  and 
Stoneman  to  destroy  the  Macon  Railroad,  the  pos- 
session of  which  was  most  important  to  the  besieged. 
Stoneman,  however,  diverged  on  Macon,  and  was 
finally  c  aptured,  while  McCook,  compelled  to  re- 
treat, was  surrounded  at  Newman,  but  cut  his 
way  through  and  got  back  to  Marietta.  Hood  now 
resumed  the  defensive,  and  perceiving  that  he  would 
retain  it,  while  he  dispatched  his  cavalry  under 
Wheeler  to  Dalton,  and  as  far  north  as  Tennessee, 
Sherman  resolved  to  raise  the  siege  and  move  with 
his  whole  army  on  the  railroads  in  rear  of  Atlanta 
to  utterly  destroy  communication,  and  thus  compel 
its  surrender.  A  cavalry  force  under  Gen.  Kilpat- 
rick,  was  at  first  detailed  to  this  duty,  but  his  action 
proving  ineffectual  without  support,  the  command 
was  given  for  the  movement  of  the  whole  army, 
August  25th.  On  the  29th,  the  advancing  columns 
centered  at  Jouesboro,  having  thoroughly  destroyed 
the  roads,  burning  ties,  twisting  rails,  and  filling  up 
cuts  with  trunks  of  trees,  rocks  and  explosives  to 
prevent  attempts  to  clear  them.  On  the  81st  the 
battle  of  Jonesboro  was  fought,  and  on  the  2d  of 
September,  Gen.  Slocum,  left  behind  on  the  Chatta- 
hoochee with  the  Twentieth  Corps,  entered  the  city, 
which  had  been  evacuated  on  the  night  of  the  first. 
The  telegram  "  Atlanta  ours,  and  fairly  won,"  re- 
joiced the  hearts  of  anxious  friends  at  home.  Thus 
closed  a  four  months  campaign,  in  the  course  of 
which  the  total  loss  sustained  by  the  Union  army 
was  thirty-one  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


l9I 


seven,  to  thirty-four  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
seventy-nine  of  the  Confederates,  under  hoth 
generals.  Atlanta  was  reduced  to  a  military  post, 
the  necessity  for  active  measures  in  war  being  im- 
pressed on  the  civil  authorities,  and  an  exchange  of 
prisoners  was  arranged  with  Hood.  August  12th, 
Sherman  had  been  created  Major-Geueral  of  the  Reg- 
ular Army,  a  promotion  he  woidd  have  desired  re- 
served till  the  result  should  crown  his  labors  Indefi- 
nite skirmishing  through  the  month  of  October,  the 
most  signal  event  of  which  was  the  gallant  defense 
of  Allatoona  Pass  by  Gen.  Corse,  with  one  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  forty-four  men  against  a  division 
of  the  enemy,  repelling  attack,  convinced  Sherman 
that  Hood,  while  unable  to  come  to  battle,  intended 
to  manoeuvre  or  decoy  his  troops  out  of  Georgia. 
Resolved  not  to  lose  the  advantages  gained,  and  at 
the  same  time  maintain  his  army,  Sherman  uow 
planned  his  "March  to  the  Sea,"  receiving  tele- 
graphic permission  from  Gen.  Grant  in  the  following 
terms : 

City  Point,  Va.,  Nov.  2,  1804.  11:30. 

Maj.  Gen.  Sherman: 

Your  dispatch  of  9  a.  m.  yesterday  is  just  received. 
I  dispatched  you  the  same  date,  advising  that 
Hood's  army,  now  that  it  had  worked  so  far  north, 
ought  to  be  looked  upon  as  the  "  object."  With 
the  force,  however,  that  you  have  left  with  Gen. 
Thomas,  he  must  be  able  to  take  care  of  Hood  and 
destroy  him. 

I  do  not  see  that  you  can  withdraw  from  where 
you  are  to  follow  Hood  without  giving  up  all  we 
have  gained  in  territory.  I  say  then,  go  on  as  you 
propose.  U.  S.  Grant,  Lieut.  General. 

All  surplus  stores  were  sent  back  from  Atlanta, 
with  the  sick  and  wounded,  the  depots  and  found- 
ries were  destroyed,  and  November  14th,  having  sev- 
ered all  communication  with  the  North,  Sherman 
buried  himself  in  the  enemy's  country  with  Savan- 
nah as  his  ultimate  aim.  As  the  whirling  cars 
passed  which  bore  the  last  loads  to  the  rear,  he  was 
"  strongly  inspired  with  the  feeling  that  the  move- 
ment was  a  direct  attack  upon  the  rebel  army,  at 
the  rebel  Capitol  at  Richmond,  though  a  full  thous- 
and miles  of  hostile  country  intervened,  and  that 
for  better  or  worse  it  would  end  the  war."  An  al- 
most triumphal  progress  of  three  hundred  miles, 
supplied  with  abundant  provisions,  across  the  three 
rivers  of  Georgia,  and  through  her  Capitol,  with  the 
nominal  loss  of  507  men,  was  terminated  December 
llith.  On  the  13th,  Fort  McAllister  was  taken,  and 
communication  opened  with  the  fleet  dispatched  to 
the  neighboring  Sounds  for  co-operation.  Decem- 
ber 22d,  Savannah  surrendered,  and  amid  universal 
rejoicings,  was  laid  in  the  hands  of  the  President, 
who  acknowledged  it  by  the  following  letter  : 


Executive  Mansion,) 
Washington,  D.  O,  Dec.  20,  1864.  j 
My  dear  General  Sherman  : 

Many,  many  thanks  for  your  Christmas  gift,  the 
capture  of  Savannah. 

When  you  were  about  to  leave  Atlanta  for  the 
Atlantic  coast,  I  was  anxious,  if  not  fearful,  but  feel- 
ing that  you  were  the  better  judge,  and  remember- 
ing that  "  nothing  risked,  nothing  gained,"  I  did 
not  interfere.  Now,  the  undertaking  being  a  suc- 
cess, the  honor  is  all  yours,  for  I  believe  none  of  us 
went  further  than  to  acquiesce.  And  taking  the 
work  of  Gen.  Thomas  into  the  count,  as  it  should 
be  taken,  it  is  indeed  a  great  success. 

Not  only  does  it  afford  the  obvious  and  imme- 
diate military  advantages,  but  in  showing  to  the 
world  that  your  army  could  be  divided,  putting  the 
stronger  part  to  an  important  new  service,  and  yet 
leaving  enough  to  vanquish  the  old  opposing  forces 
of  the  whole— Hood's  army— it  brings  those-that  sat 
in  darkness  to  see  a  great  light. 

But  what  next?  I  suppose  it  will  be  safe  if  I 
leave  Gen.  Grant  and  yourself  to  decide. 

Please  make  my  grateful  acknowledgments  to 
your  whole^army,  officers  and  men. 

Yours  very  truly, 

A.  Lincoln. 

The  difficulties  of  organization  were  again  en- 
countered in  Savannah,  and  the  Secretary  of  War, 
who  visited  the  city  in  person,  approved  Sherman's 
action.  His  views  upon  "  reconstruction  "  at  this 
time  embodied  in  a  letter,  were  also  approved  by 
the  Secretary  of  War.  Cotton  again  occupied  atten- 
tion, and  the  question  of  the  negro  freed  men.  De- 
cember 0th,  orders  had  been  received  for  the  victor- 
ious army  to  proceed  to  Virginia  by  sea,  to  assist  in 
the  destruction-  of  Lee,  but  January  2d,  a  project  was 
approved  for  the  movement  of  the  army  by  over- 
land marches,  the  advantages  of  which  were  ob- 
vious. All  preparations  were  completed  by  the 
15th.  Goldsboro,  North  Carolina,  was  now  Sher- 
man's destination,  though  for  a  short  time  at  Poco- 
taligo  he  held  the  enemy  in  suspense  as  to  whether 
Columbia  or  Charleston  would  be  the  next  object  of 
attack.  On  the  19th  of  February,  Columbia,  evacu- 
ated in  haste,  was  burned  by  the  carelessness  of 
Hampton's  men.  Its  abandonment  by  Johnston, 
who  had  now  resumed  command  of  the  Confeder- 
ate forces,  was  the  turning  point  of  the  campaign, 
and  left  an  almost  undisputed  way  through  the 
Carolinas.  Cheraw  was  entered  on  the  3d  of  March, 
and  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  on  the  12th,  the 
difficulties  of  the  march  being  increased  by  heavy 
rains.  Here  news  from  Gen.  Terry  was  received  of 
the  capture  of  Wilmington,  February  22d.  The  bat- 
tles of  Averysboro,  March  19th-20th,  and  Bentonville 
on  the  21st,  preceded  the  entry  into  Goldsboro,  on 
the  23d,  where  a  junction  was  effected  with  the 
forces  of  Gens.  Schofield  and  Terry.  A  hasty  visit 
to  City  Point,  the  headquarters  of  Gen.  Grant,  ar- 


192 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ranged  the  details  of  a  movement  to  'the  Roanoke 
River,  for  which  orders  were  issued  hy  Sherman, 
April  5th,  but  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  Lee 
caused  a  total  change  of  programme.  Sherman  at 
once  entered  Raleigh,  April  13th,  where  overtures 
from  Johnston  were  received.  Acting  on  the  well 
known  sentiments  of  President  Lincoln  in  favor  of 
peace,  recently  expressed  in  person  at  City  Point, 
Sherman  had  been  induced  to  prepare,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  Confederate  leader,  a  synopsis  of  terms 
of  peace  subject  to  t  he  approval  of  the  Executive, 
which,  however,  was  rejected.  In  the  intervals  of 
negotiation,  the  news  of  the  assassination  of  the 
President  filled  the  army  with  gloom  and  horror. 
April  26th,  a  final  surrender  on  the  basis  of  that  of 
Lee,  was  made  by  Johnston's  army  at  Durham's 
Station.  The  triumphal  review  of  •' Sherman's  Ar- 
my "  at  Washington,  May  24th,  terminated  a  march 
of  2,600  miles,  undertaken  a  year  previous,  and  May 
30th  he  bade  farewell  to  the  troops  who  had  long 
served  under  him,  and  shared  his  memories  of  dan- 
ger and  glory.  His  subsequent  career  may  be  brief- 
ly sketched.  On  June  27,  I860,  he  was  appointed  to 
his  old  command  of  the  Military  Division  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  July  25,  1866,  he  succeeded  Gen. 
Grant  as  Lieutenant  General— his  division  being 
changed  August  11th  to  that  of  the  Missouri.  No- 
vember and  December  of  the  same  year  were  spent 
on  a  mission  to  Mexico.  On  the  inauguration  of 
Gen.  Grant  as  President,  March  4,  1869,  he  became 
General.  On  leave  of  absence  for  a  year,  1871-2, 
he  made  an  extensive  tour  of  Europe,  visiting  points 
in  the  East  also.  From  October,  1874,  his  headquar- 
ters were  in  St.  Louis,  but  in  April,  1876,  were  re- 
stored to  the  Capitol.  February  8,  1884,  he  retired 
from  active  service,  and  soon  after  removed  to 
New  York  City  where  he  now  resides.  Here  Gen. 
Sherman  met  with  the  saddest  personal  loss  of  his 
life,  in  the  death  of  his  beloved  wife,  who  died  No- 
vember 28,  1888.  Mrs.  ShermaD,  whose  maiden 
name,  as  already  stated,  was  Ellen  Boyle  Ewing, 
was  the  daughter  of  the  famous  United  States  Sena- 
tor from  Ohio,  Thomas  Ewing,  who  served  in  the 
Cabinets  of  Presidents  Harrison  and  Taylor  as  Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury  and  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 
She  was  born  October  4th,  1824,  in  the  town  of  Lan- 
caster, Ohio.  In  1850  she  became  the  wife  of  Gen. 
(then  Captain)  Sherman.  Mrs.  Sherman  was  a 
zealous  Roman  Catholic,  prominent  in  good  works, 
and  her  important  services  were  recognized  at  the 
Vatican,  Pope  Pius  IX  having  sent  her  the  "  golden 
ro>e  "  in  testimony  to  his  appreciation  of  her  worth,  i 
Mrs.  Sherman  had  been  an  invalid  for  five  years, 
but  her  death  came  unexpectedly  at  last,  and  was  a 
crushing  blow  to  the  General.    Following  is  the 


simple  and  pathetic  announcement  of  the  funeral, 
which  lie  penned  with  his  own  hand  : 

"The  funeral  will  be  as  simple  and  private  as 
possible,  according  to  her  own  special  request.  Five 
of  our  six  children  are  now  here  and  will  escort  her 
body  to  St.  Louis  in  a  special  car,  most  kindly  pro- 
vided by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company.  We 
will  leave  our  house,  No.  75  West  Seventy-first 
street,  about  three  p  m.  of  Thursday,  November  29, 
for  the  Desbrosses  Street  Ferry  ;  cross  over  by  day- 
light to  the  special  car  in  waiting,  and  expect  to 
reach  the  Union  Depot  at  St.  Louis,  where  friends 
will  meet  us,  on  Saturday  morning,  escort  us  to 
College  Church  on  Grand  Avenue,  corner  Lindell, 
wherein  the  funeral  services  will  occurabout  eleven 
a.  m.  of  December  1st. 

"  Thence  we  will  proceed  to  our  own  lot  in  Cal- 
vary Cemetery,  long  ago  selected,  where  rest  two 
sons  and  three  grandchildren,  and  there  deposit  her 
coffin  to  await  mine. 

W.  T.  Shekman,  General." 
The  character  of  a  military  commander  may  be 
accurately  judged  from  the  testimony  of  a  brother 
officer,  and  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  Gen.  Grant 
often  spoke  of  Gen.  Sherman  as  the  "  greatest  sol- 
dier living."  In  a  letter  which  favored  a  testimo- 
nial, and  offering  #500  himself,  he  says:  "The 
world's  history  gives  no  record  of  his  superior  and 
but  few  equals."  (Townxend'x  Rebellion  Record.) 
This  tribute  is  worthily  sustained  by  the  events  of 
a  life  for  the  most  part  public  and  devoted  to  the 
service  of  his  country.  A  careful,  painstaking  stu- 
dent, it  is  said  that  at  the  very  outbreak  of  the  con- 
test in  which  he  was  to  assume  so  prominent  a  part, 
he  had  already  familiarized  himself  with  precise 
details  which  assisted  in  his  famous  March.  Punct- 
ual in  his  calculations  of  time,  earnest,  straightfor- 
ward and  truthful,  the  confidence  he  inspired  in 
his  men  was  as  unabated  as  unquestioned,  and  while 
he  never  hesitated  at  a  bold  venture,  he  yet  never 
failed  to  be  prepared.  His  almost  unvaried  success 
is  attributable  to  these  features.  Averse  to  political 
trickery,  he  has  steadily  refused  to  hold  office,  de- 
claring himself  unqualified.  The  glimpses  of  the 
man,  discerned  in  the  pages  of  his  own  "Memoirs" 
published  in  1875,  reveal  an  ardent,  unaffected  na- 
ture, as  tender  and  true  in  the  minor  details  of  life 
and  feeling,  as  brilliant  in  its  extraordinary  gifts. 


HERRILL,  CYRUS  STRONG,  M.D.,  an  eminent 
oculist  and  aurist  of  Albany,  Professor  of  Dis- 
eases of  the  Eye  and  Ear  in  the  Albany  Medi- 
cal College  (the  medical  department  of  Union  Uni- 
versity), Ophthalmic  and  Aural  Surgeon  to  the  Alba- 
ny Hospital,  St.  Peter's  Hospital  and  the  Child's 
Hospital  at  Albany,  and  also  to  the  Troy  Hospital, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Bridport  Vermont,  Septem- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


193 


ber  21, 1847.  Dr.  Merrill's  father  was  Edward  Henry 
Merrill,  whose  ancestors  were  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Vermont  and  exerted  a  marked  influence  in 
its  affairs  before  as  well  as  since  the  Revolution.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a  man  of  means  and 
excellent  social  position.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Sarah  Wilson  Strong, was  likewise  of  good 
family  and  was  descended  from  the  early  settlers  of 
Vermont.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second 
son  of  his  parents.  From  his  earliest  years  he  took  far 
more  interest  in  study  than  in  play  and  found  in 
books  most  congenial  companionship.  His  parents, 
who,  as  has  been  said,  were  people  of  means  as  well 
as  position,  were  gratified  at  this  display  of  intellec- 
tual tastes  and  fostered  tliem  by  every  means  in 
their  power.  Perceiving  that  their  son  took  a  par- 
ticular interest  in  the  natural  sciences,  they  pro- 
vided him  with  text  books  and  reading  bearing  on 
this  department  of  knowledge.  When  he  had  com- 
pleted the  ordinary  course  of  instruction  common 
to  pupils  in  the  public  schools,  he  was  placed  under 
private  tutors  and  by  them  prepared  for  college, 
his  parents  having  decided  to  give  him  the  advan- 
tages of  a  liberal  education.  In  1863,  having  com- 
pleted a  course  of  instruction  at  Newton  Academy, 
he  entered  Middlebury  College,  where  he  remained 
for  one  year,  passing,  in  18G4,  from  its  freshman 
class  to  the  sophomore  class  of  Amherst  College. 
At  the  latter  institution,  then  under  the  Presidency 
of  the  venerable  Dr.  Stearns,  he  remained  until  18C7, 
when  he  was  graduated  with  honor.  During  his 
entire  college  course  he  was  a  faithful  and  diligent 
student,  and  besides  paying  close  attention  to  liter- 
ary, mathematical  and  classical  studies  took  special 
courses  in  the  natural  sciences,  rounding  out  his 
earlier  acquaintance  with  them  derived  from  books 
alone,  and  thus  unconsciously  preparing  himself  for 
the  work  of  later  years.  Among  the  scientific 
works  which  he  devoured  with  avidity  while  still  a 
mere  boy  were  elementary  treatises  on  anatomy, 
physiology  and  chemistry,  and  the  impression 
made  upon  him  by  their  earnest  perusal,  was  so  pro- 
found that  it  sufficed  to  determine  his  adoption  of 
the  profession  in  which  he  subsequently  achieved 
both  fame  and  fortune.  Possessed  of  a  thorough 
English  and  classical  education,  which  placed  him  far 
above  the  average  of  those  undertaking  the  study 
of  medicine,  and  with  a  mind  well  stored  with  gen- 
eral and  scientific  knowledge,  he  entered  upon  a 
course  of  medical  reading  with  a  view  to  preparing 
himself  for  regular  instruction  at  the  medical 
schools.  While  pursuing  this  preliminary  course 
he  filled  the  responsible  position  of  Principal  of  the 
Academy  at  Warreusburg,  New  York,  but  resigned 
this  charge  in  1809  and  entered  the  college  of  Phy- 


sicians and  Surgeons  of  New  York  City,  where  he 
devoted  himself  with  untiring  perseverance  to  the 
regular  curriculum  of  medical  study.  In  1871,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four,  he  successfully  passed  the 
examinations  and  received  his  diploma  as  Doctor 
of  Medicine.  l,He  was  now  ready  for  the  great 
work  of  an  active,  practical  life ;  and  he  lost  no 
time  in  undertaking  such  a  work  with  a  brave  heart, 
and  with  strong,  diligent,  skillful  hands.  It  was 
about  this  time  that  the  singular  talents  and  tastes 
of  the  young  physician  in  a  special  department  of 
medical  and  surgical  knowledge— that  of  ophthal- 
mology—were more  openly  displayed,  a  department 
in  which  he  has  gained  a  most  enviable  and  ex- 
tended reputation,  and  successful  results  in  his 
treatment."  Winning  by  competitive  examination 
the  appointment  as  Resident-Surgeon  of  the  Brook- 
lyn Eye  and  Ear  Hospital,  he  spent  a  little  over  a 
year  at  this  institution,  in  the  course  of  which  he 
added  to  his  youthful  laurels,  by  performing  many 
difficult  and  delicate  operations  with  successful 
results.  In  1872,  desiring  to  avail  himself  of  a 
course  of  instruction  under  the  masters  of  ophthal- 
mologics! science  in  Europe,  he  went  abroad  and 
spent  some  months  at  the  University  of  Zurich  in 
Switzerland.  He  then  attended  in  succession  the 
University  of  Vienna,  the  University  of  Heidelberg 
and  the"  College  of  France,  and  at  these  famous  seats 
of  learning  enriched  his  store  of  knowledge  under 
the  ablest  professors,  from  whom  he  obtained  thor- 
ough instruction  in  the  latest  discoveries,  especially 
in  his  favorite  department.  On  the  return  trip  he 
visited  Loudon,  where  he  added  largely  to  his  infor- 
mation by  attending  a  course  of  instruction  under 
distinguished  professors,  at  the  Royal  Ophthalmic 
Hospital.  In  the  spring  of  1874,  physically  refreshed 
by  two  years  of  foreign  travel,  and  admirably 
equipped  by  diligent  study  and  observation  under 
the  leading  European  specialists  for  any  demands 
upon  his  professional  knowledge  and  skill,  he  re- 
turned to  America,  and  establishing  himself  at 
Albany,  began  regular  practice  as  an  oculist.  In 
the  summer  of  1874  he  was  appointed  Ophthalmic 
and  Aural  Surgeon  of  St.  Peter's  Hospital — one  of 
the  best  institutions  of  its  kind  in  any  city.  Soon 
afterwards  he  accepted  a  similar  appointment  in  the 
Child's  Hospital  in  Albany,  and  a  little  later  that  of 
Surgeon-in-Charge  of  the  Eye  and  Ear  Department 
of  the  Troy  Hospital.  In  1876  he  was  called  to  the 
Chair  of  Ophthalmology  and  Otology  in  the  Albany 
Medical  College  and  at  the  same  time  was  appointed 
Ophthalmic  and  Aural  Surgeon  to  the  Albany  Hos- 
pital. These  several  positions  he  still  fills  with  con- 
summate ability  and  rare  skill.  Dr.  Merrill  has  built 
up  a  practice  in  his  specialty  probably  not  equalled 


194 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


in  extent  by  that  of  any  other'  surgeon-  in  the  State 
outside  of  New  York  City.  His  success  has  been 
achieved  by  merit  of  a  high  order  and  by  a  degree 
of  devotion  to  the  demands  and  duties  of  his  calling 
which  in  any  vocation  could  not  fail  to  win  both 
honor  and  renown  as  well  as  satisfactory  pecuniary 
results.  He  is  known  and  respected  as  one  of  the 
hardest  workers  in  his  profession.  At  his  handsome 
and  pleasant  home,  No.  23  Washington  Avenue,  he 
may  be  found  every  day  to  receive  with  kind  words 
and  careful  attention,  all  patients  who  come  to  him 
for  consultation  or  treatment.  Between  his  college 
and  hospital  duties  and  his  extensive  practice  he  is 
kept  very  busy  from  early  morning  until  dusk.  His 
most  remarkable  success,  especially  of  late  years, 
has  been  the  operation  for  the  removal  of  cataract, 
and  so  wide  has  been  his  reputation  in  this  respect, 
that  patients  from  many  States  of  the  Union  have 
come  to  him  for  operations.  The  amount  of  his 
general  operative  work  is  very  great  and  covers  the 
whole  ground  of  his  specialty.  It  is  current  belief 
that  his  operations  for  cataract  alone  exceed  in 
number  those  of  any  other  member  of  the  profession 
in  the  State.  Dr.  Merrill  is  an  honored  member  of 
the  Albany  County  Medical  Society,  of  the  State 
Medical  Society,  and  of  the  American  Ophthalmo- 
logical  and  Otological  Society.  Although  having 
but  little  leisure  to  devote  to  literary  labors  he  has 
gained  time  to  write  a  number  of  articles  for  publi- 
cation in  the  regular  medical  journals,  which  em- 
body much  valuable  information  for  specialists  and 
the  profession  at  large.  In  person  Professor  Mer- 
rill is  of  medium  height  and  slender  build.  His 
countenance  betokens  intellect  and  application  as 
well  as  refinement.  In  the  social  life  of  Albany  he 
is  a  prominent  figure,  standing  as  he  does  in  the 
very  front  rank  of  one  of  the  most  honored  of  the 
professions ;  and  among  the  most  consistent  suppor- 
ters of  religious  and  charitable  endeavor.  He  mar- 
ried, October  12,  1875,  Miss  Mary  E.  Griffin,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  Stephen  Griffin,  a  wealthy  and  prominent 
lumber  dealer  of  Warrensburg, Warren  County,  New 
York,  who  in  1874  represented  his  district  in  the 
Assembly.  Two  children  have  blessed  this  union — 
a  boy,  Stephen  Griffin  Merrill,  and  a  girl,  Grace 
Coman  Merrill,  a  year  or  two  his  junior. 


LAUGHLIN,  HON.  JOHN,  State  Senator  from 
the  Thirty-first  Senatorial  District  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  comprising  Erie  County,  was 
born  March  14,  1856,  in  Newstead,  Erie  County, 
New  York.  He  was  of  Irish  parentage.  His  father 
■was  a  farmer,  and  the  boy  lived  on  the  farm  with 


his  parents  in  Newstead  until  he  was  nine  years  of 
age,  when  he  removed  with  them  to  the  town  of 
Wilson,  Niagara  County.  He  followed  agricultural 
pursuits,  attending  district  schools  winters,  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  In  1874  he  removed 
to  Lockport,  and  entered  the  High  School  in  that 
city,  where  he  completed  a  course  of  four  years' 
study,  supporting  himself  and  paying  his  way 
through  school  by  working  out  of  school  hours  and 
during  the  summer  vacations.  He  now  determined 
upon  the  law  as  his  profession,  and  entered  the  of- 
fice of  Hon.  Richard  Crowley,  (who  was  at  that 
time  United  States  Attorney  for  the  Northern  Dis- 
trict of  New  York)  and  studied  law  with  liim  until 
December,  1880,  when  he  went  to  Washington  with 
Mr.  Crowley,  who  then  represented  the  Niagara 
District  in  Congress.  Mr.  Laughlin  passed  that 
winter  at  the  National  Capital  with  Mr.  Crowley's 
family,  holding  a  position  for  four  months  in  the 
Census  Bureau  under  Superintendent  Walker.  In 
the  spring  of  1881  Mr.  Crowley  opened  a  law  office 
in  Buffalo,  and  thither  Mr.  Laughlin  accompanied 
him,  continuing  his  legal  studies  with  Crowley  & 
Movins.  In  October  of  that  year  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Subsequently  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Crowley,  the  firm  becoming  Crowley 
&  Laughlin.  In  1882,  Mr.  Laughlin  ably  assisted 
Mr.  Crowley,  who  had  been  designated  as  Special 
j  Counsel  by  the  Government  to  prosecute  the  de- 
'  faulting  President  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Buffalo,  Reuben  Porter  Lee.  Their  management 
of  the  prosecution  was  very  skillful.  After  Mr. 
Crowley  removed  his  office  from  Buffalo,  Mr. 
Laughlin  formed  a  copartnership  with  ex-County 
Clerk  Joseph  E.  Ewell,  and  Supervisor  Daniel 
Mcintosh,  under  the  firm  name  of  Laughlin,  Ewell  & 
Mcintosh.  He  had  by  this  time  made  a  wide  repu- 
tation as  an  advocate,  being  considered  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  members  of  the  bar  of  his  county. 
In  1887  he  gained  a  great  deal  of  renown  and  much 
commendation  for  his  course  in  defending  Hattie 
Penseyres,  for  the  murder  of  her  husband  in  Buf- 
falo. The  unfortunate  woman  was  half  crazed  and 
penniless,  and  during  the  progress  of  the  trial  she 
spent  most  of  the  time  in  interrupting  and  abusing 
the  able  and  eloquent  gentleman  who  had  so  gener- 
ously taken  up  her  cause  without  hope  of  compen- 
sation other  than  that  furnished  by  success.  Some- 
how his  client's  distracted  mind  conceived  the  idea 
that  he  was  not  true  to  her  interests,  and  her  con- 
duct during  the  trial  was  most  embarrassing  to  him 
and  would  have  made  almost  any  other  man  aban- 
don the  case  with  disgust;  but  he  persisted  with 
determined  interest  in  her  advocacy  with  the  result 
of  saving  her  from  the  gallows.    The  trial  lasted  a  . 


Allanhr  RtbltahmaM  Fnjrovma  Co  NY 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


*95 


month  and  attracted  wide  attention  throughout 
western  New  York.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  trial 
James  N.  Matthews,  editor  of  the  Buffalo  Express, 
devoted  a  long  editorial  in  that  paper  to  a  review 
of  this  celebrated  case,  which  he  termed  "one  of 
the  most  remarkable  trials  on  record."  Among 
other  things  he  said : 

•'  Rarely  has  a  court  room  been  the  scene  of  so 
many  dramatic  incidents  in  a  single  case  as  oc- 
curred during  this  fierce  contention  to  save  or  to 
sacrifice  a  woman's  life.  *  *  *  Mr.  John  Laugh- 
lin  was  her  counsel,  and  never  had  lawyer  a  more 
ungrateful  client  or  a  more  difficult  and  thankless 
task  than  it  became  his  duty  to  perform  when  he 
undertook  the  defence  of  Hattie  Penseyres.  *  *  * 
He  steadily  pursued  his  faithful  course  unto  the 
bitter  end,  and  won  admiration  without  stint  as  the 
reward  of  the  indomitable  courage,  wonderful  skill 
and  energy,  sleepless  vigilance  and  tireless  patience 
which  marked  his  devoted  though  unrequited  ser- 
vice in  this  woman's  behalf.  With  a  single  bound 
Mr.  Laughlin  has  taken  a  place  in  the  front  rank  of 
our  local  advocates.  This  may  bring  him  an  ade- 
quate compensation  for  his  earnest  and  eloquent 
defense  of  the  friendless  and  irrational  creature  who 
had  only  reprobation  for  her  generous  advocate." 

The  Judge  who  presided  over  the  trial,  in  ad- 
dressing the  accused  before  passing  sentence,  paid 
the  following  high  tribute  to  Mr.  Laughlin  : 

"  I  think,"  said  Judge  Beck  with,  "  you  may  well 
feel  that  by  the  services  of  your  counsel  your  life 
has  been  saved.  A  counselor  of  this  court  has  de- 
fended you  with  a  courage,  with  a  persistency, 
with  a  determination,  and  an  ability,  and  with  an 
eloquence  that  have  excited  the  admiration  of  the 
whole  community;  and  I  think  that  his  efforts  have 
probably  saved  you  from  the  gallows." 

At  the  close  of  tins  memorable  trial  Mr.  Laughlin 
sailed  for  Europe  in  company  with  a  party  of 
friends  and  spent  most  of  his  vacation  traveling  in 
Holland  and  Germany.  July  4th,  found  them  on  the 
ocean,  and  the  passengers  all  united  in  getting  up 
a  grand  celebration.  Mr.  Laughlin  was  chosen 
orator  of  the  day,  and  in  mid-ocean  he  delivered  his 
first  Fourth  of  July  oration,  on  board  of  a  Dutch 
steamer  of  the  Netherlands  Line.  He  has  enjoyed 
a  large  criminal  practice  in  the  State  and  United 
States  Courts,  and  has  met  with  unusual  success  in 
his  efforts  before  juries.  These  incidents  in  his 
professional  life  and  the  general  popularity,  which 
was  the  result  of  an  affable  and  kindly  nature,  as 
well  as  remarkable  abilities  and  good  judgment, 
naturally  led  Mr.  Laughlin  into  politics.  He  al- 
ways had  a  taste  for  public  speaking  and  he  care- 
fully cultivated  it  in  Lyceums  and  other  public  de- 
bating societies  while  in  school  and  while  reading 
law.  Frequently  he  was  called  upon  to  deliver 
declamations  and  orations  in  school  and  upon  other 
public  occasions,  and  his  delivery  and  eloquence 


were  highly  praised  by  the  local  press.  During  the 
Presidential  campaign  of  1880  Mr.  Laughlin  made 
his  first  political  speeches  in  Niagara  County.  He 
organized  a  "First  Presidential  Voters"  Republi- 
can Club  in  Lockport  that  year  and  acted  as  its 
President  during  the  campaign.  After  removing 
to  Buffalo  he  continued  his  interest  in  politics  and 
he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  every  campaign 
since.  He  early  made  the  acquaintance  of  James 
D.  Warren,  for  years  the  Republican  leader  of  Erie 
County  and  western  New  Y"ork,  and  the  latter 
formed  a  strong  liking  for  Mr.  Laughlin  and 
brought  him  into  prominence  at  all  political  gather- 
ings. In  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1884  Mr. 
Warren  was  Chairman  of  the  Republican  State 
Committee,  and  wheu  Mr.  Blaine  made  his  memora- 
ble tour  through  this  State,  Mr.  Laughlin,  at  Mr. 
Warren's  invitation,  joined  the  party  at  Albany 
and  accompanied  them  through  the  State.  Mr. 
Warren  placed  him  on  the  list  of  State  speakers  in 
that  campaign,  and  the  State  Committee  have 
called  on  him  to  render  his  services  as  a  speaker  in 
every  important  canvass  since.  When  Mr.  Warren 
died,  in  1886,  a  special  meeting  of  the  Buffalo  Re- 
publican League  was  called  to  take  appropriate 
action  upon  his  death.  Mr.  Laughlin  was  and  still 
is  a  member  of  the  League,  and  on  that  occasion  he 
paid  a  very  eloquent  and  feeling  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  his  deceased  friend.  Mr.  Laughlin's 
name  now  began  to  be  considered  in  connection 
with  important  positions.  On  October  24,-  1887, 
the  Republican  General  Committee  of  Erie  County 
nominated  him  for  State  Senator  in  the  Erie  Sena- 
torial District,  Mr.  McMillan,  the  regular  nominee, 
having  declined  to  run.  On  that  evening  a  grand 
Republican  mass-meeting  was  held  at  Music  Hall 
in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  at  which  Senator  Allison  of 
Iowa  was  the  principal  speaker.  Mr.  Laughlin 
spoke  with  deep  feeling  in  response  to  the  speech 
of  Chairman  Morey  announcing  his  nomination  in 
place  of  Senator  McMillan.  The  following  is  a  part 
of  his  speech : 

"I  need  hardly  say  that  this  honor  was  as  un- 
sought as  it  was  unexpected.  My  name  was  occa- 
sionally mentioned  for  this  positon  during  the  past 
summer,  but  the  man  does  not  live  in  this  county 
or  outside  of  it  who  can  say  that  I  ever  said  any- 
thing on  this  subject,  but  siruply  that  under  no 
circumstances  should  I  be  a  candidate  against  my 
friend  Mr.  McMillan  ;  that  I  did  not  desire  the  office, 
and  should  I  be  called  upon  to  take  it  I  would  have 
to  sacrifice  my  personal  interests.  But  the  Com- 
mittee having  unanimously  tendered  me  the  nomi- 
nation, I  feel  that  under  the  circumstances  I  would 
be  unjust  to  my  principles  as  a  Republican  and 
lacking  in  appreciation  of  the  great  honor  which  is 
bestowed  upon  me  if  I  declined,  and  therefore  I  ac- 
cept.   *    *    *    I  have  some  appreciation  of  the 


196 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


magnitude  and  diversity  of  the  interests  of  tins 
County  in  the  State  Legislature.  The  Senatorial 
District  which  Erie  County  comprises  is,  in  my 
judgment,  and  is,  I  believe,  generally  recognized  to 
be,  "the  most  important  Senatorial  District  in  the 
State.  This  great  city,  with  all  its  commercial  and 
industrial  interests,  has  an  important  part  in  the 
legislation  of  the  Empire  State.  I  fully  appreciate 
the  gravity  of  the  responsibilities  which  I  take 
upon  myself  in  accepting  this  nomination  :  at  the 
same  time  I  am  honest  and  candid  in  saying  to  you 
that  should  I  be  elected,  should  this  nomination  be 
ratified  by  the  people  on  the  8th  of  November  next, 
I  will,  as  Senator  from  this  district,  always  do  what 
my  judgment  dictates  to  be  for  the  best  interests  of 
all  the  people  of  Erie  County." 

Mr.  Laughlin's  political  opponent  in  this  cam- 
paign was  Spencer  Clinton,  a  descendant  of  De  Witt 
Clinton,  and  one  of  the  foremost  members  of  the 
bar  in  western  New  York.  At  the  election  on  No- 
vember 8,  1887,  Mr  Laughlin  was  chosen  to  repre- 
sent Erie  County  in  the  Senate  by  a  majority  of 
4.301,  running  about  2.000  ahead  of  his  ticket.  At  the 
organization  of  the  Senate  he  was  made  Chairman 
of  the  Canal  Committee,  and  named  third  on  the 
Judiciary  Committee.  He  was  also  assigned  to  a 
place  on  the  Committee  on  Game  Laws  and  Indian 
Affairs.  He  was  a  powerful  advocate  of  the  canal 
interests  of  the  State,  and  early  in  his  Senatorial 
career  took  a  leading  part  in  all  important  debates 
on  the  floor  of  the  Senate.  He  was  the  youngest  of 
his  party  colleagues  in  that  body'.  In  1888  Mr. 
Laughlin  was  chosen  by  his  Congressional  District 
as  one  of  its  Delegates  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention  at  Chicago,  and  was  a  firm  supporter  of 
the  candidacy  of  Chauncey  M.  Depew  for  Presi- 
dent. On  Mr.  Depew's  withdrawal  he  voted  for 
Mr.  Harrison,  with  the  great  majority  of  the  New 
York  delegation.  Mr.  Laughlin  has  always  felt  a 
deep  interest  in  the  Irish  Home  Rule  question.  In 
1886  he  was  a  Delegate  to  the  National  Land  League 
Convention  held  at  Chicago.  In  1889  he  prepared 
and  introduced  resolutions  which  were  adopted 
unanimously  in  the  State  Senate,  complimenting 
Charles  Stewart  Parnell,  the  Irish  leader,  on  his 
complete  vindication  from  the  charges  of  the  London 
Times,  and  offering  assurances  of  the  most  pro- 
found respect  for  the  influence  of  Mr.  Gladstone  in 
the  cause  of  Home  Rule.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  was 
renominated  for  State  Senator  by  acclamation  in  the 
Republican  County  Convention.  In  nominating 
Senator  Laughlin  for  a  second  term,  Hon.  George 
Clinton,  an  ex-Member  of  Assembly  from  Erie 
County,  among  other  eidogistic  remarks,  said : 

"  The  man  has  made  his  record  and  we  all  know 
it.  We  know  that  it  is  a  record  of  truth  to  the  peo- 
ple he  has  represented,  of  truth  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  of  truth  brought  into  action  by  an  ability 


which  has  shown  him  fully  capable  of  occupying 
the  position.  As  a  young  man  he  encountered 
those  vicissitudes  of  life  that  always  meet  those 
without  influential  friends  and  without  means,  and 
who  have  to  carve  their  way  to  success  through 
opposition.  This  he  has  done.  Among  the  fore- 
most in  the  ranks  of  the  bar  to-day,  he  has  made 
a  record  in  public  life  that  any  man  ought  to  be 
proud  of.  A  friend  to  the  people,  his  record  in  the 
Legislature  upon  every  measure  which  touches  the 
interests  of  the  people  shows  that  he  has  been,  and 
he  will  so  continue :  a  friend  of  our  institutions, 
those  in  which  we  have  a  particular  local  interest, 
he  has  shown  by  his  action  that  he  is." 

Mr.  Daniel  J.  Kenefick,  in  seconding  the  nomina- 
tion, said  in  part : 

'•  I  take  personal  pride  and  gratification  in  sec- 
onding his  nomination,  for  with  Mr.  Laughlin  I 
delved  into  the  mysteries  of  the  law;  under  his  tui- 
tion I  concluded  my  studies,  and  I  have  had  a 
special  opportunity  for  noting  his  integrity  and  his 
generosity.  Two  years  ago,  byT  the  force  of  un- 
toward circumstances,  he  was  compelled  byr  his 
party  to  step  into  a  breach  and  accept  a  nomination 
which  had  been  declined  by  Hon.  Daniel  H.  McMil- 
lan. It  seemed  an  impossibility  for  him  to  be 
elected  under  such  circumstances,  but,  true  to  his 
generosity,  true  to  his  sturdy  Republicanism,  he 
was  willing  to  make  the  sacrifice,  and  he  entered 
into  the  canvass.  The  history  of  that  canvass  is 
known  to  you  all  It  has  never  been  equalled  in 
this  county,  and  the  result  was  his  election  as  Sen- 
ator by  a  majority.  I  believe,  never  before  given  for 
that  office  in  this  district." 

On  being  introduced  to  the  Convention,  Senator 
Laughlin  made  a  lengthy  speech,  in  which  he  re- 
viewed his  own  legislative  career  and  considered 
most  eloquently  and  cogently  the  revolution  which 
had  taken  place  in  National  politics  during  the  past 
two  years.    Concluding  his  address  he  said : 

"My  record  in  this  important  office  is  made,  and 
has  been  before  the  people  for  months.  I  stand  to- 
day in  its  presence,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  as- 
sembled delegates  of  my  party  to  accept  this  re- 
nomination  :  and  if  elected,  guided  and  aided  by 
my  experience  during  the  past  two  years  in  the 
Legislature,  I  pledge  myself  to  do  myr  utmost  to 
1  care  for  and  promote  the  needs  and  best  interests 
of  this  great  Senatorial  District.  *  *  *  I  shall, 
during  the  next  two  years,  as  I  have  during  the 
past,  do  all  that  I  can  to  guard  and  advance  the 
commercial  interests  of  our  city,  and  promote 
the  improvement  and  still  higher  development  and 
capacity  of  the  great  water-wTays  of  the  State.  Our 
canals  are  our  only  commercial  salvation,  and  in 
all  that  pertains  to  their  welfare  we  are  most  deeply 
interested.  I  will  aid  in  bringing  about  any  reform 
which  will  give  us  more  equitable  tax  laws.  I  will 
be  ever  ready  to  protect  and  promote  the  interests 
of  our  laboring  masses,  and  do  all  in  my  power  to 
establish  and  maintain  the  just  partnership  which 
should  always  exist  between  capital  and  labor." 

The  Democrats  nominated  for  Senator  Mr. 
Matthias  Rohr,  a  strong  and  popular  German, 
thinking  thereby  to  draw  away  from  the  Republic 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


197 


cans  the  large  German  vote  iu  the  city  of  Buffalo. 
Among  many  newspaper  editorials,  complimenting 
Senator  Laughlin  on  his  past  record,  and  summing 
up  the  characteristics  which  rendered  him  the 
most  desirable  as  well  as  the  most  available  candi- 
date, the  following  give  us  the  best  and  most  con- 
cise idea  of  the  man.  The  Buffalo  Morning  Ex- 
press, speaking  editorially  of  his  re-nomination, 
said  : 

"Two  years  ago  Erie  County  honored  John 
Laughlin  by  accrediting  him  to  the  upper  cham- 
ber of  the  Legislature.  This  year  the  district  will 
confer  honor  on  itself  by  returning  him  to  the 
Senate.  The  man  has  grown  wonderfully  in  popu- 
lar estimation  during  his  term.  He  has  made  a 
great  name  for  himself.  He  was  a  success  as  an 
emergency  candidate.  What  running  strength  will 
he  not  develop  as  an  acknowledged  leader  of  his 
party  in  the  county  and  State  ?  He  has  deserved 
all  his  honors,  and  there  are  greater  ones  in  store 
for  him.  The  party  has  not  forgotten  how  John 
Laughlin  stepped  into  the  breach  two  years  ago,  or 
the  glorious  victory  he  snatched  from  the  jaws  of 
defeat.  Mr.  Laughlin's  magnificent  record  in  the 
Senate  has  made  him  more  popular  at  home  than 
ever.  The  first  time  he  entered  the  Senatorial  race 
as  a  forlorn  hope.  He  won,  to  the  astonishment  of 
everybody,  by  a  big  majority.  This  time  he  essays 
the  contest  as  a  tried,  faithful  and  successful  public 
servant,  and  it  will  be  astonishing  if  he  is  not  tri- 
umphantly elected.  No  man  can  truthfully  deny 
Mr.  Laughlin's  fitness  to  represent  the  Erie  District 
in  the  State  Senate.  Mr.  Clinton  spoke  truly  of 
him  when  he  said  :  'No  man  in  the  Legislature  of 
the  State  of  New  York  since  the  Erie  Canal  was 
completed,  has  been  more  active  or  energetic  in 
advancing  the  interests  of  that  canal,  in  whose  in- 
terests our'  own  are  bound  up.'  Mr.  Laughlin's 
record  justifies  that  eulogy.  The  future  demands 
the  same  watchful  care  and  the  same  intelligent  ap- 
preciation of  the  needs  of  the  canals.  The  same 
man  should  furnish  them." 

The  Buffalo  ( 'omoicn-inl  Aih-i  rtixer  said  editorially  : 

"  The  general  approval  which  greeted  the  re- 
nomination  of  the  Hon.  John  Laughlin  for  another 
term  in  the  State  Senate  testifies  to  the  esteem  in 
which  he  is  held  by  the  Republicans  of  the  district. 
There  is  no  reasonable  doubt  of  his  re-election. 
He  ill  return  to  the  State  Legislature  ripened,  ex- 
perienced and  better  qualified  by  the  knowledge 
gained  during  his  first  term  to  represent  the  best 
interests  of  his  constituents  and  to  augment  the  in- 
fluence he  has  alread}r  attained  in  the  Senate  cham- 
ber by  his  manifest  abilities.  The  Republicans, 
moreover,  do  not  forget  that  the  State  Senator  they 
elect  now  will  have  a  voice  in  the  election  of  a 
United  States  Senator." 

The  Buffalo  Catholic  Union  and  Times,  the  leading 
Catholic  journal  of  western  New  York,  also  speaks 
editorially  of  him  as  follows  : 

"John  Laughlin  is  one  of  the  most  practical  and 
common  sense  representatives  Erie  County  has  ever 
sent  to  the  State  Senate.  There  is  nothing  but 
praise  for  Buffalo's  brilliant  young  Senator  for  what 
he  has  accomplished  in  the  interest  of  the  canals." 


The  Buffalo  Evening  Nem  has  the  following  to 
say  of  him  editorially  : 

"  The  re-nomination  by  acclamation  of  Senator 
Laughlin  was  expected.  The  News  has  expressed 
its  opinion  of  him  during  the  past  week,  and  it  can 
say  again  that  a  more  faithful  and  capable  official 
could  not  be  rewarded  for  services  to  the  people 
well  performed.  Erie  county  has  had  many  bril- 
liant men  in  the  Senate,  but  never  one  who  has 
been  more  active  and  aggressive  in  upholding  the 
rights  and  interests  of  his  constituents  than  John 
Laughlin.  He  will  be  re-elected  by  a  rousing  ma- 
jority. Senator  Laughlin  is  stronger  with  the  peo- 
ple to-day  than  he  was  when  he  gained  his  magnifi- 
cent victory  two  years  ago,  and  the  election  returns 
will  show  it." 

The  Albany  Evening  Journal  spoke  editorially  of 
his  re-nomination  as  follows  : 

"  Senator  John  Laughlin  of  the  Thirty-first  Dis- 
trict has  been  renominated.  He  has  proved  himself 
an  earnest  and  able  legislator  at  Albany,  who  has 
faithfully  served  the  interests  of  Buffalo  and  Erie 
County,  and  has  been  an  independent-minded  and 
aggressive  Republican." 

Again,  Senator  Laughlin's  personal  popularity 
and  his  admirable  record  combined,  resulted  in  his 
re-election  against  his  influential  German  opponent 
by  a  majority  of  2,579  votes.  The  election  of  1889 
developed  many  queer  residts  in  Erie  County.  The 
majority  given  for  the  Republican  State  ticket  was 
about  2,000.  The  Republican  candidate  for  Mayor 
in  the  city  of  Buffalo  was  beaten  by  nearly  6,000, 
and  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Surrogate  of  the 
County  had  over  8.000  majority.  On  the  election 
of  State  Senator  party  lines  were  closely  drawn, 
the  Senator  elected  having  to  vote  for  the  election 
of  a  United  States  Seuator  in  January,  1891,  so  that 
all  things  considered  Senator  Laughlin's  triumph 
the  second  time,  running,  as  he  did,  nearly  six  hun- 
dred ahead  of  his  State  ticket,  was  even  more  re- 
markable than  his  first  election.  During  the  cam- 
paign the  Delegates  to  the  Pan-American  Congress 
were  given  a  banquet  by  the  citizens  of  Buffalo,  at 
which  Senator  Laughlin  responded  to  the  toast 
"  Reciprocity,"  and  his  speech  was  considered 
among  the  best  there  delivered.  As  an  illustration 
of  his  oratorical  ability,  a  brief  quotation  may  be 
made  from  an  address  which  he  delivered  in  re- 
sponse to  the  toast,  "  The  Empire  State,"  at 
the  second  annual  banquet  of  the  Buffalo  Press 
Club  on  the  evening  of  December  4,  1889.  After 
recounting  the  progress  and  triumphs  of  the  news- 
paper press  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  consid- 
ering the  subject  of  education  as  an  agency  in  our 
great  development,  he  ran  lightly  and  eloquently 
through  the  list  of  those  who  had  been  greatest  at 
the  bench,  the  bar  and  the  forum  of  the  Empire 
State,  and  concluded  as  follows  : 


198 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


"  The  commercial  supremacy  which  New  York 
has  always  enjoyed  is  seriously  threatened  by  a 
tendency  towards  a  stinted  and  illiberal  canal  pol- 
icy in  the  Legislature.  These  great  avenues  of 
commerce  which  furnish  a  cheap  water  route  from 
our  western  inland  seas,  by  the  Hudson  River,  to 
the  Atlantic,  are  capable  of  commanding  the  grain 
and  other  commerce  of  our  country  to  be  distrib- 
uted from  New  Y'ork,  if  developed  to  their  fullest 
capacity.  This  is,  indeed,  '  A  consummation  de- 
voutly to  be  wished.'  Another  danger  which  con- 
fronts us  is  the  corruption  of  the  ballot.  Under 
our  present  system  abuses  have  grown  tip  which 
seriously  threaten  the  administration  of  govern- 
ment by  the  will  of  the  honest  majority,  and  we 
must  have  ballot  reform  legislation  which  will 
remedy  this  evil.  If  the  education  of  the  masses 
continues  to  be  among  the  first  considerations  of 
the  State;  if  the  representatives  of  the  people  will  ' 
be  liberal  with  our  canals  ;  if  we  can  have  guaran- 
teed to  us  a  pure  ballot— New  York  will  continue, 
through  the  century  upon  which  we  are  just  enter- 
ing, what  she  has  been  through  the  one  we  have  so 
recently  closed,  the  Empire  State  of  the  first 
American  Republic." 

About  the  1st  of  December,  1889,  Mr.  Laughlin 
organized  a  new  law  firm,  Mr.  Mcintosh  retiring 
and  Mr.  Wilbur  E.  Houpt  joining  the  firm.  The 
firm  name  now  becomes  Laughlin,  Ewell&  Houpt, 
and  Mr.  Laughlin,  who,  at  the  time  of  this  sketch 
is  but  thirty-three  years  of  age,  has  every  promise 
of  a  successful  political  and  professional  future. 

 •  

COLLINS,  HON.  MICHAEL  F.,  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Troy  Observer,  and  State  Senator 
from  the  Sixteenth  District,  comprising  Rens- 
selaer and  Washington  Counties,  was  born  in  Troy, 
New  York,  September  27,  1854,  on  the  site  of  Music 
Hall,  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Second  Streets. 
He  was  the  second  son  of  Patrick  and  Alice  Collins, 
who  were  natives  of  County  Limerick,  Ireland. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  completing 
his  studies  in  the  Christian  Brothers'  Academy.  In 
18C9  he  began  to  learn  the  printer's  trade,  his  first 
work  at  the  case  being  in  the  office  of  the  Troy 
Weekly  Prexs.  The  following  year  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  late  Thomas  Hurley,  publisher  of 
the  Telegram,  a  Sunday  paper.  When  the  Telegram 
suspended  publication  Mr.  Collins  returned  to  the 
Troy  Press,  remaining  there  until  the  strike  of  the  \ 
Union  printers  in  that  office  in  1877.  With  a  few 
of  the  other  strikers  he  started  the  Evening  Stand- 
a/rd,  on  which  paper  he  filled  the  city  editor's  chair, 
and  the  local  department  under  his  guidance  was 
regarded  as  the  most  newsy  and  independent  in 
that  section.  In  July,  1879,  Mr.  Collins  disposed 
of  his  interest  in  the  Standard  and  purchased  the 
Sandfly  Trojan  and  Observer  of  the  late  A.  B.  Elliott, 


and  changed  its  name  to  the  Troy  Observer.  Writh 
Mr.  Collins  at  the  helm  the  Observer  soon  entered 
upon  a  prosperous  career,  until  now  it  exerts  a  wide 
influence,  has  a  large  circulation  and  an  excellent 
run  of  advertising.  In  politics  Mr.  Collins  is  a 
Democrat,  and  in  1885  he  was  induced  to  accept  the 
nomination  for  Member  of  Assembly  in  the  First 
Rensselaer  District.  Two  candidates  were  pitted 
against  him,  Samuel  Morris  and  James  P.  Hooley, 
but  so  great  was  Mr.  Collins'  popularity  that  he 
was  elected  by  over  seven  hundred  majority.  The 
following  year  he  was  re-nominated,  and  so  well 
had  his  course  in  the  Legislature  pleased  his  constit- 
uents that  he  was  re-elected  by  more  than  1,900 
majority  over  John  T.  Ross,  Republican,  and 
Justus  Miller,  Prohibition.  During  his  second  term 
he  showed  such  marked  tact  in  caring  for  the  inter- 
ests of  his  district  that  even  the  Republican  papers 
in  that  section  commended  him  highly  for  his 
ability  and  sterling  integrity.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he 
accepted  the  Democratic  nomination  for  Senator  in 
the  Sixteenth  District,  and,  while  there  was  a  heavy 
adverse  majority  to  overcome,  few  doubted  his 
ability  to  win.  His  opponent  was  James  H.  Man- 
ville,  of  Washington  County,  and  when  the  returns 
came  in  they  showed  that  Mr.  Collins  had  been 
elected  by  nearly  3,000  majority,  a  remarkable 
victory.  In  October,  1889,  Mr.  Collins  was  re- 
nominated for  State  Senator  and  elected  over  his 
opponent,  James  C.  Rogers,  by  a  plurality  of  3,474, 
in  the  face  of  most  extraordinary  efforts  by  the 
Republican  managers  to  encompass  his  defeat.  Mr. 
Collins  was  married  in  December,  1880,  to  Carrie 
O'Sullivan,  daughter  of  William  and  Catherine 
O'Sullivan,  who  was  born  in  Troy,  July  2,  1857. 
Five  children  have  been  born  to  them,  all  of  whom 
are  living. 


STRYKER,  HON.  JOHN,  a  distinguished  citizen 
of  Rome,  was  born  at  Orange,  New  Jersey,  De- 
cember, 7,  1808,  and  died  at  Rome,  where  he 
had  spent  so  many  years  of  his  useful  and  honorable 
life.  His  father,  Daniel  P.  Stryker,  a  merchant  at 
Orange,  was  a  man  of  feeble  health  and  consump- 
tive tendencies,  and  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1815,  followed  shortly  upon  a  brief  illness,  the  re- 
sult of  slight  exposure  while  crossing  the  water  be- 
tween Orange  and  New  York.  In  1818  or  1819  the 
widow  and  her  children,  consisting  of  three  sons 
and  two  daughters,  removed  to  the  village  of 
Whitesboro,  one  of  the  inducements  for  doing  so 
being  the  good  schools  at  that  place.  She  took  up 
her  abode  with  her  sister,  the  widow  of  the  Rev. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


I99 


Bethuel  Dodd,  who  was  childless  and  welcomed 
her  and  her  little  ones  with  true  affection.  In  1823 
the  eldest  daughter  and  one  of  the  sons  died  in  the 
same  week  of  scarlet  fever.  In  1831  another 
daughter  died,  and  in  the  following  year  Mrs. 
Stryker  passed  to  her  reward.  The  eldest  of  the 
two  remaining  sons,  John,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  attended  the  school  of  Mr.  Rawson,  one  of 
the  instructors  in  the  place.  With  a  boy's  ambition 
and  a  desire  to  help  his  mother,  he  gave  up  his 
studies  at  an  early  age  to  engage  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits, taking  a  clerkship  in  the  store  of  William  G. 
Tracy,  a  respected  merchant  of  Whitesboro.  An 
old  friend  of  Mr.  Tracy's,  a  lawyer,  named  Thomas 
R.  Gold,  discerning  many  fine  qualities  in  the  lad, 
suggested  to  him  that  he  study  for  the  bar.  The 
suggestion,  so  kindly  given,  was  immediately  acted 
upon  by  the  boy,  who  took  the  place  offered  him  in 
Mr.  Gold's  office  and  attended  to  his  duties  so 
well  that  in  a  short  time  he  became  the  confidential 
clerk  and  manager  of  that  noted  lawyer,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  his  death  in  October,  1827. 
He  then  entered  the  office  of  Messrs.  Storrs  and 
White,  a  legal  firm  of  high  repute,  with  whom  he 
finished  his  studies,  and,  in  1829,  before  he  had 
completed  his  twenty-first  year,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Oneida  County.  Later  in  the  same  year 
he  removed  to  Rome  and  became  associated,  as 
partner,  with  Allanson  Bennett,  a  prominent  lawyer 
of  that  place.  At  later  periods  in  his  life  he  was 
the  law  partner  of  ex-Judge  Henry  A.  Foster, 
Charles  Tracy,  Calvert  Comstock  and  B.  J.  Beach, 
— all  able  and  well-known  men.  Although  he 
never  appeared  much  in  the  courts,  he  was  a  lawyer 
of  line  ability  and  always  controlled  a  large  share 
of  a  lucrative  business.  Mr.  Stryker  may  be  said 
to  have  been  a  born  politician.  In  the  arena  of 
civil  strife,  in  the  caucus,  the  convention,  and  at 
the  polls  he  seemed  to  be  in  his  true  element.  Just 
as  soon  as  he  attained  his  majority  and  became  en- 
titled to  the  full  privileges  of  citizenship  he  turned 
his  attention  to  politics — associating  himself  with 
the  Democratic  party, — and  for  forty  years  it  held 
its  charms  for  him  and  drew  forth  his  best  efforts 
and  abilities.  In  1832,  in  his  twenty-third  year,  he 
was  chosen  a  member  of  a  delegation  of  citizens 
sent  from  Rome  to  Albany  to  aid  in  procuring  the 
passage  of  a  bill  chartering  the  Bank  of  Rome. 
While  on  this  mission,  in  which  he  performed  his 
work  creditably  and  successfully,  he  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  a  number  of  prominent  Democratic 
leaders,  among  them  William  L.  Marcy,  Silas 
Wright,  Edwin  Crosswell,  Samuel  Young  and  A.  C. 
Flagg,  with  whom  he  afterwards  became  on  terms 
of  close  and  friendly  intimacy.    With  the  design  of 


having  the  advantage  of  his  push  and  energy  in  the 
work  of  obtaining  a  charter  for  the  Syracuse  and 
Utica  Railroad  Company,  the  people  of  Rome 
elected  him  to  the  Assembly  in  1835.  Through  his 
skillful  management  the  line  of  the  road  passed 
th  rough  Rome,  and  his  constituents  shared  in  the 
advantages  of  the  enterprise.  In  1837  he  was  ap- 
pointed Surrogate  of  Oneida  County,  and  retained 
that  office  until  1847.  when  by  the  provisions  of  the 
new  Constitution  it  became  an  elective  office.  This 
terminated  his  office-holding,  but  released  from  offi- 
cial duties  he  now  devoted  himself  outright  to  politics. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  no  less  than  twelve  State  Con- 
ventions of  the  Democratic  party,  and  also  to  four 
or  five  National  Conventions.  He  served  with  dis- 
tinction on  the  State  Democratic  Committee  for  up- 
wards of  ten  years.  "During  a  long  period  of  his 
political  life,"  said  the  Hon.  D.  E.  Wager,  in  an 
address  delivered  before  the  Oneida  Historical 
Society,  at  Utica,  January  29,  1879,  "he  was  in  con- 
fidential correspondence  with  such  eminent  men  as 
Governor  Marcy,  General  Lewis  Cass,  Governor 
Bouck,  Governor  Manning,  of  South  Carolina,  John 
L.  Dawson,  of  Pennsylvania,  Edwin  Croswell,  etc., 
etc.,  and  a  life-long  and  devoted  friend  and  admirer 
of  Governor  Seymour.  The  letters  above  referred 
to,  if  preserved,  would  make  an  interesting  history 
of  the  times,  and  an  important  chapter  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  Democratic  party.  To  him  and  Judge 
Foster  is  Rome  indebted  for  its  prosperity  in  secur- 
ing the  Black  River  Canal  and  the  Syracuse  and 
Utica  Railroad,  against  active  adverse  interests,  and 
the  change  of  the  Erie  Canal  from  Rome  Swamp  to 
the  center  of  the  city,  from  which  time  Rome  has 
continued  to  increase  in  prosperity,  on  a  sound 
basis,  and  which  have  been  the  means  of  adding  five- 
fold to  her  population."  Mr.  Stryker's  influence  in 
the  management  of  his  party  and  in  the  work  of 
shaping  its  policy  was  very  great,  and  it  is  doubtful 
if  there  were  any  in  the  ranks  whose  shrewdness 
and  tact  were  more  serviceable  or  more  generally 
acknowledged,  and  whose  advice  was  held  more 
worthy  to  follow.  He  was  a  power  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  in  his  active  day  probably  "made 
and  unmade  office-holders,  and  managed  and  man- 
ipulated conventions  to  a  greater  extent  than  any 
other  man  in  the  State."  A  critical  observer  has  de- 
clared that  "  the  politics  of  Oneida  County  and  the 
history  of  State  and  National  Conventions  would  be 
in  a  great  measure  shorn  of  their  most  interesting 
features,  if  all  that  Hon.  John  Stryker  had  to  do 
therewith  was  left  out."  Mr.  Stryker  preserved  his 
mental  activity  down  to  the  close  of  his  long  and 
busy  life.  His  memory  was  remarkable,  retaining 
its  grasp  upon  even  the  lightest  details  of  a  varied 


200 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


experience  of  more  than  half  a  century.  Long  after 
he  retired  from  active  participation  in  politics  he 
wielded  a  marked  influence  upon  public  affairs 
through  his  advice  and  counsel,  and  to  his  dying 
day  he  never  lost  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens or  in  the  progress  of  his  country.  Mr. 
Stryker  married,  early  in  life,  a  daughter  of  the  Hon. 
Thomas  H.  Hubbard,  a  distinguished  citizen  and 
lawyer,  late  of  TJtica,  whose  public  career  covered 
nearly  half  a  century,  during  which  he  held  consecu- 
tively the  offices  of  Surrogate  of  Madison  County, 
Deputy  Attorney-General  of  the  District,  District 
Attorney  of  Madison  County,  Member  of  Congress 
and  Presidential  Elector.  By  this  marriage  there 
were  five  children.  Mr.  Stryker's  brother  was  the 
Rev.  Isaac  P.  Stryker,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman, 
who  after  some  thirty  years  or  more  of  active  devo- 
tion to  the  duties  of  his  sacred  calling  at  Urbana, 
Watkins  and  other  places,  settled  in  retirement  in 
New  Jersey. 


HOFFMAN,  REV.  EUGENE  AUGUSTUS,  D.D., 
Dean  of  the  General  Theological  Seminary  of 
.the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  was  born  in 
the  city  of  New  York  in  1829.  His  parents  resided 
in  White  Street,  just  east  of  Broadway.  At  that 
time  there  were  but  few  of  the  better  class  of  resi- 
dences above  Canal  Street,  while  the  old  Broadway 
stages  ran  only  as  far  north  as  Bond  Street.  His 
early  education  was  begun  in  Mr.  Greenough's  then 
well-known  school  in  Yarick  Street,  and  completed 
in  Columbia  College  Grammar  School,  under  Drs. 
Charles  Antlion  and  Henry  Drisler.  His  family 
having  removed  to  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  in 
1842,  he  entered  Rutgers  College  in  the  follow- 
ing year,  and  was  graduated,  at  the  early  age  of 
eighteen,  in  1847.  Desiring  to  pursue  his  studies 
still  further,  he  entered  Harvard  University  and 
took  his  bachelor's  and  master's  degrees  from  that 
institution  in  1848  and  1851.  During  the  summer  of 
1848  he  joined  a  party  of  sixteen  persons  under  Pro- 
fessor Louis  iVgassiz,  some  of  whom  were  sent  out  by 
the  German  Universities  and  the  Jarditi  dex  Plantes, 
Paris,  to  explore  the  then  unbroken  wilderness 
lying  north  of  Lake  Superior.  The  party  was  for 
nearly  three  months  beyond  the  limits  of  civiliza- 
tion. It  came  back  to  Sault  St.  Marie  by  the  south 
shore,  making  the  complete  circuit  of  that  great 
lake  in  their  frail  birch  canoes.  After  returning 
from  that  expedition  he  entered  the  General  Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  New  York,  of  which  he  is  now 
(lie  honored  head,  to  begin  his  preparation  for  the 
ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 


was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1851,  and 
ordered  deacon,  in  Christ  Church,  New  Brunswick, 
New  Jersey,  by  the  Bishop  of  New  Jerse}-,  the 
Right  Rev.  George  Washington  Doane,  D.D.  For 
two  years  he  was  diligently  engaged  in  mission 
work  in  Grace  Church,  Elizabethport,  New  Jersey. 
In  the  spring  of  1853  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  rector- 
ship of  Christ  Church,  Elizabeth,  N.  J  ,  then  just 
organized,  and  was  admitted  to  the  priesthood  by 
Bishop  Doane  in  St.  John's  Church,  Elizabeth.  For 
ten  years  he  remained  in  this  parish,  occupied  in  the 
work  of  establishing  one  of  the  earliest  and  most 
successful  free  churches  in  this  country.  A  large 
stone  chapel,  afterwards  enlarged  and  converted 
into  the  church  building,  a  parish  school  house  and 
a  stone  rectory,  were  built.  This  church  was 
among  the  first  in  this  country  to  have  daily  morn- 
ing and  evening  prayers  and  the  weekly  commu- 
nion, neither  of  which  have  ever  been  intermitted 
since  the  chapel  was  built.  Dr.  Hoffman  also  or- 
ganized two  parish  schools — a  classical  school  for 
boys  and  a  primary  school  for  girls,  which  were 
highly  successful.  During  the  ten  years  of  his  rec- 
torship, the  congregation,  worshiping  in  a  chapel 
seating  but  three  hundred  people  and  none  of  them 
rich  in  this  world's  goods,  contributed,  through  the 
Sunday  offerings,  upwards  of  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
During  this  period  Dr.  Hoffman  also  gathered  a 
congregation  in  Milburn,  New  Jersey,  seven  miles 
distant,  by  holding  a  third  service  there  on  Sundays, 
organized  a  parish,  and  built  St.  Stephen's  Church, 
a  chaste  country  church,  seating  nearly  five  hun- 
dred persons.  This  accomplished,  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  Woodbridge,  some  ten  miles  from  Eliza- 
beth, where  there  stood  an  ante-Revolution  church, 
for  years  without  a  congregation.  This  ancient  edi- 
fice took  fire  on  the  second  occasion  of  its  being 
reopened,  and  was  entirely  consumed.  Nothing 
daunted  by  this  disaster,  the  services  were  continued 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  kindly  loaned  for  the 
purpose,  a  congregation  gathered,  and  a  brick  church 
erected  on  the  site  of  the  one  that  was  burnt,  sur- 
rounded by  the  graves  of  nearly  two  centuries.  At 
the  same  time  his  sympathies  were  enlisted  in  be- 
half of  St.  James'  Church,  Hackettstown,  New  Jer- 
sey, which  was  heavily  in  debt  and  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  Sheriff.  By  personal  efforts  he 
secured  sufficient  to  pay  the  debt  and  present  the 
church  free  and  clear  to  the  Diocese.  In  the  spring 
of  1863,  at  Bishop  Odenheimer's  earnest  solicitation, 
he  accepted  the  rectorship  of  St.  Mary's  Church, 
Burlington,  New  Jersey,  succeeding  Bishop  Doane, 
now  the  Bishop  of  Albany.  This  parish  was  at  that 
time  encumbered  with  a  debt  of  twenty-three 
thousand  dollars,  and  had  not  sufficient  income  to  - 


DEAN  OF  THE  GENERAL THEOLO GICAL  SEMINARY 
]ffEW"YORK. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


20I 


meet  the  annual  interest  on  the  indebtedness.  With 
his  characteristic  financial  ability,  he  immediately 
grappled  with  this  encumbrance  on  the  parish,  and 
in  less  than  one  year,  notwithstanding  the  country 
was  at  the  time  engaged  in  a  terrible  war,  he  had 
the  satisfaction  of  wiping  out  the  entire  debt  and 
raising  sufficient  to  place  a  large  peal  of  bells  in  the 
church  tower,  with  an  endowment  for  the  ringers. 
During  his  connection  with  New  Jersey,  Dr.  Hoff- 
man held  numerous  positions  of  trust ;  for  many 
years  he  was  a  trusted  adviser  of  Bishop  Doane  dur- 
ing his  trials;  Secretary  of  the  Standing  Commit- 
tee; Secretary  of  the  Diocesan  Convention,  and 
Trustee  of  Burlington  College  and  St.  Mary's  Hall. 
In  1864  Dr.  Hoffman  removed  to  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  to  become  rector  of  the  large  and  important 
parish  of  Grace  Church,  Brooklyn  Heights.  To  his 
exertions  was  due  the  erection  of  the  fine  parish 
building  which  adjoins  the  church  on  the  west. 
During  his  rectorship  the  parish  attained  the  high- 
est degree  of  prosperity,  and  the  liberal  system  of 
large  annual  offerings  for  missions,  for  which  it  is 
still  so  notably  distinguished,  successfully  inaugu- 
rated. In  this  church  during  his  rectorship,  the 
meeting  was  held  which  decided  the  erection  of  the 
Diocese  of  Long  Island.  When  the  Diocese  was  or- 
ganized he  was  prominently  mentioned  for  its 
Bishop  and  elected  the  President  of  its  Standing 
Committee.  He  was  also  one  of  the  most  active 
Trustees  of  the  Church  Charity  Foundation.  The 
keen  air  of  Brooklyn  Heights  seriously  affecting  his 
health,  he  resigned  in  1869  and  accepted  the  rector- 
ship of  St.  Mark's  Church,  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  try  the  effect  of  a  milder  climate,  removed 
from  the  influence  of  the  salt  air  of  the  seaboard. 
The  following  were  among  the  resolutions  unani- 
mously adopted  by  the  vestry  at  the  time  of  his 
resignation : 

"  Grace  Church,  Brooklyn  Heights,) 
New  York,  February  22,  1869./ 
"■Resolved.  That  it  is  with  the  greatest  sorrow 
that  w  e  part  with  our  rector,  who  has  by  his  earnest 
efforts  and  faithful  ministry  in  our  parish,  for  five 
years  past,  secured  our  entire  respect  and  affection- 
ate regard. 

"Resolved.  That  in  view  of  the  great  prosperity 
of  our  parish,  which  has  attended  his  administra- 
tion of  its  affairs,  we  cannot  reflect  on  the  proposed 
separation,  without  anxious  solicitude  and  deep 
regret. 

"  Resolved.  That  we  shall  always  remember  with 
gratitude  the  kind  pastoral  care  of  our  rector,  par- 
ticularly his  unremitting  attention  and  frequent 
visits  to  the  sick  and  afflicted,  which  have  been  so 
much  valued  by  them,  and  also  to  the  poor  of  the 
parish,  to  whom  he  has  been  a  most  faithful  friend 
and  liberal  benefactor,  and  who  will  long  mourn  his 
loss. 


"Resolved.  That  our  rector  leaves  us  an  united 
parish,  and  by  our  earnest  prayers  for  his  health 
and  happiness  in  his  new  proposed  field  of  labor, 
and  our  hope  that  he  may  be  as  successful  in  the 
future,  as  he  has  been  in  the  past. 

(Signed)  Henry  E.  Pierrepont, 

Charles  E.  Bill, 

Wardens, 

Alexander  V.  Blake,    A.  W.  Benson, 
W.  C.  Sheldon,  R.  L.  Wheeler, 

John  Blunt,  H.  Messenger, 

Henry  Sanger,  J.  P.  Atkinson, 

Vestrymen." 

He  immediately  secured  for  St.  Mark's  Church 
a  large  and  commodious  rectory,  and  within  a  year 
organized  the  first  Working  Men's  Club  in  this 
country.  Its  methods  of  operation,  which  were 
partially  adopted  from  those  prevailing  in  England, 
proved  so  successful  that  it  soon  numbered  five 
hundred  members,  and  furnished  the  pattern  for 
numerous  similar  clubs  now  found  in  all  parts  of 
the  country.  Finding  it  impossible,  owing  to  the 
crowded  congregations,  to  provide  seats  in  the  par- 
ish church  for  many  of  the  laboring  classes,  he 
opened  the  church  for  free  services  every  Sunday 
evening,  at  each  of  which  the  sacred  edifice  was 
filled  to  its  utmost  capacity.  During  his  rectorship 
many  costly  improvements  were  made  in  the  church 
building,  the  windows  filled  with  the  richest  Eng- 
lish glass  as  memorials,  and  a  superior  peal  of  Eng- 
lish bells  hung  in  the  tower.  When  he  resigned 
after  ten  years  of  faithful  service,  it  was  found  that 
the  communicants  had  increased  from  four  hundred 
to  one  thousand,  and  the  offerings  had  averaged 
about  forty-four  thousand  dollars  a  year;  seven 
hundred  and  seventy-six  persons  had  been  baptized, 
and  four  hundred  and  forty-six  presented  to  the 
Bishop  for  confirmation.  During  the  whole  period 
of  his  rectorship,  though  suffering  still  from  the 
affection  of  his  throat  which  he  contracted  in 
Brooklyn,  he  was  untiring  in  his  labors  and  kept  the 
parish  in  a  most  efficient  and  thoroughly  organized 
condition.  Never  before  had  the  real  power  of  St. 
Mark's  parish  been  so  called  into  service  or  its  libe- 
rality been  so  developed.  Nor  did  Dr.  Hoffman  con- 
fine his  labors  to  his  parish.  He  was  an  active 
worker  in  the  Boards  of  Trustees  of  all  the  Diocesan 
institutions — the  large  Episcopal  Hospital,  the 
Episcopal  Academy,  the  Diocesan  and  City  Mis- 
sions, the  Prayer  Book  and  Tract  Societies.  In  all 
these  positions  he  was  noted  for  his  untiring  indus- 
try, his  good  judgment  and  his  financial  ability.  A 
prominent  financier,  who  had  some  business  tran- 
sactions with  him,  remarked  after  an  interview,  that 
in  making  him  a  clergyman  they  had  spoiled  a  first 
class  bank  president.  Others  were  wont  to  call  him 
(playing  upon  his  initials  E.  A.  H.)  Executive 


202 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Ability  Hoffman.  When  he  left  Philadelphia  to  be- 
come Dean  of  the  General  Theological  Seminary  in 
New  York,  Bishop  Stevens,  though  materially 
differing  from  his  school  of  churchmanship,  sent 
him  the  following  complimentary  letter  : 

"Diocese  of  Pennsylvania,  Episcopal  Rooms,) 
No.  708  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia, 
May  31,  1879.) 

My  dear  Brother : — I  cannot  let  you  go  from  this 
diocese  without  telling  you  that  in  your  departure 
I  shall  experience  a  very  great  loss.  During  j  our 
living  in  this  city  I  have  ever  found  you  thoroughly 
loyal,  wise  in  council,  earnest  in  every  enterprise  in 
which  you  were  engaged,  and  never  remiss  in  any 
duty  laid  upon  you.  We  have  been  associated  to- 
gether in  many  institutions  and  on  many  occasions, 
and  it  has  ever  been  a  satisfaction  to  me  to  act  with 
you  and  to  enjoy  your  society.  I  shall  miss  you  as 
a  warm  personal  friend,  and  also  as  a  judicious  and 
practical  adviser  in  various  important  transactions 
of  church  work,  and  this  loss  it  will  be  difficult  to 
make  up.  I  am  glad  that  you  are  to  be  the  head  of 
General  Theological  Seminary.  It  needs  your  wise 
and  strong  action,  and  I  earnestly  pray  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  may  give  you  all  needed  grace  and 
understanding  to  discharge  the  most  important 
functions  soon  to  devolve  upon  you.  Wishing  you 
all  personal  happiness  for  yourself,  your  wife,  and 
your  children,  and'  commending  you  and  yours  to 
the  Great  Head  of  the  Church,  I  remain,  dear 
brother,  Very  truly  yours, 

W.  Baoon  Stevens. 

"Rev.  E.  A.  Hoffman,  D.D." 

As  intimated  in  the  foregoing  letter,  Dr.  Hoffman 
was  not  allowed  to  remain  merely  in  charge  of  a 
parish.  It  was  felt  by  those  who  had  watched  his 
work  that  he  should  have  a  larger  sphere  of  useful- 
ness. Several  times  he  came  very  near  being  elected 
a  Bishop.  But  providentially  he  was  reserved  for 
the  eminent  position  which  he  now  so  successfully 
fills,  and  where  he  has  left  a  permanent  monument 
of  his  work,  as  Dean  of  the  General  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States.  His  election  to  this  responsible  posi- 
tion, after  twice  declining  to  allow  his  name  to  be 
used  in  connection  with  it,  gave  great  satisfaction  to 
the  church,  and  his  acceptance  of  it  was  warmly 
urged  by  prominent  Bishops  and  such  men  as  Drs. 
Dix,  Dyer  and  John  Cotton  Smith.  They  felt  confi- 
dent that  under  his  administration  the  Seminary, 
which  had  been  dragging  along  without  sufficient 
endowment  and  with  a  steadily  increasing  debt,  the 
foot-ball  of  party  differences  in  the  church,  would 
soon  have  a  new  lease  of  life,  and  take  its  stand  in 
the  forefront  of  the  church's  work  in  this  western 
world.  Their  anticipations  have  been  more  than 
realized.  In  less  than  ten  years  he  has  secured  by 
his  efforts  over  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  given  to  add  to  the  invested  funds  or  for 
the  erection  of  the  new  buildings.  Endowments  for 


two  professorships,  an  ample  foundation  for  the 
support  of  future  Deans,  provision  made  for  a  Fel- 
low, for  instructors  in  elocution  and  church  music, 
and  the  endowment  of  the  Bishop  Paddock  Lecture- 
ship, modelled  after  the  Bampton  lectures  in  Eng- 
land, are  among  the  things  added  to  its  permanent 
usefulness.  At  the  same  time  Chelsea  Square  has 
been  rapidly  occupied  by  structure  after  structure, 
until  the  two  quaint  gray  stone  buildings,  which 
belong  to  the  olden  time,  have  been  almost  hidden 
from  view.  Sherred  Hall,  furnishing  a  separate 
lecture-room  for  each  professor;  Dehon,  Pintard 
and  Jarvis  Halls,  used  as  dormitories  for  the 
students;  the  spacious  Deanery ;  the  large  fire-proof 
library  building ;  and  lastly  the  magnificent  Chapel 
of  the  Good  Shepherd,  without  a  peer  in  this  coun- 
try, erected  by  the  Dean's  mother  as  a  memorial  to 
her  husband,  are  already  completed  and  extend 
from  the  corner  of  Twentieth  Street  along  Ninth 
Avenue,  and  down  Twenty-first  Street,  half  way  to 
Tenth  Avenue,  forming  the  east  quadrangle  and  re- 
minding the  visitor  of  one  of  the  old  "Quads"  in 
Cambridge  or  Oxford.  These  buildings,  with  the 
additional  endowments,  have  placed  the  Seminary 
before  the  Episcopal  Church  as  its  highest  school  of 
the  prophets,  and  with  future  endowments,  some  of 
which,  we  are  told,  are  already  pledged,  will  ren- 
der it  one  of  the  best  equipped  seats  of  theological 
learning  in  the  world.  To  this  the  family  of  the 
Dean  has  largely  contributed,  and  if  report  is  true, 
the  Dean  has  himself  given  his  entire  salary  and  al- 
so made  large  contributions  to  add  to  the  funds  of 
the  institution.  In  addition  to  his  duties  as  Dean, 
Dr.  Hoffman  devotes  considerable  time  to  other 
general  institutions  of  the  church,  rarely  being  ab- 
sent from  the  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of 
the  Missionary  Society,  the  Clergymens'  Retiring 
Fund  Society,  the  Society  for  Promoting  Religion 
and  Learning  in  the  State  of  New  York,  Trinity 
School  and  the  Corporation  for  the  Relief  of  Widows 
and  Children  of  Clergymen.  In  all  these  societies 
he  takes  an  active  interest,  and  in  several  of  them 
acting  as  Chairman  of  the  committee  charged  with 
the  care  of  their  large  Trust  Funds.  He  has  also 
represented  the  Diocese  of  New  York  in  the  four 
last  General  Conventions,  serving  on  many  of  its 
important  committees.  He  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  in  Divinity  lrom  Rutgers  College  in  1863, 
from  Racine  College  in  1882,  from  the  Seminary  in 
1885,  and  from  Columbia  College  in  1886.  He  is  the 
author  of  several  small  works,  a  valuable  manual  of 
devotion  for  communicants,  besides  various  ser- 
mons, addresses  and  review  articles.  The  following 
description  of  his  personal  appearance  while  rector 
of  Grace  Church,  Brooklyn,  New  York,  will  still- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


203 


serve  to  bring  him  before  us,  though  twenty  added 
years  have  tinged  his  beard  with  gray  : 

"  Dr.  Hoffman  is  above  the  medium  height,  and 
of  those  equal  proportions  which  are  considered  the 
most  graceful  in  man.  The  characteristics  of  his 
countenance  are  those  of  intellect  and  amiability. 
You  see  that  he  is  quick  of  thought  and  gentle  of 
heart.  When  he  talks  there  is  a  measure  of  reflec- 
tion in  his  manner,  but  it  is  equally  clear  that  his 
convictions  are  rapid,  and  at  the  same  time  likely 
to  be  reliable.  His  face  has  a  natural  habit  of  re- 
lapsing into  a  smile,  and  in  conversation,  while  he 
seems  busy  with  his  thoughts,  there  are  constant 
flashes  of  this  brightness  which  overspread  it.  He 
has  a  full  clear  eye,  searching  in  its  glance,  it  is 
true,  but  still  soft  and  winning.  His  manners  are 
frank,  courteous  and  every  way  polished,  with  a 
moderate  amount  of  well  sustained  dignity.  He  is 
a  man  who  takes  great  enjoyment  in  his  own  domes- 
tic circle,  and  he  is  eminently  social  in  other 
respects.  But  it  is  readily  to  be  seen  that  his  mind 
and  heart  are  never  for  a  moment  led  away  from  his 
religious  work.  All  his  duties  are  exactly  and  faith- 
fully performed  ;  no  toil  overtasks  him  ;  no  discour- 
agements dishearten  him;  and  at  all  times  and  un- 
der all  circumstances  you  find  him  the  same  ardent 
Christian.  He  is  not  only  a  deeply  religious  man, 
but  conscientious  and  strict  in  his  particular  faith. 
The  doctrines  of  his  church  are  at  once  his  enthusi- 
asm and  his  hope,  and  his  patient  effort  is  to  show 
in  his  own  life  their  comfort  and  beauty.  Dr. 
Hoffman's  sermons  are  eminently  practical  in  their 
bearing.  Being  so  much  a  person  of  system,  judg- 
ment and  the  immediate  direction  of  all  means  to 
the  end  sought  to  be  accomplished,  he  is  not  dif- 
ferent in  his  style  of  writiug.  There  is  a  warmth 
and  grace  about  his  words,  and  at  times,  a  polished 
and  moving  eloquence ;  but  the  prominent  and  over- 
shadowing peculiarity  is  a  plain,  forcible  expression 
of  common'sense  views.  His  delivery  is  without 
much  gesture  and  in  every  way  unassuming.  He 
has  a  strong  and  altogether  pleasant  voice.  His 
earnest  and  uniformly  successful  labors  have  won 
him  a  conspicuous  place  among  the  Episcopal 
clergy.  Without  parade  of  his  ability,  and  the 
most  unobtrusive  of  men  in  advancing  his  own  per- 
sonal advantage,  still  he  is  careful  that  he  is  behind 
no  man  in  willingness,  devotion  and  confidence  in 
the  line  of  Christian  duty." 


TALMAGE,  REV.  THOMAS  DEWITT,  D.D.,  the 
eminent  Presbyterian  clergyman,  was  born  in 
Bound  Brook,  New  Jersey,  January  7,  1832. 
His  father  was  David  Talmage,  once  Sheriff  of 
Somerset  County,  four  of  whose  sons  became  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel,  viz.:  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  the  most 
talented  of  the  brothers  ;  John  Van  Nest  Talmage, 
a  missionary  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  China,  and 
author  of  a  Chinese-English  dictionary,  besides  be- 
ing translator  of  several  books  of  the  Bible  into  the 
Amoy  colloquial  dialect,  and  John  R.  and  Goyn 
Talmage.     Another  brother  was  the  late  David 


Talmage,  a  wealthy  and  influential  New  York  mer- 
chant and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Native  Ameri- 
can Party  and  the  Order  of  United  Americans.  He 
was  for  many  years  a  prominent  figure  in  political 
and  mercantile  circles  in  the  metropolis.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  University 
of  the  City  of'  New  York,  in  the  class  of  1853,  but 
was  not  graduated.  In  1856  he  was  a  student  at 
the  New  Brunswick  Theological  Seminary,  gradu- 
ating from  there  with  distinguished  honors.  He 
was  first  ordained  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  in  Belleville,  New  Jersey,  and  held  this 
position  nearly  three  years ;  and  even  so  early  in 
his  career  became  generally  noted  for  his  earnest- 
ness, fearlessness  and  vigor.  From  1859  until  1862 
Mr.  Talmage  had  charge  of  a  church  in  Syracuse, 
New  York,  and,  in  1862,  occupied  the  pulpit  of  the 
Second  Reformed  Church  of  Philadelphia,  where  he 
remained  for  seven  years,  creating  for  himself  a 
lasting  record  and  a  remarkable  local  popularity, 
which  always  filled  the  church  to  its  utmost  capac- 
ity. During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  Chap- 
lain of  a  Pennsylvania  regiment.  In  1869  he  left 
Philadelphia  and  accepted  a  call  to  the  Central 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Brooklyn,  which  was  at 
that  time  situated  on  Schermerhorn  Street.  When 
he  took  this  church  it  was  by  no  means  in  the  flour- 
ishing condition  to  which,  through  the  successful 
administration  of  its  energetic  pastor,  it  afterwards 
attained.  Prior  to  his  occupancy  of  the  pulpit  the 
church  had  been  in  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  J.  Edson 
Rockwell,  (father  of  the  late  eminent  physician,  Dr. 
Frank  D.  Rockwell),  who,  after  fourteen  years  of 
service,  had  retired  to  Staten  Island.  It  is  to  be 
said  of  Dr.  Rockwell's  incumbency  that  the  finances 
of  the  church  were  administered  with  great  judg- 
ment and  success,  and  it  was  owing  to  his  efforts 
that  the  building  on  Schermerhorn  Street  had  been 
erected  in  1854.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  accession  of 
Mr.  Talmage,  the  building  had  been  sufficiently 
large  for  the  congregation,  but  under  the  preaching 
of  the  new  minister  it  was  soon  found  inadequate 
to  contain  the  large  numbers  of  those  who  desired 
to  hear  him.  In  1870  property  was  purchased  on 
Schermerhorn  Street,  and  the  building  known  as 
the  Tabernacle  was  erected  on  the  ground  between 
the  old  building  and  Third  Avenue.  It  was  in  the 
form  of  a  Roman  amphitheatre  ;  was  built  of  wood 
and  iron,  and  was  remarkable  for  its  cheapness, 
lightness  and  the  rapidity  with  which  it  was  erected. 
It  had  a  seating  capacity  of  three  thousand  four 
hundred,  and  in  1871  was  enlarged  so  as  to  seat  five 
hundred  more.  Mr.  Talmage  had  by  this  time  be- 
come widely  known  for  his  eloquence  and  origi- 
nality, and  crowds  flocked  every  Sunday  to  hear 


204 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


him,  while  the  church  became  so  flourishing  as  to 
be  able  to  pay  its  pastor  the  munificent  salary  of 
seven  thousand  dollars  per  year.  Everything  about 
the  Brooklyn  Tabernacle  was  managed  on  a  scale 
of  broad  liberality,  and  no  money  was  spared  which 
could  add  to  the  comfort  as  well  as  the  beauty  of 
the  edifice.  The  immense  organ  used  in  the  Boston 
Jubilee  was  purchased  by  the  church;  when,  just  as 
everything  was  running  satisfactorily,  the  building 
was  destroyed  by  fire  on  Sunday  night,  December 
22,  1872.  Pending  the  erection  of  a  new  building, 
services  were  temporarily  held  in  the  Academy  of 
Music.  <  >»  the  7th  of  June,  1873,  the  corner  stone 
of  the  second  Tabernacle  was  laid  with  imposing 
ceremonies.  On  this  stone  was  the  following  in- 
scription : 

"Brooklyn  Tabernacle,  Built  1870;  Destroyed 

By  Fire  December  22,  1872:  Rebuilt  1873." 
The  new  building  was  completed  and  dedicated 
February  22,  1874,  in  the  preseni c  of  an  immense 
concourse  of  people.  It  was  a  hew  departure  in  the 
history  of  church  architecture,  being  constructed 
in  the  form  of  a  horseshoe,  though  otherwise  in 
the  Gothic  style,  and  was  the  largest  Protestant 
church  in  the  United  States,  having  seats  for  five 
thousand  persons.  Its  acoustic  qualities  were  ex- 
cellent', the  walls  and  ceiling  being  built  with  a 
view  to  their  acting  as  sounding-boards.  This 
church  had  neither  spire  nor  bell,  and  altogether 
could  hardly  fail  to  impress  the  casual  visitor  as  in- 
congruous iu  its  structure,  the  idea  of  which  origi- 
nated in  the  brain  of  Mr.  Talmage.  It  was.  however, 
constructed  with  good  judgment,  and  practically 
served  its  purpose  perfectly.  Every  one  could  see 
and  hear  the  preacher,  whose  pulpit  was  placed  in 
the  middle  of  the  large  open  space  of  the  horseshoe 
form,  and  he  was  thus  made  the  focal  point  of  in- 
terest. On  the  Sabbath  following  the  day  of  dedi- 
cation more  than  three  hundred  new  communicants 
were  admitted  to  the  church.  One  of  the  first  im- 
portant acts  of  Mr.  Talmage  in  his  new  church, 
was  to  institute  a  crusade  against  the  practice  of 
raising  funds  by  pew-renting,  and  his  earnestness 
in  endeavoring  to  bring  about  the  abolition  of  this 
custom  at  length  triumphed,  and  the  seats  in  the 
church  were  thrown  open  to  all  without  price. 
The  financial  condition  of  the  church  did  not  appear 
to  suffer  by  this  change,  as  it  continued  in  a  flour- 
ishing condition,  though  supported  entirely  by  vol- 
untary contributions,  including  the  weekly  collec- 
tions. In  1872  Mr.  Talmage  had  organized  in  the 
building,  which  had  formerly  been  occupied  by  his 
congregation,  a  Lay  College  for  religious  training, 
and  this  innovation  on  customary  practice  became 
a  successful  institution.    He  became  also  very  popu- 


lar as  a  lecturer,  appearing  at  least  once  a  week  in 
some  part  of  the  country  in  this  capacity,  and  at- 
tracting large  audiences.  It  is  said  of  him  that  he 
has  made  more  money  than  any  other  lecturer, 
and  lectures  oftener,  with  the  result  that  he  has 
amassed  considerable  wealth  by  this  means.  A  few 
years  ago  Mr.  Talmage  made  a  visit  to  London, 
where  his  preaching  attracted  general  attention, 
being  widely  considered  and  criticised  through  'he 
papers.  Summaries  of  his  sermons  were  cabled  to 
New  York  at  great  expense,  and  printed  in  the 
leading  morning  papers.  He  also  lectured  else- 
where in  Great  Britain,  affording  the  greatest  satis- 
faction to  the  crowds  who  went  to  hear  him.  In 
1862  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York  gave 
Mr.  Talmage  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  and,  in 
18G4,  he  received  that  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
the  University  of  Tennessee.  While  his  sermons 
have  been  published  weekly  in  nearly  six  hundred 
weekly  and  secular  journals  in  the  United  States 
and  in  Europe,  and  translated  into  various  lan- 
guages, his  numerous  lectures,  addresses,  sketches 
and  light  essays  on  moral  subjects  have  also  re- 
ceived wide  circulation  in  the  magazines  and  weekly 
papers.  He  edited  the  Christian  at  Work,  New 
York,  1873-  76,  the  Advance,  Chicago,  1877-'78,  and 
has  for  some  time  had  charge  of  Frank  Leslie's 
Sunday  Magazine.  Dr.  Talmage  has  published 
'•  The  Almond  Tree  in  Blossom,"  (1870) ;  "  Crumbs 
Swept  Up,"  (1870)  :  "  Sermons,"  four  volumes,  (New 
York,  1872-'75);  "Abominations  of  Modern  So- 
ciety," (New  York,  1872);  second  edition,  (1876) ; 
"One  Thousand  Gems  of  Brilliant  Passages  and 
Anecdotes,"  (1873)  ;  "  Old  Wells  Dug  Out,"  (1874); 
"Around  the  Tea  Table,"  (Philadelphia,  1874): 
"Sports  that  Kill,"  (New  York,  1875);  "Every 
Day  Religion,"  (1875)  ;  "Night  Sides  of  City  Life," 
(1878);  "Masques  Taken  Off,"  (1879);  "The 
Brooklyn  Tabernacle,  a  Collection  of  One  Hundred 
and  Four  Sermons,"  (1884),  and  "  The  Marriage 
Ring,"  (1886).  An  interesting  incident  in  regard 
to  one  of  these  works  by  Dr.  Talmage — "  Night 
Sides  of  City  Life" — is  the  fact  that  the  ma- 
terial for  the  book  was  collected  by  the  Doc- 
tor through  personal  visitation  among  the  haunts 
of  sin  and  iniquity  in  the  metropolis,  which  he 
visited  night  after  night  accompanied  by  a  de- 
tective. He  went  through  the  most  degraded 
quarters  of  the  city,  and  visited  the  most  disreputa- 
ble and  immoral  resorts,  to  the  end  that  he  might, 
by  personal  observation,  inform  himself  in  such  a 
manner  that  what  he  might  have  to  say  thereafter 
upon  the  subject  should  have  the  vital  stamp  of 
truth.  For  this  pilgrimage  Dr.  Talmage  received 
a  good  deal  of  cheap  antagonistic  criticism  on  the 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


205 


part  of  light-witted  newspapers,  but  to  that  he  was 
indifferent,  his  motive  being  pure,  and  the  result  of 
the  inquest  which  he  instituted  being  beneficial  im- 
mediately to  his  congregation,  and  still  more  ex- 
tensively through  wide-spread  distribution  in  dif- 
ferent publications  of  his  descriptions.  Dr.  Tal- 
mage's  churches,  however,  seem  destined  to  misfor- 
tune. On  October  13,  1889,  being  Sunday,  at  a 
quarter  to  three  in  the  morning,  fire  was  discovered 
shooting  through  the  melted  stained  glass  windows 
of  the  Tabernacle,  and  the  alarm  was  at  once  given. 
Two  minutes  later  the  fire  engines  were  on  the  spot, 
but  the  conflagration  within  the  church  was  already 
beyond  control.  A  second  and  a  third  alarm  were 
sent  out  together,  and  every  engine  and  hook  and 
ladder  company  that  could  be  reached  were  brought 
to  the  scene.  The  heat,  however,  was  so  utterly 
unendurable,  that  no  fireman  could  approach  with- 
in one  hundred  feet  of  the  blazing  building,  and  hot 
only  the  Tabernacle,  but  a  dozen  small  dwellings 
and  other  houses  were  totally  destroyed.  Tempor- 
ary quarters  were  found  in  the  Academy  of  Music, 
and  the  Trustees  of  the  Tabernacle  assembled  on 
the  same  day  and  passed  a  series  of  resolutions  an- 
nouncing their  desire,  with  the  aid  of  the  public,  to 
proceed  at  once  to  rebuild.  On  the  following  day 
Dr.  Talmage  published  an  appeal,  asking  for  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  which,  added  to  the  in- 
surance, would  make  up  a  sufficient  amount  to 
erect  a  new  Tabernacle.  The  building  was  insured 
for  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dollars,  but 
tUU  did  not  meet  the  entire  loss,  particularly  that 
of  the  organ  built  by  Jardine,  which  cost  the  church 
forty  thousand  dollars.  In  an  interview  with  Dr. 
Talmage  on  the  day  after  the  burning  of  the  Taber- 
nacle, he  gave  the  following  statement : 

"  'I'm  a  sound  sleeper,'  said  Dr.  Talmage,  and 
the  thunder  storm  after  midnight  did  not  wake  me 
up.  But  some  of  my  family  were  aroused,  and 
some  time  between  two  and  three  in  the  morning 
they  awakened  me  to  see  a  bright  light  in  the  sky, 
as  of  a  great  fire.  As  soon  as  I  looked  from  the 
windows  I  seemed  to  feel  that  it  was  our  church 
that  was  on  fire,  and  when  I  went  up  to  the  roof  to 
get  a  better  view  from  the  observatory,  I  could  see 
the  whole  Tabernacle  a  mass  of  flames,  the  arched 
cathedral  windows  and  the  pointed  Gothic  walls 
outlined  in  fire.  I  dressed  and  hurried  to  the 
spot — about  half  a  mile  distant — but  of  course  was 
too  late  to  be  of  any  use.  There  was  nothing  to  do 
but  to  sadly  look  on  and  watch  the  destruction  of 
the  building  which  had  been  our  church  home  for 
fifteen  years,  and  where  we  have  been  prospered 
and  blessed  of  God,  never  being  visited  by  misfor- 
tune until  now.  It  is  just  seventeen  years  ago 
since  the  first  Tabernacle,  on  the  same  spot,  was 
burned  down  in  the  same  way.  It  was  on  a  Sun- 
day morning  also — December  22,  1872 — and  I  was 
on  my  way  to  church  to  conduct  the  services  as 


usual,  when  the  fire  broke  out.  That  fire  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  caused  by  a  defective  flue,  but 
I  the  present  one  can  be  explained  only  on  the  theory 
that  it  was  kindled  by  a  lightning  stroke  or  by  the 
electric  light  wires  which  were  connected  with  the 
building.  The  furnaces  under  the  church  had  not 
yet  been  lighted." 

On  the  following  Sunday,  October  20,  standing 
on  the  stage  of  the  Academy  of  Music,  Brooklyn, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Talmage  preached  on  the  subject  of 
the  destruction  of  the  Tabernacle,  his  text  being 
Acts  20 :  24.    "  None  of  these  things  move  me." 

"  Our  affections  arc  clambering  all  over  the 
ruins,  and  I  could  kiss  the  ashes  that  mark  the  place 
where  it  once  stood.  I  cannot  think  of  it  as  an  in- 
animate pile,  but  as  a  soul — a  mighty  soul,  an  in- 
destructible soul.  I  am  sure  that  majestic  organ 
had  a  soul,  for  we  have  often  heard  it  speak  and 
sing  and  shout  and  wail.  We  will  not  turn  aside 
one  inch  from  our  determination  to  do  all  we  can 
[  for  the  present  and  everlasting  happiness  of  all  the 
j  people  whom  we  may  be  able  to  meet.  I  have 
made  and  I  now  make  appeal  to  all  Christendom  to 
help  us.  We  want  all  Christendom  to  help,  and  I 
will  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  any  contribution, 
great  or  small,  with  my  own  hand.  We  want  to 
build  larger  and  better.  We  want  it  a  national 
church,  in  which  people  of  all  creeds  and  of  all  na- 
tions may  find  a  home.  The  contributions  already- 
sent  make  a  small-hearted  church  forever  impossi- 
ble. If  we  had  ^300,000  we  would  put  them  all 
into  one  grand  monument  to  the  mercy  of  God. 
People  ask  on  all  sides  about  what  we  shall  build. 
I  answer  :  It  all  depends  on  the  contributions  sent 
in  from  here  and  from  the  ends  of  the  earth.  I  say 
now  to  all  Baptists,  that  we  shall  have  in  it  a  bap- 
tistry I  say  to  all  Episcopalians,  we  shall  have  in 
our  service,  as  heretofore,  at  our  communion  table 
portions  of  the  Liturgy.  I  say  to  all  Catholics,  we 
shall  have  a  cross  over  the  pulpit,  and  probably  on 
the  tower.  I  say  to  the  Methodists,  we  mean  to 
sing  there  like  the  voices  of  mighty  thunderings. 
I  say  to  all  denominations,  we  mean  to  preach  a  re- 
ligion as  wide  as  heaven  and  as  good  as  God.  We 
have  said  we  had  a  total  loss.  But  there  was  one 
exception.  The  only  things  we  have  saved  were 
the  silver  communion  chalices,  for  the}'  happened  to 
be  in  another  building,  and  I  take  that  fact  as  typical 
that  we  are  to  be  in  communion  with  all  Christen- 
dom." 
He  closed  thus  : 

"  Good-by,  old  Tabernacle.  I  put  my  fingers  to 
my  lips  and  throw  a  kiss  to  the  departed  church. 
Good-by,  Brooklyn  Tabernacle  of  1873 !  But  a  wel- 
come to  our  new  church.  I  see  it  as  plainly  as 
though  already  built.  Your  gates  wider,  your 
songs  more  triumphant,  your  gatherings  more 
glorious!  Rise  out  of  the  ashes  and  greet  our  wait- 
ing vision  I  Burst  on  our  souls,  O  day  of  our 
church's  resurrection !  By  your  altars  may  we  be 
prepared  for  the  hour  when  the  fire  shall  try  every 
man's  work  for  what  sort  it  is.  Welcome,  Brook- 
lyn Tabernacle  of  1890 !  " 

After  the  sermon  Dr.  Talmage  announced  that 
the  Trustees  had  already  purchased  a  piece  of  prop- 
erty on  the  northeast  corner  of  Clinton  and  Greene 


206 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Avenues  as  a  site  for  a  new  church.  •  This  plot,  he 
said,  measured  one  hundred  and  fifty  by  two  hun- 
dred feet,  and  that  the  ground  would  be  broken  on 
October  28.  He  also  announced  that  a  projected 
tour  in  the  Holy  Land,  which  he  had  abandoned  in 
his  mind  after  the  burning  of  the  Taberuacle,  now 
that  they  had  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  site  for  a 
new  church,  he  had  decided  to  prosecute  after  his 
original  intention,  and  that  he  would  sail  on  Octo- 
ber 30  on  the  City  of  Paris  and  probably  be  absent 
until  February.  Ground  was  broken  in  accordance 
with  the  announcement  made  ;  and  contracts  were 
made  for  the  completion  of  the  new  Tabernacle  by 
September  1,  1890,  to  cost  sfa.^OOO.  The  plans 
were  drawn  by  John  B.  Snook  &  Sons,  the  distin- 
guished architects,  of  New  York.  The  design  of 
the  edifice,  originally  intended  to  be  in  the  old 
Norman  style,  has  been  changed  recently  so  that  in- 
stead of  a  Norman-Gothic  style  of  structure,  with 
lofty,  spindling  spires,  the  new  structure  will  be  of 
a  half  English  Gothic  and  Romanesque  order.  The 
building  material  of  the  main  church  structure, 
with  the  exception  of  the  main  tower,  will  be 
pressed  brick,  with  cut  and  rough  stone  trimmings. 
The  tower  is  to  be  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
height,  and  will  have  a  low  spire  crowned  with  a 
weather  vane.  From  the  ground  floor  round  but- 
tresses will  rise  on  the  corners  to  the  cornice  of  the 
tower.  A  low  turret,  with  a  cone-shaped  cap, 
crowned  with  a  terminating  apex  of  a  fleur-de-lix  in 
stone,  will  surmount  the  main  corner  of  the  tower. 
The  interior  corner  of  the  tower  will  have  more  or- 
nate and  higher  turrets.  These  will  be  capped 
with  a  cone-shaped  dome.  These  turrets  will  be 
joined  to  the  low  spire  by  a  flying  buttress  contain- 
ing two  open  arches  in  stone.  The  whole  will  be 
flanked  on  the  Greene  and  Clinton  Avenue  sides  by 
high  gabled  and  mullioned  dormer  windows,  which 
will  open  into  the  spire.  There  will  be  two  wide, 
arched  entrances  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  tower, 
which  will  open  on  Greene  and  Clinton  Avenues. 
The  arches  will  be  of  the  Roman  style,  but  in  stone, 
and  they  are  to  be  under  Gothic  gables.  The  whole 
will  rest  on  clusters  of  short  pilasters.  On  the 
second  story  of  the  arch  will  be  two  apsidal  bays 
fronting  the  avenues,  and  each  containing  three 
large  mullioned  windows.  On  the  next  story  will 
be  two  large  arched  windows,  the  arches  of  which 
will  rest  on  a  colonnade  of  Corinthian  columns. 
There  are  but  few  other  changes  from  the  first 
plans.  Uuderneath  the  large  mullioned  window  on 
the  Greene  Avenue  side  a  broad  porched  entrance 
has  been  added.  The  shape  of  the  interior  is  that 
of  a  large  amphitheatre,  semi-circular,  with  two 
galleries.    The  building  will  seat  five  thousand  per- 


sons. Dr.  Talmage  made  his  promised  visit  to  Eu- 
rope, hurrying  through  Asia  Minor,  Syria,  and  to 
Palestine,  to  fulfill  his  original  intention  of  making 
a  careful  observation  of  the  Holy  Land.  He  did, 
however,  pause  long  enough  in  Athens  to  preach  on 
the  very  spot  where  the  apostle  Paul  preached  ;  and 
in  Constantinople,  where  he  was  January  3,  1890, 
he  was  tendered  a  public  reception  by  the  United 
States  Minister,  the  Consul-General,  members  of 
the  American  College,  and  prominent  visitors  and 
residents  of  the  city.  Dr.  Talmage  was  well  and 
graciously-  received  everywhere  on  his  journey 
abroad.  Special  courtesies  were  extended  him  by 
United  States  Minister  Lincoln  in  London.  In  the 
course  of  a  long  and  interesting  interview  with  a 
representative  of  the  New  York  Herald  in  London, 
Dr.  Talmage  thus  graphically  describes  some  of  his 
experiences  : 

"The  three  months  I  have  spent  in  the  Holy 
Laud  have  been  three  months  of  tremulous  excite- 
ment. Again  and  again  I  have  been  overcome  with 
emotion  as  I  visited  and  saw  with  my  own  eyes — 
yes,  touched  with  my  hands — the  things  Christ  saw 
and  touched.  Leaving  aside  all  questions  of  sac- 
red associations  and  historical  suggestiveness  Pal- 
estine, the  natural  scenery  itself,  is  majestic  beyond 
description.  *  *  *  The  Holy  Land  is  a  vast  wilder- 
ness of  mighty  rocks,  ranging  in  size  from  moun- 
tains down  to  the  sands  of  the  ocean.  These  rocks 
are  becoming  skeletonized.  A  process  of  disinte- 
gration is  going  on,  and  the  lime  is  melting  into  the 
soil  and  enriching  it.  The  day  is  coming  when  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  instead  of  being  a  desolate  sheet  of 
water  with  a  handful  of  people  on  its  shores  sup- 
porting a  meagre  existence,  will  become  the  source 
of  wealth  and  great  commercial  activity.  Its 
bosom  will  be  covered  with  fleets  of  merchantmen, 
and  throned  beside  it  will  be  cities  with  populations 
reaching  into  five  hundred  thousand.  Every  nerve 
in  my  body  has  thrilled  as  I  have  reached  one  place 
after  another  and  read  the  gospels  of  Matthew, 
Mark,  Luke  and  John  on  the  very  spots  where 
Christ  once  stood.  I  not  only  recognized  the  local- 
ities by  their  descriptions,  but  recognized  ever}'  ob- 
ject referred  to  in  the  sacred  passages.  Had  I  gone 
there  an  infidel  I  would  have  been  converted  to 
Christianity.  I  should  have  said,  '  It  is  impossible 
that  the  Scriptures  are  a  concoction  or  the  inven- 
tion of  imposters.'  Think  of  how  I  felt  when  I 
reached  the  Jordan  after  sleeping  the  previous 
night  in  the  ruins  of  Joshua's  Jericho  !  Think  of 
how  I  felt  when  a  man  in  our  party  came  and  asked 
me  to  baptize  him !  He  wished  to  be  immersed  in 
the  very  waters  where  our  Saviour  was  baptised.  I 
found  the  candidate  a  professing  Christian  and  an 
earnest  man,  and  consented.  There  was  a  sheik 
who  preceded  our  caravan,  and  his  robe  was  just 
like  a  baptismal  robe,  and  I  put  it  on,  and  we  found 
another  white  robe  for  the  candidate.  Then, 
standing  on  the  Jordan,  I  read  from  my  Bible  the 
story  of  the  baptism  of  Christ,  when  '  the  Spirit  of 
God  descended  like  a  dove  from  heaven,  and  a 
voice  was  heard  saying,  "  This  is  my  beloved  son, 
in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  ' 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


207 


•'  Mjr  daughter  wrote  out  some  copies  of  a  favor- 
ite hymn  which  we  sing  at  home,  and  all  present — 
friends,  pilgrims  and  strangers — joined  in  singing 
it  there  on  Jordan's  banks.  Then  we  went  down 
into  the  water,  and  under  willows,  still  green  in 
midwinter,  I  baptised  the  Christian.  That  was  the 
most  overwhelming  moment  of  my  life.  We 
traveled  all  over  that  region.  I  have  eaten  fish 
caught  in  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  have  bathed  in  it  and 
sailed  on  its  waters.  I  wanted  to  realize  how  the 
apostles  felt  in  the  storm.  To  give  you  an  idea  of 
how  quickly  storms  arise  on  that  inland  sea  I  will 
say  that  within  five  minutes  after  we  had  glided 
out  on  a  surface  as  smooth  as  glass  a  tempest  arose 
and  swept  down  so  fiercely,  and  the  waves  ran  so 
high  that  we  could  only  escape  by  landing  at  Ca- 
pernaum. I  have  ascended  Mount  Calvary,  and 
now  I  know  why  it  is  called  the  Place  of  the 
Skull.  To  me  it  is  a  wonder  that  there  was 
ever  a  dispute  as  to  the  identity  of  the  place. 
Looking  at  the  peak  from  a  distance,  it  exactly  re- 
sembles the  human  cranium,  with  the  two  sightless 
sockets  under  its  brow.  I  went  up  to  the  place 
where  the  three  crosses  stood.  I  have  no  doubt  of 
their  precise  location.  There  is  just  room  enough 
for  three  men  to  die.  I  stood  on  the  site  of  the 
center  cross,  where  it  certainly  must  have  stood, 
and  taking  out  my  Bible  I  read  to  the  friends 
around  me  the  story  of  the  Crucifixion.  I  could 
not  finish  it :  my  feelings  overcame  me  and  I  broke 
down.  As  I  stood  looking  down  the  slope  of  Cal- 
vary I  saw  a  reddish  rock  below  me.  I  rolled  it 
down  the  hill  with  my  own  hands,  and  had  it  car- 
ried on  the  backs  of  camels  to  Joppa,  where  it  was 
put  on  shipboard,  and  it  is  now  on  its  way  to 
Brooklyn.  That  stone  is  to  be  the  corner  stone  of 
the  new  Tabernacle  I  am  building  to  replace  the 
one  recently  destroyed  by  fire.  You  have  heard 
of  course,  that  I  preached  on  Mars  Hill — where 
Paul  once  stood,  On  my  way  thither  I  stopped  to 
look  at  a  little  temple  dedicated  '  To  the  Unknown 
God.'  Paul  himself  must  have  stopped  there  on  his 
way  to  Mars  Hill,  and  I  understood  what  he  meant 
when  he  said,  '  For  as  I  passed  by  and  beheld  your 
devotions  I  found  an  altar  with  this  inscription, 
"To  the  Unknown  God."  Whom,  therefore,  ye  ig- 
norantly  worship,  Him  declare  I  unto  you.'  It  was 
the  boldest  thing  said  and  the  boldest  thing  ever 
done  in  history.  I  met  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Greece  during  my  visit  to  Athens.  I  never  saw  a 
more  lovable  or  gracious  person  than  she.  I  also 
had  a  pleasant  meeting  with  M.  Tricoupis,  the 
Prime  Minister  of  Greece.  He  was  not  only  exceed- 
ingly courteous,  but  his  sister  entertained  Mrs. 
Talmage,  and  it  was  through  him  we  were  presented 
to  the  royal  family.  While  at  a  dinner  given  by 
him  I  expressed  the  wish  to  one  of  the  guests,  with- 
out the  faintest  hope  of  having  it  granted,  to  have  a 
piece  of  rock  from  Mars  Hill,  where  Paul  stood.  I 
was  told  to  write  a  note  to  the  Prime  Minister.  I 
did  so,  and  within  an  hour  an  answer  came  back 
that  my  desire  would  be  gratified.  Accordingly,  a 
big  block  of  granite  was  cut  from  the  rock  and  it  is 
to  be  hewn  into  a  pulpit  for  my  new  Tabernacle 
Church  in  Brooklyn." 

While  in  England  Dr.  Talmage  visited  and  was 
most  cordially  entertained  by  Mr.  Gladstone.  His 
return  to  home  and  friends  was  characterized  by  a 


reception  and  welcome  which  told  in  unmistakable 
terms  of  the  love,  esteem  and  veneration  he  enjoys 
in  the  community  where  he  has  labored  so  long  and 
well.  At  the  first  Sunday  service  after  his  return 
there  was  an  atmosphere  of  joyous  welcome,  the  ser- 
vice, which  was  elaborate  and  beautiful,  was  of 
thanksgiving  and  praise,  and  the  great  preacher  was 
at  his  best.  In  the  prime  and  vigor  of  his  manhood, 
guided  by  the  ripe  experience  of  thirty  years  de- 
voted to  religious  teaching,  Dr.  Talmage  is  one  of 
the  most  impressive  figures  in  the  American  pulpit 
of  the  present  day.  More  than  any  other  man,  he 
represents  the  peculiar  American  characteristics  of 
originality,  moral  courage  and  eloquence.  In  per- 
son, his  tall,  somewhat  ungainly  but  striking  figure, 
and  his  rugged  and  massive  but  impressive  features 
always  make  a  deep  impression  on  those  who  see 
him  for  the  first  time.  Again,  his  eloquence  is  sui 
generis,  characterized  by  a  degree  of  force  and  or- 
iginality at  once,  not  to  be  found  of  the  same  degree 
combined  in  any  other  American  speaker.  His 
style  is  affluent  of  the  most  startling  and  unex- 
pected metaphors,  and  the  vigorous  and  decisive 
manner  in  which  he  pushes  home  the  most  deter- 
mined and  absolute  propositions  produces  an  effect 
upon  his  auditors  which  is  dramatic  in  the  extreme. 
Indeed,  Dr.  Talmage  has  so  frequently  in  the  pub- 
lic press  been  denominated  a  theatrical  preacher, 
and  so  peculiarly  has  he  been  sacrificed  upon  the 
altar  of  caricature,  that  those  who  have  never  lis- 
tened to  him  and  become  familiarized  with  the  pe- 
culiarities of  the  man  and  his  methods  would  ob- 
tain anything  but  a  correct  idea  regarding  him. 
His  name  has  been  bruited  abroad  as  that  of  a 
"  popular"  preacher.  This  title  has  grown  to  have 
a  significance  in  this  connection  quite  foreign  from 
that  which  properly  belongs  to  it.  It  is  forgotten 
by  the  small  critics  thus  illy  informed,  that  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  ago  Edward  Irving  was  a 
"popular"  preacher  in  London;  that  Charles 
Robert  Maturin  was  a  "popular  "  preacher  in  Dub- 
lin ;  that  Pere  Hyacinthe  was  a  '•  popular  "  preach- 
er, and  that  so  was  Theodore  Parker  and  Thomas 
Starr  King  in  Boston  ;  Beecher  in  Brooklyn  ;  Cha- 
piu  in  New  York  ;  and  Spurgeon  in  London.  It  is 
not  always  that  the  popular  judgment  errs  in  its 
choice ;  and  thoughtful  men  recognize  that  it  has 
not  erred  in  the  instance  of  Dr.  Talmage,  who, 
with  all  his  idiosyncrasies  and  peculiarities,  has 
been  ever  faithful  to  the  high  ideal  which  he  has 
set  before  him,  honest  in  his  convictions,  deter- 
mined, courageous  and  energetic  in  his  endeavors 
to  bring  humanity  to  a  more  right  and  less  erron- 
eous view  of  their  duties,  and  the  best  means  for 
accomplishing  them. 


208 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


DEEMS,  REV.  CHARLES  FORCE,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Strangers,  New 
York,  and  one  of  the  most  distinguished  di- 
vines of  the  metropolis,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  on 
December  4,  1820.  His  father  was  a  local  preacher 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Young  Deems 
had  become  strongly  religious  before  he  entered 
college,  which  was  at  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  graduated  in  1839.  Feel- 
ing himself  called  to  the  Christian  ministry,  he  was 
duly  licensed  to  preach  in  the  Methodist  Church 
during  his  senior  year.  After  graduating,  he  re- 
mained for  a  winter  in  New  Y7ork,  studying  in  all 
his  spare  time,  and  preaching  in  the  city  churches. 
In  1840,  when  only  twenty  years  of  age,  he  was  ap- 
pointed general  agent  of  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety and  directed  to  begin  Ins  labor  in  North  Caro- 
lina. He  continued  to  sustain  this  agency  for 
about  a  year,  being  offered  the  Professorship  of 
Logic  and  Rhetoric  in  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina, at  Chapel  Hill,  in  1841.  Here  he  remained, 
tilling  the  office  satisfactorily  to  all  concerned,  dur- 
ing the  next  five  years,  when  he  accepted  the  Pro- 
fessorship of  Natural  Sciences  in  the  Randolph-Ma- 
con College,  at  Ashland,  Virginia.  He  held  this 
chair,  however,  for  a  year  only,  when  he  returned 
to  North  Carolina,  and  was  stationed  at  Newberu, 
where  he  remained  until  1849;  and  in  1850  was 
elected  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  held  in 
St.  Louis.  While  in  attendance  at  this  Conference 
Dr.  Deems  was  elected  to  the  Presidency  of  Greens- 
boro, North  Carolina,  Female  College,  and  also  to 
the  Presidency  of  Centenary  College,  at  Jackson, 
Louisiana.  Having  to  choose  between  these  two 
positions,  he  selected  the  former,  where  he  served 
until  1854.  During  the  time  that  he  had  charge  of 
this  institution  Dr.  Deems  exhibited  remarkable  ca- 
pacity for  administration,  and  placed  the  college  on 
a  permanent  basis  of  prosperity,  thus  conferring  a 
very  important  service  upon  the  Conference  and 
the  Church.  In  1854  he  again  entered  the  ministry, 
and  devoted  himself  to  its  regular  work  until  1858. 
He  was  at  first  in  charge  of  a  church  at  Goldsboro, 
and  afterwards  of  the  Front  Street  Church,  Wil- 
mington, North  Carolina,  remaining  two  years  in 
each  place.  He  was  re-elected  to  the  General  Con- 
ference, and  at  the  same  time  received  appoint- 
ments, either  as  President  or  Professor,  at  about 
eight  different  collegiate  institutions.  At  the  close 
of  his  term  of  service  in  Wilmington  he  was  ap- 
pointed Presiding  Elder  of  the  Wilmington  District. 
Being  then  elected  to  the  Professorship  of  History  in 
the  North  Carolina  University,  he  declined  the  of- 
fice, and  while  fulfilling  the  duties  of  Presiding 
Elder,  he  made  a  visit  to  Europe.    It  will  readily  be 


seen  that  Dr.  Deems,  in  all  the  positions  which  he 
had  filled,  must  have  exhibited  rare  qualities  and  a 
remarkable  administrative  capacity,  since  it  is  most 
unusual  for  any  man  in  so  brief  a  period  and  at  so 
early  an  age  to  have  offered  to  him  so  many  and  such 
various  important  appointments.  An  illustration 
of  this  is  exhibited  in  the  fact  that  the  citizens  of 
Wilson  County,  North  Carolina,  tendered  to  Dr. 
Deems  as  a  gift,  a  fine  college  building,  making  the 
condition  only  that  he  would  establish  there  a  male 
and  female  school.  This  he  organized  successfully 
while  still  continuing  in  the  position  of  Presiding 
Elder.  Dr.  Deems  had  already  discovered  in  him- 
self, and  displayed  in  various  directions,  much  lit- 
erary talent ;  and  in  December,  1805,  he  removed  to 
the  city  of  New  Y'ork,  where  he  soon  after  estab- 
lished a  religious  and  literary  weekly  paper  called 
The  Watchman,  which,  however,  he  continued  to 
direct  only  for  a  few  months.  In  July,  1866,  he  be- 
gan to  preach  in  the  chapel  of  the  New  York  Uni- 
versity, in  University  Place,  and  his  manner  of 
preaching  soon  became  so  popidar  that  a  new 
church  organization  was  formed,  known  as  the 
"Church  of  the  Strangers" — the  title  accurately 
signifying  its  purpose,  which  is  more  particularly 
to  supply  a  place  for  religious  worship  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  great  number  of  persons  temporarily  vis- 
iting or  residing  in  the  city,  and  not  caring  to  con- 
nect themselves  permanently  with  any  of  the  exist- 
ing churches.  Dr.  Deems  has  filled  the  pulpit  of 
the  Church  of  the  Strangers  ever  since  ;  and  it  may 
be  generalhy  described  as  probably  the  most  liberal 
church  organization  in  the  country,  where  the  gos- 
pel is  preached  without  special  reference  to  any  of 
the  creeds  of  the  sects,  with  which  the  church  has 
no  ecclesiastical  connection  whatsoever ;  indeed, 
persons  of  all  denominations  have  always  found  a 
welcome  among  its  congregation,  where  they  could 
enjoy  religious  worship  and  exercises  of  a  purely 
unsectarian  character.  New  York,  with  its  peculiar 
social  arrangement  and  cosmopolitan  nature,  is  per- 
haps the  only  city  in  the  country  where  a  church 
framed  on  precisely  this  design  could  exist  with 
any  degree  of  success.  It  is  a  free  church,  being 
sustained  entirely  by  voluntary  contributions  from 
wealthy  Christian  merchants  and  others  residing  in 
the  metropolis,  and  from  those  who  casually  attend 
its  services.  Having  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Commodore  Vanderbilt,  the  latter  soon  became — as 
he  continued  through  life — a  staunch  friend  of  Dr. 
Deems,  always  relying  upon  him  for  advice  and 
counsel  in  many  directions,  and  always  most  geu- 
erous  in  aiding  the  Doctor  to  forward  his  religious 
projects,  and  chiefly  that  of  the  Church  of  the 
Strangers.     In  order  to  firmly  establish  the  latt&r 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


on  a  secure  foundation,  Commodore  Vanderbilt 
bought  for  $50,000  the  Mercer  Street  Presbyterian 
Church,  settling  the  property  on  Dr.  Deems  for  the 
term  of  his  natural  life.  This  edifice,  a  large  and 
commodious  building,  in  a  most  convenient  loca- 
tion for  its  purpose,  was  put  in  thorough  repair  and 
dedicated  in  October,  1870.  At  the  exercises  of  its 
dedication  a  very  large  number  of  the  leading  per- 
sonages of  the  city  were  assembled,  exhibiting  by 
their  presence  the  high  esteem  in  which  the  work  of 
Dr.  Deems  was  held.  Meanwhile,  new  appoint- 
ments poured  in  upon  him,  one  of  these  being  the 
Presidency  of  a  college  in  California,  and  another, 
a  similar  position  in  a  college  in  Georgia.  These 
places  were  declined,  however,  Dr.  Deems  being 
unwilling  to  retire  from  the  field  which  he  had 
created  for  himself  and  which  he  had  so  success- 
fully worked  in  New  York  City.  He  was,  however, 
during  some  time,  President  of  Rutgers  Female  Col- 
lege in  that  city,  and,  since  1881,  President  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Christian  Philosophy.  Dr. 
Deems  received  his  degree  of  D.D.  from  the  Ran- 
dolph-Macon College,  in  1852,  in  his  thirty-second 
year,  ami  was  declared  at  the  time  by  the  news- 
papers "the  youngest  D.D.  in  North  America." 
He  received  his  degree  of  LL.D.  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  North  Carolina.  As  a  literary  worker,  Dr. 
Deems  has  been  at  once  prolific  and  original.  For 
some  time  he  edited  Frank  Leslie'*  Sunday  Maga- 
tiru  ■.  also  five  volumes  of  the  Southern  Methodist 
Pulpit;  and  in  1887  a  monthly  magazine  called 
Christina  Thought.  Besides  having  published  nu- 
merous volumes  of  sermons,  and  many  addresses, 
and  being  well  known  as  a  frequent  and  favorite 
contributor  to  periodical  literature,  Dr.  Deems  is  the 
author  of  a  large  number  of  works,  including 
among  others,  the  following:  "Triumph  of  Peace 
and  Other  Poems,"  (New  York,  1840);  "Life  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Clarke  "  (1840) ;  "  Devotional  Melodies  " 
(1842);  " Twelve  College  Sermons"  (1844);  "The 
Home  Altar"  (1850);  "What  Now?"  (1853); 
"Weights  and  Wings"  (1874);  "A  Scotch  Ver- 
dict in  Re-evolution  "  (1886) ;  and  "  The  Light  of 
the  Nations."  In  this  latter  volume,  which  is,  in 
fact,  in  the  nature  of  a  biography  of  Christ,  the  au- 
thor does  not  attempt  to  work  on  the  usual  lines  of 
biographers  of  the  Saviour.  Leaving,  for  the  better 
carrying  out  of  his  purpose,  the  divine  side  of 
Christ,  he  makes  use  of  the  records  of  the  Evange- 
lists, who  write  about  the  man  Jesus,  the  son  of 
Mary,  precisely  as  if  they  were  narratives  written 
by  classical  authors,  his  object  being  to  represent 
the  consciousness  of  Jesus  without  reference  to 
theological  conclusions.  In  the  early  part  of  1890 
the  Methodist  Book  Concern  published  the  latest 


volume  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Deems— a  general  om- 
nium gatherum— entitled  "  Chips  and  Chunks."  Dr. 
Deems  is  a  consistent  opponent  of  the  theory  of 
evolution,  and  has  written  with  considerable  force 
in  opposition  to  this  doctrine.  Among  his  public 
addresses  which  have  carried  special  weight  and 
been  rewarded  by  remarkable  popularity,  one  was 
a  speech  delivered  by  him  at  Petersburg,  Virginia, 
in  1855,  during  the  trial  of  Dr.  Smith,  and  which 
was  pronounced  by  good  judges  to  be  a  masterpiece 
of  forensic  eloquence;  and  with  regard  to  his  ad- 
dress on  "The  True  Basis  of  Manhood,"  which  was 
first  delivered  by  invitation  before  the  literary  so- 
cieties of  Hampden  Sidney  College,  Virginia,  and 
has  since  been  repeated  on  a  number  of  occasions. 
Dr.  Deems  has  received  the  highest  praise  for  its 
exhibition  of  his  remarkable  capacity,  both  as  a  pro- 
found thinker  and  as  a  fluent  and  expressive  writer. 
Dr.  Deems  may  with  reason  be  considered  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  men  known  in  the  religious 
history  of  the  American  republic.  He  began  his 
public  career  at  a  very  much  earlier  age  than  is  the 
case  with  most  clergymen,  orators  or  writers,  and 
from  his  very  beginning  appears  to  have  established 
himself  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those  who  be- 
came acquainted  witli  his  character  and  ability, 
and  to  have  sustained  ever  since  the  exalted  im- 
pression thus  formed.  A  man  of  most  lovable  na- 
ture, undeformed  by  the  conventionalism  which  so 
often  confines  members  of  his  profession,  he  pos- 
sesses the  rare  human  quality  of  entering  at  once 
into  the  affections  of  those  who  know  him.  The 
type  is  unusual  among  men  of  any  profundity  of  in- 
spiration, or  who  are  remarkable  for  their  reflective 
powers;  and  these  characteristics  belong  quite  as 
much  to  Dr.  Deehis  as  does  his  bon  hommie.  He  has 
remarkable  conversational  powers,  great  natural 
ability  for  the  acquirement  of  learning,  and  is  in- 
deed, very  broadly  informed  in  ancient  and  modern 
literature.  While  he  is  below  the  medium  height, 
this  does  not  detract  in  the  least  from  the  manly 
dignity  of  his  personal  appearance.  He  is  erect,  ac- 
tive in  his  movements  and  of  remarkably  quick  per- 
ception. His  temperament  is  nervous  and  some- 
what impulsive,  but  under  thorough  control  and 
guidance.  His  manner  is  at  all  times  characterized 
by  a  most  pleasing  affability,  rendering  him  an 
agreeable  companion,  as  he  is  a  thoughtful  and  in- 
structive teacher.  His  intellectual  capacity  is  of  a 
very  high  order.  A  profound  reasoner,  and  capable 
of  rapid  and  exact  generalization  on  any  subject 
upon  which  he  converses,  he  is  certain  to  present  it. 
with  both  spirit  and  acumen.  Although  rapid  in 
forming  his  conclusions,  and  enthusiastic  and  earn- 
est  in  carrying   forward  whatever   plan  he  has 


2  IO 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


formed,  he  has  met  with  marked  success  in  his  un- 
dertakings. His  field  of  effort  has  been  very  broad 
and  very  important,  and  his  duties  have  been  ar- 
duously and  faithfully  performed.  In  his  religious 
work  his  sole  object  has  been — regardless  of  sect  or 
dogma — to  accomplish  the  religious  and  as  far  as 
possible  the  intellectual  advancement  of  his  fellow- 
men.  While  certainly  assisted  to  a  somewhat  un- 
usual extent  in  the  way  of  freedom  of  effort,  bis 
own  time,  talents  and  plans  have  none  the  less  been 
given  up  to  the  public  interest  with  unusual  liber- 
ality :  indeed,  his  perfect  unselfishness  is  perhaps 
one  of  the  most  prominent  features  of  a  well- 
rounded  and  beautiful  character.  As  an  orator  and 
as  a  writer,  Dr.  Deems  has  always  been  popular 
among  the  masses,  while  no  less  appealing  to  the 
more  intelligent  and  more  thoughtful  of  those 
whom  he  has  had  occasion  to  address.  He  has  the 
advantage  of  being  practical  and  logical,  while  at 
the  same  time  exhibiting  a  curiously  original  charm 
of  fancy  which  is.  indeed,  peculiar  to  himself.  His 
thoughts,  which  are  always  novel  and  instructive, 
are  flavored  by  being  presented  in  the  most  attrac- 
tive and  agreeable  form  of  language.  In  argument 
he  is  impassioned  and  impressive  :  and  in  both  what 
he  writes  and  what  he  says  he  exhibits  also  that 
earnestness  which  shows  in  every  line  his  fidelity  to 
his  own  convictions.  Dr.  Deems  has  made  his 
mark  in  the  South,  where  he  enjoys  a  continuous 
popularity,  being  there  considered  one  of  the  fore- 
most theologians  and  most  popular  men  in  the 
Methodist  Church  ;  indeed,  this  fact  is  seen  at  once 
from  the  number  and  importance  of  the  appoint- 
ments which  have  been  offered  to  him  from  that 
part  of  the  country.  In  New  York  he  is  not  less  es- 
teemed, and  is  always  a  welcome  visitor  in  any  so- 
cial gathering  which  he  chooses  to  attend.  The 
Church  of  the  Strangers,  under  his  administration, 
has  become  an  institution  aui  generix.  For  years  it 
has  been  attended  by  large  and  constantly  varying 
congregations  both  of  strangers  and  of  citizens. 
The  eloquence  and  originality  of  the  preacher,  the 
complete  liberality  of  his  doctrines,  and  his  social 
and  public  standing  as  a  man,  have  made  Dr. 
Deems  worthy  of  all  the  encomiums  which  have 
been  so  often  and  so  warmly  passed  upon  him. 


HEWITT,  HON.  ABRAM  STEVENS,  statesman, 
ex-member  of  Congress,  and  ex-Mayor  of  the  city 
of  New^  York,  was  born  in  Haverstraw,  New 
York,  July  31,  1822.  On  his  mother's  side  Mr. 
Hewitt  came  of  old  Huguenot  stock,  the  family 
name  being  Gamier,  locally  corrupted  into  Gurnee. 


Francois  Gamier  was  the  head  of  that  portion  of 
the  family  which  came  to  this  country,  with  Peter 
Jay.  The  family  settled  in  Rockland  County,  New 
York,  the  original  land  occupied  by  them  having 
been  held  since  for  five  generations.  It  was  in  a  log 
house  on  this  Gamier  tract,  a  portion  of  which  is 
still  in  his  possession,  that  Mr.  Hewitt  was  born, 
and  it  is  still  standing,  near  Pomona  station,  not 
far  from  Haverstraw.  Mr.  Hewitt's  father  came  to 
this  country  in  1790,  and  assisted  in  putting  up  the 
first  steam  engine  works  in  this  country  ;  audit  is  a 
curious  coincidence  that  he  also  helped  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  first  steam  engine  ever  built  in  this 
country,  considering  that  his  son  has  had  a  life-long 
connection  with  the  family  of  Peter  Cooper,  who  built 
the  first  locomotive  engine — the  "Tom  Thumb"  — 
ever  constructed  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Hewitt's 
father  afterwards  engaged  in  business  in  New  York, 
where  he  was  a  cabinet  maker  and  dealt  also  in 
cabinet  lumbers,  and  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  old  Mechanics  and  Tradesmens'  Society.  He 
was  only  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this 
country  and  did  not  marry  until  some  time  later, 
and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  not  born  until 
thirty-two  years  after  the  arrival  of  his  father  in 
this  country.  In  the  beginning  of  his  American  en- 
terprise Mr.  Hewitt,  senior,  was  very  successful  iu 
business.  He  made  quite  a  large  fortune,  but  his 
place  of  business  was  burned  out  and  he  lost  all  his 
property,  and  at  the  time  of  his  son's  birth  was  a 
I  ruined  man,  having  had  no  insurance.  He  never  re- 
paired his  heavy  loss,  although  he  re-established 
himself  in  business.  Abram  S.  Hewitt  was  brought 
up  partly  on  his  father's  farm  and  partly  in  the  city 
of  New  York.  During  the  summer  he  lived  on  the 
farm  and  although  he  was  not  trained  to  be  a  far- 
mer, yet  he  learned  everything  about  the  work.  In 
New  York  he  attended  the  public  schools,  and  at 
the  close  of  this  portion  of  his  education  he  was  at 
the  head  of  his  class.  At  this  time  a  special  ex- 
amination of  all  the  scholars  in  the  public  schools 
was  made  in  order  to  decide  upon  the  giving  of  a 
prize  scholarship  in  Columbia  College.  As  a  result 
of  this  examination  Abram  Hewitt  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining the  prize  and  was  thus  enabled  to  go  through 
college.  Of  course,  as  he  had  no  personal  means, 
he  was  obliged  to  earn  his  own  living  while  prose- 
cuting his  college  career,  and  this  he  did  by  private 
teaching.  At  this  time  the  grammar  school  of  Col- 
umbia College  was  presided  over  by  Dr.  Anthon. 
It  was  not  properly  a  part  of  the  chartered  institu- 
tion and  for  this  reason  Mr.  Hewitt,  as  soon  as  he 
had  accumulated  any  money  after  his  graduation, 
insisted  upon  paying  the  tuition  fees  of  the  institu- 
tion, although  Dr.  Anthon  was  very  unwilling  toac- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


2  I  I 


cept  the  money.  Unfortunatelj'  for  his  health,  Mr. 
Hewitt  overtaxed  himself  during  his  college  days', 
being  obliged  to  work  both  night  and  day  in  giving 
proper  attention  to  his  profession  as  a  teacher,  and 
in  keeping  up  with  his  classes.  He  was  very  ambi- 
tious, and  from  the  beginning  had  determined  that 
he  should  stand  first,  if  it  were  possible  for  him  to 
reach  that  position.  In  this  he  succeeded,  graduat- 
ing at  the  head  of  his  class,  but  with  the  result  of 
seriously  impairing  his  health  and  so  injuring  his 
eyesight  that  for  a  long  time  he  was  unable  to  bear 
artificial  or  strong  light,  and  his  sight  has  never  been 
perfect  since.  After  giving  himself  a  period  of  rest, 
and  somewhat  restoring  his  eyes  to  their  normal 
condition,  he  began  the  study  of  law,  at  the  same 
time  retaining  his  position  as  tutor  at  the  college. 
During  1843  he  was  acting  Professor  of  Mathematics 
at  that  institution.  It  illustrates  the  business  ten- 
dency and  natural  economy  of  Mr.  Hewitt  that, 
while  acting  as  professor  he  had  succeeded  in  sav- 
ing up  about  a  thousand  dollars.  This  money  he 
determined  to  employ  in  making  a  visit  to  Europe, 
and  he  did  this  in  1844.  Edward  Cooper,  his  present 
brother-in-law,  and  a  son  of  the  well-known  and 
justly  celebrated  Peter  Cooper,  founder  of  the 
Cooper  Union,  was  a  member  of  the  same  class  as 
Mr.  Hewitt  in  college.  He  now  accompanied  him 
in  his  visit  to  Europe,  the  two  having  been  very  in- 
timate friends  during  their  college  days,  and  the  de. 
sire  existing  with  both  of  them  that  they  should 
continue  the  association  during  this  period  of  for- 
eign travel.  Returning  from  Europe,  they  took  a 
Mobile  packet,  the  "Alabamian,"  which  was  coming 
home  from  the  Mediterranean.  This  vessel  was 
overtaken  by  a  tremendous  gale  during  the  voyage, 
sprang  a  leak  and  was  rapidly  sinking.  They  were 
the  only  passengers  on  board,  and  when  it  was  de- 
termined to  abandon  the  ship,  these,  with  the  crew, 
were  successfully  gotten  off  in  two  boats,  one  of 
which  contained  six  persons,  and  the  other,  in 
which  were  Mr.  Hewitt  and  Mr.  Cooper,  containing 
tweive.  This  latter  boat  was  so  weak  and  unsea- 
worthy,  and  moreover  so  heavily  laden,  that  it  was 
feared  she  would  go  to  pieces.  The  captain,  who 
was  on  board,  was  certain  that  she  would  not  stand 
the  strain  of  rowing,  and  so,  after  disembarking 
from  the  sinking  ship,  they  drifted.  The  period 
was  during  the  stormy  month  of  December,  in  1844; 
the  cold  was  intense,  and  the  wrecked  passengers 
suffered  terribly.  Mr.  Hewitt  has  often  remarked 
since,  that  he  has  never  had  warm  feet  from  the  day 
of  that  wreck.  The  smaller  boat  was  rowed  by  the 
mate  and  some  sailors,  in  the  direction  of  land, 
which  was  at  too  great  a  distance  for  them  to  hope 
to  reach  it ;  but  that  course  was  taken  in  the  belief 


that  some  passing  vessel,  which  would  relieve  them, 
would  be  more  likely  to  be  met  in  that  than  in  any 
other  direction.  As  it  happened,  this  proved  true, 
and  the  boat  came  early  in  the  day  upon  a  sailiug  ves- 
sel which  had  been  partially  disabled  by  the  storm 
and  was  lying  to.  They  were  taken  on  board  and 
on  informing  the  captain  with  regard  to  the  other 
boat  he  at  once  cruised  in  the  direction  in  which  it 
was  believed  that  she  was  drifting.  He  came  very 
near  not  finding  the  boat  at  all,  as  there  was  no 
light  on  board  and  it  was  nearly  dark  before  the 
vessel  came  within  sight,  and  when  they  were  too 
low  down  to  be  within  the  range  of  vision  of  the 
lookout  on  board.  In  fact  those  in  the  boat  saw  the 
vessel  two  or  three  hours  before  they  were  discov- 
ered by  her.  The  agony  of  this  suspense  was  of 
course  very  great,  as  darkness  came  on  before  they 
were  found  and  they  were  discovered  only  then  by 
their  keeping  up,  after  dark,  incessant  shoutiug,  one 
relieving  the  other.  Altogether  they  were  in  this 
open  boat,  drifting  for  twelve  hours,  before  they 
were  picked  up.  In  1845  Mr.  Hewitt  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  and  this  occurred  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances. There  were  fifty-seven  applicants  for  ad- 
mission, one  of  whom  was  colored,  and  the  standard 
of  the  examination  was  raised,  designedly,  with 
the  intention  of  making  it  so  high  as  to  bar  out  the 
colored  applicant.  The  consequence  was  that,  out  of 
the  fifty-seven  applicants,  only  twenty-three  passed, 
among  whom  was  Abram  S.  Hewitt.  Soon  after  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  Mr.  Hewitt  found  that  his 
eyesight  was  not  strong  enough  to  enable  him  to  de- 
vote himself  to  the  law  business.  His  condition  in 
this  regard  has  been  always  very  peculiar.  While 
he  can  see  near  at  hand  as  distinctly  as  anybody, 
and  can  read  a  newspaper  or  book  without  glasses, 
at  a  distance  of  a  few  feet  it  is  difficult  for  him  to 
distinguish  faces.  So  far  as  mere  reading  or  writing 
goes,  his  eyesight  has  been  better  than  that  of  most 
people.  Probably  also  his  determination  to  give  up 
the  law  business  was  caused  somewhat  by  his  inti- 
mate relations  with  his  friend  Edward  Cooper  and 
with  the  father  of  the  latter.  The  two  young  men 
determined  to  go  into  a  business  partnership,  and 
Mr.  Peter  Cooper  gave  over  to  them  the  iron  branch 
of  his  own  business,  which  at  that  time  was  not  in  a 
very  prosperous  condition.  The  success  and  prog- 
ress of  this  business  in  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Cooper 
and  Hewitt  have  been  remarkable.  For  over  forty 
years  the  firm  has  continued  and  has  been  a  pioneer 
in  the  establishing  of  successful  iron  manufactories 
in  the  United  States.  It  was  the  first  firm  to  manu- 
facture iron  girders  and  supports  used  in  fire-proof 
buildings  and  in  bridges,  and  at  its  works  were 
made  the  iron  girders  employed  in  the  construction 


2  I  2 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


of  the  Cooper  Union  building.  During  all  these 
years  it  has  employed  thousands  of  men  and  has  to- 
day upward  of  three  thousand  men  on  its  pay-rolls. 
The  firm  has  prospered  in  the  face  of  all  the  ups  and 
downs  of  the  iron  trade  and  also  in  the  face  of  inci- 
dents with  regard  to  its  own  business  career  which 
would  have  caused  almost  any  industry  of  the  kind 
to  suspend  long  ago.  As  a  matter  (if  fact  from  1873 
to  1879  the  business  of  the  firm  was  conducted  at  a 
loss  of  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year.  Mr. 
Hewitt  made  this  statement  himself  on  the  occasion 
of  one  of  the  meetings  of  the  Congressional  Commit- 
tee on  the  Grievances  of  Labor,  which  was  held  in 
August,  1878,  and  of  which  he  was  Chairman.  It  is 
a  curious  instance  in  regard  to  the  prosecution  of  a 
great  industry  to  have  it  established  that  the  regular 
product  of  the  plant  was  only  sufficient  during  forty 
years  to  pay  the  men  and  the  regular  expenses  of  the 
industry,  and  this  also  when  the  business  never  paid 
extraordinary  sums  in  the  way  of  wages,  but  simply 
current  market  rates;  and  yet  all  of  this  is  a  fact 
with  regard  to  the  firm  of  Cooper  >fc  Hewitt,  and  in- 
deed to  a  very  large  extent  in  relation  to  other  firms 
engaged  in  the  same  business  all  over  the  country. 
The  solution  of  the  problem,  how,  under  such  condi- 
tions, .could  a  firm  thus  engaged  in  business  become 
rich,  is  simply  that  the  fortune  acquired  was  made 
by  the  judicious  use  of  their  capital  outside  of  their 
business,  by  a  study  of  the  iron  market  which  was 
wise  and  conservative,  and  by  anticipating  the 
future  through  prudent  investments.  Thus,  in  1870 
and  1880  there  was  a  great  rise  in  the  value  of  iron. 
Cooper  &  Hewitt  had  anticipated  this  rise  for  some 
time,  and,  having  command  of  abundant  capi- 
tal, had  laid  in  a  heavy  stock,  and  the  increase 
in  value  of  this  stock  alone  cleared  them  one 
million  of  dollars.  During  all  the  forty  years  of 
this  firm's  existence,  it  has  never  had  any  serious 
trouble  with  its  workmen.  The  latter  have  never 
had  to  wait  a  day  for  their  pay,  being  always  paid 
cash.  The  works  have  never  been  shut  down. 
They  have  been  worked  on  half  time  when  business 
was  so  slack  as  to  make  it  foolish  and  useless  to 
work  on  full  time,  but  they  have  never  closed.  The 
result  of  this  has  been  that  there  has  never  been  any 
strike  among  the  employees  of  Cooper  &  Hewitt. 
The  reason  for  this  exists  in  the  policy  which  has 
always  been  adopted  and  consistently  held  to  by  the 
linn.  The  workmen  have  always  been  taken  into 
the  confidence  of  their  employers.  The  latter  have 
talked  with  them  freely,  and  when  any  differences 
have  arisen  between  them  they  have  settled  them  as 
best  they  could  after  a  friendly  business  consulta- 
tion. The  fact  that  the  workingmen  knew  that  for 
years  the  business,  employing  several  thousand 


hands,  was  being  run  at  a  loss  to  the  employers 
without  their  suffering,  naturally  made  them  the 
more  willing  to  enter  into  consultation  and  to  recog- 
nize the  condition  of  things.  But  if  at  times  the 
employees  have  believed  that  they  ought  to  receive 
larger  pay  than  they  were  receiving,  and  this  oc- 
curred at  a  time  when  the  market  did  not  justify  an 
increase  of  wages,  their  delegates  were  invited  into 
the  business  office  and  given  the  books  to  examine 
with  the  simple  declaration,  "You  must  decide  for 
yourselves  whether  the  condition  of  the  business  will 
warrant  your  being  paid  any  more."  The  firm  of 
Cooper  &  Hewitt  has  also  always  been  on  the  best 
of  terms  with  the  trade  unions  and  special  labor  or- 
ganizations and,  in  fact,  has  encouraged  them.  It 
has  been  Mr.  Hewitt's  belief  that  the  workmen  can- 
not possibly  get  too  many  rights,  whether  they  com- 
bine to  obtain  them  or  seek  them  by  means  of  in- 
dividual effort.  He  also  has  often  expressed  the 
belief  that  all  their  troubles  are  occasioned  by  im- 
providence and  a  lack  of  the  proper  care  which 
their  own  interests  demand.  He  has  the  belief  that 
a  suitable  education  and  proper  training  will  eventu- 
ally reined}'  this,  and  he  believes  that  special  labor 
organizations  are  in  the  direction  of  such  education 
and  training.  He  thinks  that  these  organizations 
make  the  workingmen  stronger  and  wiser,  and  that 
they  should  therefore  be  encouraged.  The  firm  of 
Cooper  &  Hewitt  now  own  and  control  the  Trenton, 
Kingwood,  Pequest  and  Durham  iron  works  in  New 
Jersey.  The  development  and  management  of  these 
vast  enterprises  have  been  principally  the  result  of 
Mr.  Hewitt's  efforts.  In  1802  he  went  to  England 
to  learn  the  process  of  making  gun-barrel  iron,  and, 
at  a  heavy  loss  to  his  firm,  furnished  the  United 
States  Government  with  material  for  this  use  during 
the  Civil  War.  The  introduction  of  the  Martins- 
Siemens  or  open-hearth  process  for  the  manufacture 
of  steel  in  this  country  is  also  due  to  his  judgment. 
While  thus  always  deeply  interested  in  his  iron 
business,  Mr.  Hewitt  found  time  and  inclination  to 
advise  and  assist  Mr.  Peter  Cooper  in  his  generous 
benefaction  to  the  city  of  New  York,  known  as  the 
Cooper  Union.  The  plan  of  this  institution  was  de- 
vised bj'  its  own  trustees,  with  Mr.  Hewitt  as  their 
active  head.  The  Cooper  Union  was  begun,  so  far 
as  its  construction  is  concerned,  in  1853, -and  at  the 
end  of  five  years  the  building  was  completed  as  it 
now  stands  and  as  it  is  known  to  tens  of  thousands 
of  people  throughout  the  country,  the  better  part  of 
whose  education  has  been  obtained  within  its 
walls.  As  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
Mr.  Hewitt  has  directed  its  financial  and  educa- 
tional details,  involving  an  amount  of  labor  ex- 
ceeding the  duties  of  some  college  Presidents.  - 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


213 


Iu  I800  Mr.  Hewitt  married  the  daughter  of  Peter 
Cooper,  aud  the  sister  of  his  business  partner,  Mr. 
Edward  Cooper.  The  public  career  of  Abram  S. 
Hewitt  has  been  and  is,  perhaps,  better  known 
throughout  the  country  than  that  of  almost  an- 
other man  in  politics  now  living.  It  began,  how- 
ever, iu  a  mission  not  iu  the  least  connected  with 
politics,  but  rather  resulting  from  his  recognized 
knowledge  and  ability  with  regard  to  the  iron  and 
steel  business,  and  probably  as  a  result  of  the  val- 
uable service  he  had  rendered  in  this  connection 
to  the  United  States  Government  during  the  latter 
period  of  the  war.  In  1867  he  was  appointed  one  of 
ten  United  States  Commissioners  to  visit  the  Paris 
Exposition  held  in  that  year.  He  had  particular 
charge  of  the  subjects  of  iron  and  steel,  and  his 
report  to  the  United  States  Government,  made  at 
that  time,  on  the  progress  of  the  art  of  handling  these 
metals,  as  exemplified  in  the  illustrative  exhibits  in 
the  Exposition,  was  translated  into  nearly  all  the 
leading  languages  of  Europe.  Mr.  Hewitt  has  been 
a  consistent  Democrat  throughout  his  political  life, 
although  he  has  not  always  agreed  with  or  indeed 
affiliated  with  the  same  factional  organization. 
Beginning  as  a  member  of  the  Tammany  Associa- 
tion, he  became  dissatisfied  with  its  management 
and  joined  the  County  Democracy,  on  the  organiza- 
tion of  that  party  in  1870.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
been  elected  to  Congress  in  1874,  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  term  he  continued  to  serve  there 
until  1886.  In  Congress  he  has  always  shown  the 
same  energy  and  the  same  tendency  to  practical 
ideas  and  common  sense  views,  without  special  re- 
gard to  political  intricacies,  which  he  has  exhibited 
in  the  conduct  of  his  business  and  other  public 
relations.  Always  very  much  of  a  political  econo- 
mist in  his  tendency  of  thought  and  general  pro- 
clivity, he  has  been  a  frequent  speaker  on  subjects 
connected  with  finance,  labor  and  the  development 
of  National  resources.  A  man  whose  honesty  of 
political  purpose  has  been  remarkable  in  an  era 
when  such  an  element  has  not  been  significant  of 
politics,  Mr.  Hewitt  has  been  an  advocate  of  honest 
financial  legislation  without  regard  to  party  service. 
He  has  sustained  by  vote  and  voice  a  moderate  and 
discriminating  tariff  reform,  and  indeed,  while  not 
absolutely  conservative,  he  has  never  been  radical 
in  any  of  his  views,  political  or  otherwise.  With  a 
natural  bent  towards  utilitarianism,  as  shown  in 
his  often  suggested  interest  in  practical  education, 
and  particularly  in  his  relation  to  the  Cooper  Union, 
Mr.  Hewitt  has  always  done  good  work  in  aiding 
the  advancement  of  those  movements  which  tended 
towards  National  progress  in  a  material  direction ; 
yet  he  has  ahvays  shown  a  strong  bias  towards 


education  of  a  higher  order.  It  was  this,  doubtless, 
which  made  him  work  so  earnestly  and  vigorously 
in  the  direction  of  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  which  owes  its  existence  principally  to  an 
address  delivered  in  its  favor  by  Mr.  Hewitt.  In 
his  Congressional  career  Mr.  Hewitt  was  often  ac- 
cused of  irascibility,  on  account  of  the  earnestness 
of  his  oratory,  which  again  resulted  from  the  earn- 
estness of  his  convictions  regarding  the  subject 
matter  in  debate.  But  there  has  also  been  a  certain 
tendency  iu  the  direction  of  irritation  in  Mr.  Hewitt, 
dependent  on  the  physical  fact  that  he  inherited  a 
very  nervous  temperament,  encouraged  in  his  youth 
by  his  constantly  protracted  and  too  laborious 
studies,  aud  with  which,  doubtless,  his  defective 
eyesight  has  had  much  to  do.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
where  Mr.  Hewitt  is  confronted  by  a  condition 
which  he  deems  the  reverse  of  right  or  antagonistic 
to  the  true  welfare  of  the  municipality  or  of  the 
State,  he  is  outspoken  and  forcible  to  a  degree  in 
his  denunciation  and  opposition  in  connection  with 
such  conditions.  There  never  has  been,  however, 
the  slightest  reason  to  suppose  that  any  personal 
malice  or  any  political  ambition  has  guided  or 
biased  him  in  the  slightest  degree  in  his  conduct 
either  in  debate  or  in  active  political  work.  Mr. 
I  Hewitt  has  been  consistently  one  of  the  most  hou- 
I  est  and  faithful,  as  he  has  been  one  of  the  most 
earnest  and  energetic,  of  the  statesmen  and  politi- 
cians of  the  country.  In  1878  Mr.  Hewitt  was  the 
leader  of  the  twenty-seven  Democrats  in  Congress 
who  voted  against  the  attempt  to  repeal  the  specie 
resumption  act.  He  has  always  been  opposed  to 
the  present  coinage  of  the  silver  dollar,  aud  his 
speech  on  that  subject  at  the  time  of  that  legislation 
was  prophetic  of  the  results  which  afterwards  fol- 
lowed. Iu  1876  Mr.  Hewitt  was  Chairman  of  the 
Democratic  National  Committee,  accepting  the  po- 
sition at  the  special  request  of  Mr.  Tilden,  who  had 
J  been  his  intimate  friend  for  a  number  of  years.  On 
Mr.  Hewitt,  it  is  said,  lies  the  responsibility  for  the 
organization  of  the  so-called  "literary  bureau," 
which  was  employed  during  the  notable  campaign 
of  Tilden  and  Hayes.  The  firm  of  Cooper  & 
Hewitt  advanced  towards  the  campaign  expenses 
that  year  $160,000  in  money,  before  any  collections 
were  made  to  re-imburse  them.  This  was  the  case, 
although  it  was  the  general  belief  that  Mr.  Tilden 
contributed  liberally  to  his  own  canvass  from  what 
was  known  as  the  "Tilden  barrel."  As  a  matter 
of  fact  Mr.  Tilden  contributed  nothing  from  his 
personal  resources  to  the  general  campaign,  beyond 
paying  for  the  preparation  and  printing  of  the  doc- 
uments of  the  so-called  literary  bureau.  After  the 
election,  when  the  Democrats  were  fully  convinced 


214 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


that  they  had  carried  the  country,  the  proclamation 
which  was  issued,  asserting  the  assurance  of  this 
victory,  was  written  by  Mr.  Hewitt,  and  the  original 
manuscript  of  it  is  now  in  his  hands  with  marginal 
notes  of  correction  in  the  hand-writing  of  Mr.  Til- 
den.  Mr.  Hewitt,  in  fact,  encouraged  the  boldest 
action  in  regard  to  the  situation  during  that  crisis. 
Mr.  Tilden,  however,  was  opposed  to  any  such 
action  and  the  result  was  that,  of  the  three  methods 
of  settlement  which  were  placed  before  him — to 
fight,  back  down  or  arbitrate — he  chose  the  latter. 
The  Democratic  candidate  for  the  Presidency  having 
made  this  decision,  Mr.  Hewitt,  as  his  instrument 
in  Congress  and  in  the  party,  had  nothing  to  do  but 
to  carry  out  his  wishes,  which  he  did  with  the 
result  of  the  organization  of  the  Electoral  Commis- 
sion and  the  seating  of  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  in  the 
Presidential  chair.  In  October,  1886,  when  the 
labor  organizations  determined  to  get  possession  of 
the  government  of  the  city  of  New  York,  a  union 
part}-  was  formed  by  which  Abram  S.  Hewitt  was 
nominated  for  Mayor  for  the  election  in  November. 
Henry  George,  who  at  that  time  was  in  the  height 
of  his  popularity,  had  been  nominated  by  the  Labor 
party  as  their  candidate  for  Maj  or.  The  Republi- 
cans, less  wise  and  less  successful  in  their  selection, 
nominated  Theodore  Roosevelt,  confessedly  a  weak 
name  to  go  before  the  public  of  New  York  under 
any  circumstances,  and  particularly  in  the  case  of 
the  candidacy  of  two  men  having  so  many  and  such 
strong  friends  in  both  parties  as  Mr.  Hewitt  and 
Mr.  George.  The  result,  so  far  as  the  Labor  candi- 
dature was  concerned,  was  astounding,  even  to  the 
Labor  party  itself,  while  to  the  Republicans  it  was 
absolutely  overwhelming.  Theodore  Roosevelt  re- 
ceived only  60,435  votes.  The  vote  for  Henry 
George  mounted  up  to  the  surprising  figure  of 
68,110.  But  that  for  Abram  S.  Hewitt  reached 
90,552  and  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  city  of  New 
York.  Twelve  thousand  more  votes  taken  from 
the  Union  candidate  would  have  made  Henry 
George,  Mayor,  and  would  very  probably  have  en- 
tirely disintegrated  and  reorganized  the  whole 
political  system  of  the  United  States.  As  Mayor, 
Mr.  Hewitt  showed  the  same  vigor  and  energy 
which  had  characterized  him  in  all  his  different 
walks  in  life.  He  was  a  thorough-going  reformer, 
and  sharply  supervised  the  acts  of  the  heads  of  de- 
partments, never  hesitating  to  call  them  to  account 
on  the  slightest  evidence  of  impropriety  or  inatten- 
tion to  duty.  In  some  directions  he  succeeded  in 
cultivating  or  in  awakening  unpopularity.  Partic- 
ularly was  this  the  case  with  regard  to  the  Irish 
citizens,  in  consequence  of  his  refusing  to  raise 
the  Irish  flag  over  the  City  Hall  on  St.  Patrick's 


day.  This  was  clone  by  Mr.  Hewitt  in  consistent 
agreement  with  his  idea  of  an  Americanisn  which 
should  not  permit  the  flag  of  any  other  people,  even 
of  one  possessing  an  autonomy  of  its  own,  to  be 
raised,  except  as  a  matter  of  special  compliment, 
upon  any  Municipal  or  National  buildings  in  the 
country ;  that  under  this  ruling  the  flag  of  a  nation, 
which  has  no  political  existence,  is  distinctly  within 
the  category  goes  without  saying.  By  this  act  Mr. 
Hewitt  made  doubtless  many  political  and  personal 
enemies,  and  also  in  his  stern  and  inflexible  honesty 
of  purpose,  and  the  determination  with  which  he 
insisted  upon  the  carrying  out  by  officials  of  the 
statutes  and  municipal  laws  controlling  their  de- 
partments. But  he  retained  the  respect  of  the 
community  in  general,  the  members  of  which  felt 
that  they  could  sleep  at  night  without  the  sense  of 
insecurity  occasioned  by  doubt  whether  the  munici- 
pal heads  were  not  hatching  some  plot  to  plunder 
the  city.  Before  the  close  of  his  Mayoralty  term,  Mr. 
Hewitt  received  the  nomination  for  the  election  in 
November,  1888,  for  a  second  term,  at  the  hands 
of  a  Union  Citizen's  Committee.  He  ran  against 
Joel  Erhardt,  the  Republican  candidate,  and  Hugh 
J.  Grant,  Tammany  Democrat,  and  was  defeated, 
the  vote  being,— Hewitt,  71,979,  Erhardt,  73,037, 
and  Grant,  114,111.  Shortly  after  the  election, 
Mr.  Hewitt  made  a  trip  to  Europe,  where  he  was 
received  with  cordiality  and  respect  by  public  men 
everywhere.  He  made  a  profound  impression  on 
the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  who.  long  afterwards,  when 
the  American  Minister,  Hon.  S.  S.  Cox,  was  leaving 
Constantinople,  sent  by  him  his  compliments  and 
regards  to  Mr.  Hewitt.  Mr.  Hewitt  is  a  man  of 
great  intellectual  quickness,  and  indeed  his  ready 
grasp  of  a  subject  and  his  ability  to  see  things  so 
clearlj',  prevent  him  from  comprehending  the  lack 
of  a  similar  quickness  in  others,  and  this  is  some- 
times the  cause  of  his  impatience  in  argument. 
His  physical  condition,  so  far  as  his  great  capacity 
and  endurance  are  concerned,  is  in  the  main  good; 
but  he  suffers  greatly  from  physical  pain,  and 
is  troubled  with  insomnia.  And  yet,  curiously 
enough,  he  is  always  at  his  best  in  physical  health 
when  he  has  the  gravest  responsibilities  thrust  upon 
him.  Inaction  frets  him,  and  it  would  seem  to  be 
impossible  for  him  to  give  up  work.  He  thrives 
best  in  the  midst  of  excitements  and  responsibilities 
which  would  embarass  ordinary  men.  With  regard 
to  the  conduct  of  business  affairs  and  in  relation  to 
the  important  and  complicated  labor  question,  very 
few  men  are  so  thoroughly  informed  as  Mr.  Hewitt. 
He  has  practically  solved  the  labor  problem  so  far 
as  theory  is  concerned,  and,  although  it  has  been 
impossible  for  him  to  carry  out,  or  to  induce  friends. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


215 


to  carry  out,  many  of  the  views  in  which  he  believes 
and  which  lie  thinks  would  tend  to  a  great  amelior- 
ation of  the  condition  of  workingmen,  so  far  as  his 
own  business  is  concerned  he  has  never  failed  to 
experiment  at  least  in  these  directions,  and  when 
successful,  to  make  his  experiments  permanent  con- 
ditions. Since  the  close  of  the  term  of  his  Mayor- 
alty, Mr.  Hewitt  has  remained  practically  out  of 
politics.  While  a  strong  adherent  to  the  cause  of 
Mr.  Cleveland  during  the  election  of  1884,  after  that 
election  something  of  the  nature  of  a  disagreement 
arose  between  them,  and  it  is  a  fact  that  from  the 
day  of  President  Cleveland's  inauguration,  Mr. 
Hewitt  never  entered  the  White  House  during  his 
term  of  office.  He  is  still,  however,  as  heretofore  a 
consistent  and  earnest  Democrat,  and  whenever  the 
occasion  shall  arise  to  render  his  active  service 
essential  to  his  party,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he 
will  be  as  ready  as  heretofore,  to  labor  in  its  behalf. 

 •  

BARGEK,  SAMUEL  P.,  a  leading  citizen  and 
lawyer  of  New  York  City,  actively  identified 
for  many  years  with  prominent  railroad  inter- 
ests in  America,  and  since  1867  a  Director  in  most  of 
the  Vanderbilt  railroads,  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  October  19,  1832.  His  ancestors,  who  were  of 
Dutch  origin,  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Staten  Island,  where  his  parents  and  grandparents 
were  born.  He  began  his  education  under  the  well- 
known  Professor  Charles  Anthon,  at  the  famous 
Columbia  College  Grammar  School,  then  occupying 
the  old  school  building  in  Murray  Street,  and  fin- 
ished it  at  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
of  which  the  Hon.  Theo.  Frelinghuysen  was  then 
Chancellor.  Upon  leaving  college  he  chose  the  pro- 
fession of  law  for  a  life  vocation,  and  going  to  Pater- 
son,  New  Jersey,  near  where  his  father  then  resided 
— his  mother  having  died  several  years  previously — 
he  entered  the  office  of  Aaron  S.  Pennington,  Esq., 
one  of  the  principal  lawyers  of  the  place,  under 
whom  he  finished  his  preparation  for  admission  to 
the  bar.  In  1854  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
New  Jersey,  and  in  the  following  year  was  accorded 
the  same  privilege  at  the  bar  of  New  York.  Choos- 
ing the  metropolis  as  the  scene  of  his  labors,  he  set- 
tled there  and  applied  himself  with  diligence  to 
professional  work,  for  which  he  was  well  equipped 
both  by  natural  intellectual  ability  and  a  training 
more  than  ordinarily  thorough.  It  took  several 
years  of  patient  and  self-denying  labor  to  make  an 
impression,  but  after  this  had  been  accomplished 
his  rise  was  rapid  and  he  soon  held  an  enviable 
place  in  public  esteem  both  as  a  lawyer  and  a  culti- 


vated gentleman.  Mr.  Barger's  connection  with 
railroads  dates  back  to  1867,  when  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  the  late  Commodore  Vanderbilt  as  a 
Director  in  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany. In  1869,  when  this  corporation  was  merged 
with  the  Hudson  River  Railroad  Company,  forming 
the  New  Yrork  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad 
Company,  with  Commodore  Vanderbilt  as  Presi- 
dent, Mr.  Barger  took  his  seat  in  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  consolidated  company,  with  which 
the  well-known  Mr.  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  previously' 
attorney  for  the  Harlem  road,  became  connected  in 
a  similar  capacity,  afterwards  being  chosen  to  a 
seat  in  the  directory  and  in  later  years  to  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  road.  The  friendship  here  begun  be- 
tween these  two  young  lawyers,  thus  closely  thrown 
together,  became  more  than  ordinarily  cordial  and 
has  continued  unbroken  down  to  the  present  day. 
From  the  beginning  of  his  directorship  Mr.  Barger's 
abilities  were  perceived  by  his  associates  to  be  of  a 
high  order,  attestation  of  which  is  found  in  his 
selection  by  thein  as  a  member  of  the  leading  com- 
mittees, notably  the  executive  and  financial,  upon 
which  he  has  served  continuously  since  then  with 
distinction.  In  his  capacity  as  a  director  he  united 
the  qualities  of  the  business-man,  the  financier  and 
the  lawyer,  with  the  result  of  great  benefit  to  the 
important  interests  confided  to  his  care.  Mr.  Bar- 
ger's colleagues  in  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
"Central"  in  those  early  days  were  Commodore 
Vanderbilt,  Wm.  H.  Vanderbilt,  Augustus  Schell, 
Horace  F.  Clarke,  Daniel  Torrance,  C.  W.  Chapiu, 
James  H.  Banker,  H.  H.  Baxter,  William  A.  Kis- 
sam  and  George  J.  Whitney,  of  whom  he  alone  sur- 
vives. At  the  famous  meeting  held  in  Albany, 
November  1,  1869,  at  which  the  consolidation  pre- 
viously referred  to  took  place,  he  presided  over  the 
deliberations.  Although  more  closely  identified 
with  the  New  York  Central  than  with  any  other 
corporation,  his  efforts  and  investments  are  not 
limited  to  it.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  aided 
by  counsel  as  well  as  capital  in  building  up  the 
western  extensions  or  connections  of  this  great  road, 
and  during  the  time  has  served  as  a  Director  in  the 
Harlem  Railroad,  the  West  Shore,  the  Lake  Shore 
and  Michigan  Southern,  the  Michigan  Central,  the 
Chicago  and  Northwestern,  and  the  Canada  South- 
ern and  its  leased  lines.  In  these  several  Boards  of 
Directors  as  well  as  in  the  "  Central,"  he  has  invaria- 
bly had  a  place  on  both  the  executive  and  finance 
committees.  Among  the  other  important  positions 
he  has  held  was  that  of  Director  (and  a  member  of 
the  executive  committee)  of  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company  and  all  its  leased  lines.  This 
position  he  held  from  the  time  of  the  death  of  Com- 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


modore  Vanderbilt,  in  1877,  down  to  the  accession  of 
Mr.  Jay  Gould,  in  1881,  when  the  American  Tele- 
graph Company  was  absorbed  by  the  larger  and 
more  powerful  corporation,  when  he  resigned.  He 
has  also  been  a  Trustee  of  the  Wagner  Palace  Car 
Company  since  its  organization.  He  holds  director- 
ships likewise  in  the  Canada  Southern  Bridge  Com- 
pany, and  the  Albany  Bridge  Company,  and  is  a 
trustee  in  the  Union  Trust  Company.  In  all  these 
varied  interests  he  has  been  active  and  energetic 
and  his  experience,  good  judgment  and  conserva- 
tism have  been  relied  upon  by  his  associates  in  all 
crises  and  on  all  matters  of  importance.  One  of  the 
ablest  of  his  colleagues  speaking  of  his  great  abili- 
ties, said  :  "  He  has  what  seems  to  be  almost  an  in- 
tuitive knowledge  of  men  and  human  nature  and  a 
remarkable  faculty  for  judging  abilities  and  motives 
in  those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact  or  has 
dealings.  He  has  a  conscientious  regard  for  duty, 
and  perforins  the  various  tasks  that  fall  to  him  with 
scrupulous  fidelity  and  with  a  watchful  regard  for 
the  interests  he  represents."  The  business  demands 
made  upon  his  time  for  many  years  almost  com- 
pletely occupied  it,  but  by  confining  his  labors 
principally  to  one  field  he  escaped  the  confusion  and 
embarrassments  which  often  attend  the  efforts  of 
those'  who  divide  their  attentiou,  time  and  energy 
between  two  goals  to  the  great  danger  of  attaining 
neither.  Although  wisely  conservative  in  matters 
involving  the  expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money 
with  possibilities  of  heavy  loss  or  failure,  he  is  one 
of  the  most  progressive  business  men  of  the  day, 
quick  to  perceive  opportunities  and  as  ready  to  em- 
brace them  after  his  judgment  endorses  them.  A 
minor  illustration  of  his  conservatism  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  for  upwards  of  thirty  years  he  has  oc- 
cupied the  same  suite  of  offices  in  Trinity  Building 
on  lower  Broadway.  A  life-long  Democrat  and  the 
persistent  and  consistent  supporter  of  the  principles 
of  that  party,  both  with  his  influence  and  means, 
and  a  native  and  resident  of  a  city  in  which,  if  any- 
where, such  a  course  is  appreciated  at  its  full  value, 
Mr.  Barger,  with  political  honors  easy  of  attainment, 
has  seen  fit  to  decline  every  overture  made  to  him 
in  the  direction  of  a  public  career,  preferring  to 
give  his  whole  energies  and  attention  to  business 
and  professional  work.  Nevertheless  he  has  on  oc- 
casion attended  important  party  conventions,  and  at 
times  has  conferred  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Democ- 
racy in  regard  to  great  public  measures.  In  1860 
he  accepted  a  position  on  the  Commission,  appointed 
by  the  State  Legislature  to  appraise  the  damage 
done  by  the  rioters  who  destroyed  the  Quarantine 
Station  at  Staten  Island  ;  and  in  1870,  he  served  as  a 
Presidential  Elector  in  the  State  of  New  York  on 


j  the  Democratic  ticket.  That  there  has  been  no 
selfishness  in  his  refusal  to  enter  public  life  is  proven 
by  his  willingness  to  do  service  in  useful  positions 
where,  though  little  persoual  honor  and  no  personal 
profit  are  to  be  found,  the  advantage  to  the  public  is 
of  high  value.  Thus,  while  avoiding  political  office, 
he  has  rendered  valuable  service  to  the  municipality 
as  a  member  of  the  School  Board  and  also  in  other 
directions.  Mr.  Barger  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  in  affiliation  with  Holland  Lodge,  one 

!  of  the  oldest  in  the  country.  For  many  years  he 
has  interested  himself  in  general  Masonic  charitable 
work,  without  in  any  way  making  himself  promi- 
nent. He  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  belief,  and 
an  attendant  and  pew-holder  at  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  personal  friend  and 

j  warm  admirer  of  its  widely  known  and  esteemed 
minister,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Hall.  In  the  social  life  of 
New  York  Mr.  Barger  has  always  held  a  prominent 
place.    He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Union  Club 

!  for  nearly  thirty  years,  and  served  for  a  long 
time  as  a  member  of  its  Governing  Committee.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Manhattan  Club  and 
also  of  the  Casino  and  Reading-room  at  Newport, — 
where  he  spends  the  summer  season  when  not  on  a 
pleasure  trip  in  Europe  or  elsewhere— and  islikewise 
a  member  of  other  local  clubs  and  social  organiza- 
tions, and  of  the  Somerset  Club  of  Boston.  Highly 
educated,  traveled,  well-read,  and  thoroughly  con- 
versant with  the  affairs  of  the  world,  Mr.  Barger  is 
at  all  times  a  delightful  companion.  He  is  strong 
in  his  attachments  and  firm  in  his  friendships : 
high-minded,  honorable  and  scrupulously  just.  He 

i  is  a  man  of  pleasing  personality,  unassuming  and 
cordial  in  his  demeanor,  and  utterly  unaffected. 
Those  best  acquainted  witli  him  refer  to  him  as  irre- 
proachable either  as  a  friend,  business-man  or  citi- 
zen. His  home  in  the  city  of  New  York,  delight- 
fully situated  on  Madison  Avenue,  is  one  of  the 
most  capacious  and  striking  on  that  fashionable 
thoroughfare,  and  contains  many  precious  and 
costly  souvenirs  of  foreign  travel  and  of  interviews 
with  some  of  the  most  distinguished  people  of  the 
world. 


COOKE,  MARTIN  WARREN,  a  distinguished  law- 
yer of  Rochester,  twice  President  of  the  New 
York  State  Bar  Association,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1889  the  candidate  of  the  Republican  party  for  the 
office  of  Comptroller  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
was  born  at  Whitehall,  Washington  County,  New 
Y'ork,  March  2,  1840.  His  father,  the  late  William 
W.  Cooke,  of  Whitehall,  was  an  importer,  maim- 


w 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


2i; 


faeturer  and  dealer  in  lumber,  and  carried  on  an  ex- 
tensive trade  with  Canada  ;  he  died  in  1884.  His 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Hearty  Clarke, 
was  a  native  of  the  State  of  Vermont.  Martin  W. 
Cooke  began  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  place,  finishing  the  local  course  at 
Whitehall  Academy.  He  next  took  the  college  pre- 
paratory course  at  the  excellent  grammar  school  in 
Rochester,  then  in  charge  of  Professor  N.  W.  Bene- 
dict, and  when  but  a  little  over  fifteen  years  of  age 
was  admitted  to  the  University  of  Rochester. 
There  he  was  distinguished  for  his  brilliant  intel- 
lectual  powers,  his  resolute  application  to  study, 
and  many  graces  of  manner  and  conversation  which 
made  him  a  prime  favorite  alike  with  the  teachers 
and  the  students.  Among  the  former  at  this  period 
were  President  Anderson,  Dr.  A.  C.  Kendrick,  Dr. 
Chester  Dewey,  and  others  somewhat  less  promi- 
nent perhaps,  but  hardly  inferior  in  ability  in  their 
respective  departments.  In  1860  Mr.  Cooke,  then 
just  entering  his  twenty-first  year,  was  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  cum  laude,  and 
although  the  youngest  member  of  his  class  he  had 
the  honor  of  being  chosen  to  deliver  the  concluding 
oration  at  the  Commencement  exercises.  In  1863 
he  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  his 
Alma  Mater,  and  in  that  same  year  was  admitted  to 
the  Rochester  bar,  having  pursued  his  study  of  the 
law  under  the  late  Hon.  Henry  R.  Selden.  Estab- 
lishing an  office  in  Rochester,  he  plunged  into  pro- 
fessional work  with  all  the  courage  and  hopefulness 
of  a  young,  healthy  and  aspiring  mind.  In  1865  he 
was  admitted  to  partnership  with  the  late  Hon. 
Sanford  E.  Church,  formerly  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  This  association  con- 
tinued until  1870,  when  it  was  dissolved  owing  to 
the  election  of  Governor  Church  to  the  Chief  Judge- 
ship of  the  Court  of  Appeals.  Mr.  Cooke's  entire 
professional  life  has  been  spent  in  Rochester,  New 
York,  and  he  has  been  connected  as  counsel  with 
many  of  the  most  important  cases  which  have  arisen 
in  Monroe  County.  He  has  tried  and  argued  cases 
in  the  State  and  United  States  Courts,  and  in  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court.  In  1880  Mr.  Cooke 
was  appointed  one  of  the  examiners  of  applicants 
for  admission  to  the  bar,  his  associates  on  the  Board 
being  William  C.  Ruger,  now  Chief  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals,  and  George  Wadsworth.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  re-appointed  annually  by  the 
General  Term,  and  for  several  years  has  been  Chair- 
man of  the  Board.  In  1876,  when  the  Bar  Associa- 
tion of  the  State  was  organized,  he  took  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  proceedings  and  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  executive  committee,  which  posi- 
tion he  now  holds.    He  was  elected  Treasurer  of 


the  Association  in  1880,  and  held  that  office  several 
years.  In  January,  1887,  he  was  elected  to  the  of- 
fice of  President,  and  was  re-elected  in  the  follow- 
ing year.  "Through  his  active  labors  and  wise 
management  of  its  affairs  while  he  held  this  office, 
the  Association  received  large  accessions  to  its  mem- 
bership, and  its  power  and  influence  were  greatly 
extended.  It  was  due  to  his  efforts  that  the  As- 
sociation first  secured  the  disbarment  of  an  attorney 
for  misconduct."  Notwithstanding  the  heavy  de- 
mands made  upon  his  time  by  his  arduous  profes- 
sional labors  and  by  the  duties  of  the  important  po- 
sitions he  has  held,  he  has  always  evinced  a  sincere 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  city  of  Rochester,  in 
whose  behalf  he  has  labored  with  rare  judgment 
and  zeal.  Mr.  Cooke  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church  and  for  years  has  taken  an  active  part  in  its 
religious  and  charitable  work,  and  has  held  several 
responsible  positions  as  a  layman.  Ever  since  his 
graduation  at  the  University  of  Rochester  he  has 
been  active  in  all  matters  bearing  upon  its  interests. 
He  is  now  the  official  Attorney  of  the  University, 
having  occupied  the  office  since  its  creation,  and 
for  many  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  the  second  of  the  Alumni  to  whom  that 
office  has  been  accorded.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  from  the  dale  of  the 
establishment  of  a  chapter  at  Rochester.  A  close 
student  of  art,  literature  and  science,  he  has  ac- 
quired a  remarkable  fund  of  knowledge  upon  these 
subjects,  which  he  utilizes  with  the  happiest  effect 
in  his  public  speeches  and  addresses.  In  1888  he 
published  a  book  entitled  "  The  Human  Mystery  in 
Hamlet."  It  was  issued  from  the  press  of  Fords, 
Howard  and  Hulbert,  and  elicited  many  flattering 
notices  from  the  leading  literary  papers  and  maga- 
zines. Mr.  Cooke  takes  a  keen  delight  in  his  pri- 
vate scientific  researches,  to  which  he  devotes  as 
much  of  his  leisure  as  the  numerous  other  claims 
upon  his  time  permit.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Sci- 
ence. Mr.  Cooke's  political  proclivities  are  such  as 
to  keep  him  a  member  of  the  Republican  party, 
with  which  he  has  been  identified  since  he  polled 
his  first  vote.  He  has  never  been  a  seeker  of  office, 
but  in  1887  his  name  was  brought  forward  by  the 
delegates  to  the  State  Convention  as  that  of  a  most 
desirable  candidate  for  the  office  of  Attorney-Gen- 
eral of  the  State.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  received  the 
unanimous  nomination  of  the  Republican  Conven- 
tion for  the  office  of  State  Comptroller.  The  nomi- 
nation was  unsought  by  him,  and  was  unthought  of 
until  a  few  minutes  before  the  meeting  of  the  Con- 
vention. It  was  a  convincing  proof  of  his  wide- 
spread popularity,  no  less  than  a  splendid  testimo- 


2l8 


CONTEMTORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


nial  to  his  character  and  worth  as  a  citizen.  He  re- 
ceived 489, 154  votes  against  500,344  cast  for  Mr. 
Wemple,  the  successful  Democratic  candidate — an 
excess  of  several  thousand  over  the  chief  candidate 
on  his  ticket.  We  quote  the  following  extract  from 
an  editorial  written  during  the  canvass  in  New 
York  State,  in  1889  : 

••  Mr.  Cooke  is  happy  in  the  graces  as  well  as  the 
virtues  of  manhood.  He  is  not  less  a  literary 
scholar  than  a  lawyer.  He  has  a  frank,  cheerful 
disposition  and  a  polished  manner,  and  his  presence 
would  add  brightness  to  the  society  of  the  Capital 
and  dignity  to  its  official  circle.  Besides  the  guar- 
anty of  his  reputation  he  gives  a  hostage  to  the  peo- 
ple in  his  ambition.  He  is  a  man  whose  aims  are 
high — a  man  with  an  abiding  love  for  old  fashioned 
ideals  in  private,  professional  and  official  conduct. 
He  takes  little  satisfaction  save  in  the  thought  of 
honorably  won  distinction,  and  he  would  hardly  be 
content  with  any  success  which  could  not  meet  the 
test  of  the  best  standards  and  win  the  approval  of 
the  best  men." 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Cooke  stands  among  the  leaders 
in  his  section  of  the  State.  His  engaging  personal 
qualities  give  him  a  large  following  both  social  and 
political,  and  his  high  character  was  an  efficient  aid 
in  drawing  to  his  support  at  the  polls  many  voters 
who  were  not  of -his  party,  but  who  earnestly  de- 
sired to  see  him  elevated  to  the  position  for  which 
he  was  a  candidate.  Physically,  Mr.  Cooke  is  a 
man  of  fine  presence,  and  his  frank  and  maul}-  ad- 
dress well  becomes  his  person.  He  is  held  in  more 
than  ordinary  regard  by  the  people  on  account  of 
his  honest  and  generous  nature,  the  fidelity  of  his 
friendship  and  the  purity  of  his  character.  Having 
a  solid  backing  of  half  a  million  votes  in  his  own 
party  and  capable  of  drawing  largely  from  the  op- 
position, it  is  more  than  probable  that  he  has  a  po- 
litical future  which  will  enable  him  at  no  distant 
day  to  bring  his  fine  talents  to  the  service  of  the 
State.  He  married,  in  18G6,  Miss  Augusta  W. 
Buell,  daughter  of  Mortimer  Buell,  Esq.,  of  Roches- 
ter.   By  this  marriage  there  are  two  daughters. 


BEACH,  HON.  BLOOMFIELD  J.,  a  prominent 
lawyer  and  business  man  of  Rome,  was  born  at 
Annsville,  Oneida  County,  New  York,  June  27, 
1820.  His  progenitors  on  his  father's  side,  men  of 
English  origin,  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Otsego 
County,  whither  they  had  removed  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Newark,  New  Jersey.  His  father,  Dr. 
Samuel  Beach,  a  distinguished  physician,  died  in 
1874  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four.  His 
mother  was  Susan  (Jervis)  Beach,  a  native  of  Rome, 
her  father,  Timothy  Jervis,  having  settled  in  Oneida 
County  about  the  year  1800.    After  a  diligent  pur- 


suit of  the  course  of  study  prescribed  in  the  select 
schools  of  his  native  town,  Mr.  Beach  entered  Ham- 
ilton College  in  1835,  whence,  at  the  end  of  two 
years,  he  passed  to  Princeton  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.B.,  receiving 
subsequently  that  of  A.M.  Immediately  after  leav- 
ing college  he  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  State  of 
New  Y"ork  as  sub-engineer  in  the  work  of  the  Erie 
Canal,  and,  continuing  in  this  capacity  till  1840,  he 
then  removed  to  Rome.  Having  resolved  to  fit 
himself  for  the  practice  of  law,  he  entered  the  office 
of  Calvin  B.  Gay,  and  when  admitted  to  the  bar,  in 
1843,  he  became  the  associate  of  that  gentleman  in 
professional  practice.  This  association,  extending 
over  a  period  of  several  years,  was  followed  by 
business  connections  with  other  men  eminent  in  the 
walks  of  the  profession.  Elected  by  the  Whigs,  in 
1847,  to  represent  the  Third  Assembly  District  in 
the  State  Legislature,  his  labors  during  this  period 
of  service,  as  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  the 
Judiciary,  and  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Grievances,  evinced  such  ability,  tact  and  discre- 
tion as  justified  his  constituents  in  the  selection  of 
their  representative.  Endowed  with  excellent  na- 
tive powers,  broadened  and  deepened  by  culture 
and  experience,  Mr.  Beach  is  essentially  "a  man  of 
affairs."  During  his  residence  in  Rome  he  has  been 
one  of  the  most  active  promotors  of  every  scheme 
of  industry,  finance  and  beneficence.  President  of 
that  village  in  1853  and  '54,  he  was  subsequently  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners. 
He  is  also  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  iron,  for 
which  this  place  is  noted,  being  one  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Rome  Iron  Works.  He  is  attorney 
for  the  Fort  Stanwix  National  Bank,  and  is  inter- 
ested in  the  management  of  the  Rome  Savings  Bank, 
having  served  as  Treasurer  of  that  institution  since 
its  organization  in  1851.  His  financial  skill  also 
finds  exercise  in  his  relations  with  the  direction  of 
two  of  the  National  Banks  of  Rome.  Occupying 
the  position  of  President  of  the  Central  New  Y^ork 
Deaf  Mute  Asylum,  and  having  fulfilled  the  duties 
of  that  relation  since  its  organization,  that  institu- 
tion owes  much  of  its  usefulness  and  prosperity  to 
his  active  benevolence  and  wise  management  of  its 
affairs.  Bringing  to  the  practice  of  his  profession 
a  mind  well  stored  and  thoroughly  disciplined  by 
habits  of  thought  and  study,  Mr.  Beach  soon  de- 
veloped much  legal  sagacity.  His  power  of  using 
his  large  acquirements  to  the  best  advantage,  com- 
bined with  the  faculty  of  seeing  things  clearly  in 
their  practical  relations,  and  the  knowing  how  to 
harmonize  men  and  circumstances,  have  made  his 
efforts,  to  whatever  end  directed,  productive  of  the 
most  excellent  results.    His  reputation  for  legal 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


219 


learning  and  acumen,  his  practical  wisdom,  his 
powers  of  organization,  together  with  his  liberality 
and  soundness  of  financial  policy-,  enroll  his  name 
among  the  useful,  cultivated  and  honored  citizens 
of  the  Commonwealth.  He  was  married,  in  1863,  to 
.Miss  Fannie  Whitemore,  of  Nashua,  New  Hamp- 
shire, who  died  in  1867.  He  was,  in  1874,  again 
married,  to  Miss  C.  E.  Bacon,  daughter  of  the 
late  Daniel  P.  Bacon,  of  Sing  Sing,  New  York. 


FURSMAN,  HON.  EDGAR  LUYSTER,  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  Third  Judicial  District, 
was  born  at  Charlton,  Saratoga  County,  New 
York,  August.  5, 1838.  The  family  from  which  he 
descends  is  one  of  considerable  antiquity  in  Oxford- 
shire, England,  whence  in  1760,  the  founder  of  the 
American  branch  emigrated.  This  founder,  whose 
name  was  William  Fursman,  settled  in  Westchester 
County,  New  York.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  sup- 
porter of  the  rights  of  the  Colonists  against  the  en- 
croachment of  British  authority,  and  took  up  arms 
in  their  defense  in  the  Revolution,  giving  his  life 
for  the  country  of  his  adoption,  at  the  battle  of 
White  Plains.  Like  his  father,  John  Fursman,  (son 
of  this  patriot),  was  a  farmer,  holding  his  lands 
under  the  Van  Rensselaer  Patent.  His  son,  Jesse 
B.  Fursman,  also  a  farmer,  was  the  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  in  early  manhood  resided 
in  Saratoga. County.  Two  years  after  the  birth  of 
his  son  Edgar  he  removed  to  Easton,  Washington 
County,  and  in  the  district  schools  of  that  place  and 
at  the  Greenwich  Academy  the  young  lad  laid  the 
foundations  of  his  education.  He  finished  his 
studies  in  a  year  at  the  New  York  Conference  Sem- 
inary, at  Charlotteville,  which  was  supplemented  by 
a  full  course  at  the  Fort  Edward  Institute,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  high  rank 
in  the  class  of  1855.  The  tastes  he  developed  while 
at  school  inclined  him  to  the  study  of  the  law,  and 
after  graduation,  having  decided  to  adopt  that  pro- 
fession, he  entered  the  office  of  Judge  A.  Dallas 
Waite,  at  Fort  Edward,  and  under  the  direction  of 
that  accomplished  jurist  prepared  himself  for  prac- 
tice. After  two  years  attentive  study  he  passed  the 
required  examinations  with  high  credit,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  He  began  professional  work  at 
Schuylerville,  Saratoga  County,  and  in  a  few  years 
acquired  a  very  large  and  remunerative  practice, 
and  a  reputation  which  extended  far  beyond  the 
neighborhood  in  which  he  resided.  He  was  fre- 
quently advised  by  Judge  Augustus  Bockes,  of  Sara- 
toga Springs,  and  William  A.  Beach,  then  of  Troy, 


who  had  noted  his  talent  and  industry,  to  remove 
to  the  latter  city  and  pursue  his  profession  there. 
Upon  mature  deliberation  lie  decided  to  take  this 
step,  and  in  1867  formed  a  partnership  with  the 
Hon.  James  Forsyth,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
members  of  the  Rensselaer  County  bar,  then  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Rensselaer 
Polytechnic  Institute,  and  afterwards  County 
Judge.  This  relation  was  maintained  until  1870, 
when  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  Mr  Furs- 
man became  a  member  of  the  newly  organized  firm 
of  Smith,  Fursman  &  Cowen,  who  were  successors 
to  Beach  &  Smith.  A  close  student  and  a  diligent 
worker,  Mr.  Fursman  found  nothing  more  conge- 
nial than  his  professional  labors,  to  which  he  de- 
voted himself  with  rare  fidelity.  His  successes 
were  numerous  and  brilliant,  and  in  a  very  few- 
years  his  place  at  the  Rensselaer  County  bar  was 
admittedly  in  the  very  first  rank.  Acting  solely 
from  a  conception  of  duty  and  a  reluctance  to  dis- 
appoint the  expectations  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  the 
Democratic  party,  he  served  several  terms  as  a  dele- 
gate to  the  State  conventions  of  that  party.  Thus 
brought  into  direct  personal  contact  with  its  lead- 
ers, his  qualities  as  a  man  and  merits  as  a  lawyer 
were  perceived,  and  on  many  occasions  he  was  re- 
quested to  allow  his  name  to  be  presented  as  that 
of  a  candidate  for  public  office.  All  these  offers  he 
resolutely  declined,  sincerely  preferring  to  remain 
in  the  field  of  strictly  professional  work.  His  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  corporate  law  brought  him  as 
clients  a  number  of  the  leading  industrial  institu- 
tions of  Troy,  also  several  important  banks  and 
other  wealthy  corporations.  He  also  became  coun- 
sel for  the  New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River 
Railroad  Company,  the  Troy  &  Boston  Railroad 
Company,  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal  Company, 
and  the  Citizens  Steamboat  Company.  In  1882  he 
yielded  to  the  urgent  solicitations  of  his  friends  and 
accepted  the  nomination  for  Judge  of  Rensselaer 
County.  His  great  personal  popularity,  as  well  as 
the  high  esteem  in  which  his  legal  acquirements 
were  held,  was  amply  attested  by  the  fact  that  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  named  by  the  largest  ma- 
jority ever  given  to  any  candidate  for  it.  In  1888,  at 
the  expiration  of  his  term,  he  was  renominated,  and 
again  elected.  In  1889,  after  serving  only  one  year 
of  his  new  term  as  County  Judge,  he  received  the 
unanimous  nomination  of  his  party  for  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court.  He  was  elected  by  the  largest 
majority  obtained  in  his  district  in  many  years. 
He  entered  upon  his  official  duties  on  January  1, 
1890.  In  evidence  of  Judge  Fursmau's  professional 
skill  it  may  be  said  that  during  the  past  ten  years 
he  has  been  entrusted  with  a  larger  number  of  im- 


2  20 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


portant  cases  than  any  lawyer  in  his  county,  and 
that  he  has  been  remarkably  successful  in  bringing 
them  to  a  favorable  issue.  One  of  his  more  recent 
and  conspicuous  triumphs  was  in  the  case  of  the 
People  against  Arthur  J.  McQuade,  in  which  he  was 
counsel  for  defendant.  His  client,  an  ex-Alderman 
of  the  city  of  New  York,  charged  with  accepting  a 
bribe  while  in  office  from  the  officers  of  the  Broad- 
way Railroad  for  his  vote  for  the  franchise  given  to 
that  company,  was  regularly  indicted,  and  in  De- 
cember, 1886,  was  convicted  and  sentenced  to  seven 
years  imprisonment  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  #5,000. 
The  case  was  carried  to  the  higher  courts,  and  in 
October,  1888,  the  verdict  was  reversed  in  the  Court 
of  Appeals,  and  the  defendant,  after  serving  twenty 
months  of  his  time  in  Sing  Sing,  was  released  on 
bail  awaiting  a  new  trial.  A  change  of  venue  was 
obtained  to  Saratoga  County,  where  the  trial  was 
begun  in  July,  1889.  It  was  at  this  trial  that  Judge 
Fursman  conducted  the  defense.  It  was  held  in  the 
old  court  house  at  Ballston.  and  it  has  been  asserted 
that  there  never  was  a  trial  in  northern  New  York 
which  excited  greater  interest  or  in  which  the 
Court  House  there  contained  a  more  distinguished 
throug  of  visitors.  The  case  was  of  the  first  impor- 
tance, as  it  was  generally  believed  that  upon  the 
verdict  then  rendered  hung  the  fate  of  all  the  so- 
called  "  boodle  "  cases.  Judge  Fursman  summed 
up  for  the  defense,  and  an  added  interest  was  given 
to  this  great  legal  battle  from  the  fact  that  the  pros- 
ecution was  conducted  by  District  Attorney  Fel- 
lows, of  New  York,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
orators  of  the  time,  who,  like  Judge  Fursman,  was 
born  on  the  old  Burgoyne  battle  fields.  That  a  ver- 
dict of  acquittal  was  rendered  was  conceded  on  all 
hands  to  be  due  in  a  large  measure  to  the  adroit 
and  able  conduct  of  the  interests  of  his  client  by 
Judge  Fursman.  His  summing  up  for  the  defense 
was  one  of  the  most  masterful  efforts  oT  this  genera- 
tion, and  drew  exceptional  force  from  its  powerful 
arraignment  of  the  court  in  which  the  prisoner  had 
been  tried  previously,  and  from  the  merciless  man- 
ner in  which  the  witnesses  for  the  prosecution  were 
held  up  to  public  scorn.  Indignation  and  invec- 
tive, pathos  and  persuasion  were  skillfully  blended 
in  this  great  forensic  effort,  which  will  long  be  re- 
membered as  one  of  the  most  eloquent  delivered  in 
the  Ballston  Court  House  since  the  days  of  the 
gifted  and  lamented  William  A.  Beach.  Judge 
Fursman  married,  in  1860,  Miss  Minerva  Cramer,  a 
niece  of  the  Hon.  John  Cramer,  (a  prominent  man 
of  affairs  in  the  last  generation  and  who  was  an 
Elector  on  the  Jefferson  Presidential  ticket)  and  a 
daughter  of  the  late  James  P.  Cramer,  a  leading 
merchant  and  iron  manufacturer  of  Schuylerville. 


SQUIRE,  HON.  WATSON  CARVOSSO,  United 
States  Senator  from  the  State  of  Washington, 
is  a  scion  of  Puritan  stock.  His  grandfather, 
Daniel  Squire,  was  a  devout  man,  and  his  father,  the 
Rev.  Orra  Squire,  who  is  still  living,  has  spent  more 
than  half  a  century  in  discharging  the  duties  of  the 
Christian  ministry.  Orra  Squire  was  born  in  On- 
tario County,  New  York,  in  1807.  At  twenty-seven 
years  of  age  he  entered  upon  pastoral  work  as  a 
member  of  the  Oneida  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Three  years  later  he  married 
Erretta  Wheeler,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Wheeler, 
who  served  with  distinction  and  attained  the  rank 
of  Colonel  in  the  War  of  1812.  Watson  C.  Squire  is 
the  eldest  of  four  children  who  were  the  issue  of 
this  happy  marriage.  He  was  born  May  18,  1838, 
at  Cape  Vincent,  New  York.  His  first  school  days 
were  passed  at  Falley  Seminary,  Fulton,  New  York. 
From  early  childhood  his  chief  desire  seems  to  have 
been  to  secure  an  education.  Books  were  his  meat 
and  drink.  Everything  that  came  in  his  way  was 
eagerly  devoured.  While  other  boys  played,  he 
studied.  When  his  first  year  ended  he  stood  very 
high  in  his  classes.  A  prodigious  memory, 
with  ceaseless  application  and  an  unquenchable 
thirst  had  accomplished  that  which  it  Mould 
take  the  ordinary  student  muc  h  more  time  to  accom- 
plish. This  brief  spell  did  but  whet  his  appe- 
tite for  learning,  but  to  acquire  this  he  must  work, 
and  work  he  did.  Thenceforth  Watson  C.  Squire 
taught  school  in  the  winter,  worked  on  the  farm  in 
the  summer,  and  with  the  proceeds  thus  obtained 
attended  school  in  spring  and  fall.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  taught  Latin,  algebra  and  geometry  in  the 
town  of  Rose  Valley,  Wayne  County,  New  York. 
At  sixteen  he  taught  the  Union  school  at  Marcellus, 
Onondaga  County,  New  York.  During  this  period 
of  his  life  he  attended  school  at  Falley  Seminary, 
and  afterward  at  Fairfield  Seminary,  Fairfield,  New 
York.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  the  soph- 
omore class  of  Wesleyan  University,  located  at 
Middletown,  Connecticut.  There  he  graduated  in 
1859,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  His  course  in  life 
had  long  been  mapped  out  in  his  own  mind.  The 
bent  of  his  inclinations  had,  for  some  time,  been  in 
the  direction  of  the  law.  It  was  a  field  that  offered 
the  strongest  inducements  to  a  man  of  his  habits  of 
close  application,  profound  thought  and  analytical 
turn  of  mind.  He  therefore  began  reading  law  in 
the  office  of  Judge  Ezra  Graves,  of  Herkimer,  New 
York.  He  had  not  been  reading  long,  however, 
when  he  received  an  offer  to  become  the  principal 
of  Moravia  Institute,  of  Moravia,  New  Y'ork.  This 
offer  he  accepted  and  was  still  at  the  head  of  this 
institution  when  an  event  occurred  that  changed 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


22  1 


the  whole  tenor  of  his  life.  Sumter  was  fired  upon. 
All  thoughts  of  books,  school,  law,  flew  to  the 
winds.  The  soldier's  uniform  and  musket  were  to 
take  the  place  of  the  professor's  chair.  That  love 
of  country  which  inspired  his  Puritan  ancestry  to 
heroic  deeds  had  not  lost  one  whit  of  its  strength  in 
its  descent  to  young  Squire.  He  did  not  wait  to  be 
drafted,  but  at  once  responded  to  the  first  call  of 
President  Lincoln  for  volunteers.  He  participated 
in  the  public  meetings  which  were  held  immediately 
after  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter,  for  the  purpose  of 
denouncing  that  act  and  the  menacing  attitude  of 
the  Southern  leaders,  and  to  strengthen  and  encour- 
age the  Government.  It  was  at  one  of  these  meet- 
ings (of  which  he  was  the  presiding  officer)  that  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  volunteer  service 
and  went  to  the  front.  He  was  promoted  to  be 
First  Lieutenant  of  Company  F,  Nineteenth  New 
York  Infantry,  in  which  regiment  he  served  on  the 
upper  Potomac  until  the  fall  of  1861,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged.  He  at  once  resumed  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Rufus  P. 
Ranney,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  in  the  following- 
spring  he  graduated  at  the  Cleveland  Law  School, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  of  Ohio  in  June,  1862.  But  now  he  was 
ill  content  with  his  chosen  profession.  Day  after 
day  he  scanned  the  columns  of  the  daily  press,  and 
with  a  heavy  heart  saw  that  the  strife  was  to  be 
prolonged  far  beyond  what  he  or  any  other  human 
being  at  first  anticipated.  Once  more  he  resolved 
to  offer  bis  services  to  his  country,  and  with  this 
end  in  view  he  raised  a  crack  corps  of  sharp- 
shooters. His  original  command  was  called  the 
Seventh  Independent  Company  of  Ohio  Sharp- 
shooters, but  he  afterward  commanded  a  battalion 
of  six  companies  called  the  First  Battalion  of  Ohio 
Sharpshooters.  He  participated  in  all  operations 
of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  including  the  great 
battles  of  Chickamauga,  Chattanooga  and  Nash- 
ville. During  the  latter  portion  of  his  term  of  ser- 
vice he  was  Judge-Advocate  of  the  District  of 
Tennessee,  and  served  on  the  staff  of  Major-General 
Rousseau;  also  for  a  short  time  on  the  staff  of 
Major-General  George  H.  Thomas.  The  surrender 
of  Lee  terminated  his  service.  He  had  enlisted 
"for  the  war"  and  the  war  was  over.  He  had 
justly  won  several  promotions  by  meritorious  ser- 
vices and  by  bravery  on  the  battle  field.  He  was 
now  to  take  up  the  broken  threads  of  a  civilian's 
life  again.  In  August,  1865,  he  was  honorably 
mustered  out  of  service  and  shortly  afterward  be- 
came the  New  York  agent  of  the  Remington  Arms 
Company.  It  was  during  this  period  of  his  life  that 
he  visited  the  capitals  of  Russia,  Spain,  Turkey, 


Mexico  and  other  countries,  and  made  heavy  con- 
tracts to  supply  the  Governments  of  several  foreign 
countries  with  arms.  So  successful  were  his  nego- 
tiations, and  so  highly  did  the  company  appreciate 
them,  that  he  was  accorded  an  interest  and  made 
a  business  manager  of  the  company,  and  this 
at  a  time  when  the  business  of  the  concern  ran  up 
into  millions  annually.  In  1871  and  1872  nearly 
fifteen  million  dollars'  worth  of  arms  were  sold  to 
the  French  Government  alone,  including  the  arms 
and  munitions  which  Colonel  Squire  bought  of  the 
United  States  Government.  In  1876  he  became 
largely  interested,  by  purchase  of  property,  in  the 
Territory  of  Washington,  and  in  June,  1879,  re- 
moved to  Seattle,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged 
in  various  enterprises  contributing  to  the  develop- 
ment of  his  adopted  city.  With  the  exception  of  a 
single  year  during  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been 
constantly  engaged  in  farming,  and  at  the  present 
time  possesses  two  large  farms,  one  of  them  being 
mainly  devoted  to  dairy  purposes,  which  he  per- 
sonally manages.  In  1884  the  residents  of  the  then 
Territory  of  Washington  petitioned  President  Ar- 
thur to  appoint  a  resident  of  the  Territory  as  Gov- 
ernor, and  their  unanimous  choice,  irrespective  of 
party  affiliations,  was  Colonel  Squire.  As  President 
Arthur's  acquaintance  with  Colonel  Squire  ante- 
dated the  latter's  residence  in  the  Territory,  he  wil- 
lingly complied  with  their  wishes.  His  nomination 
was  at  once  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  and  he  as- 
sumed the  duties  of  the  office.  He  immediately 
began  the  preparation  of  a  report  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  setting  forth  the  resources  and  de- 
velopment of  the  Territory.  Of  this  report  Secre- 
tary Teller  said  :  "  This  report  of  Governor  Squire 
is  the  best  report  that  has  ever  been  given  by  any 
Governor  of  any  Territory."  It  was  clear  and  con-- 
cise,  yet  comprehensive.  It  indicated  the  most 
painstaking  research  and  vast  labor.  It  immedi- 
ately commanded  the  attention  of  capitalists 
throughout  the  eastern  States,  and  probably  con- 
tributed in  a  more  marked  degree  to  that  wonderful 
influx  of  capital  which  followed  so  closely  on  its 
heels,  than  any  other  single  document  ever  issued 
from  the  Territory.  In  this,  (as  in  subsequent  re- 
ports,) Governor  Squire  clearly  pointed  out  the 
dangers  to  be  apprehended  from  an  unrestricted 
Chinese  immigration,  and  strenuously  urged  the 
passage  of  laws  by  Congress  tending  to  operate  as  a 
check  to  this  menace.  It  was  during  his  own  ad- 
ministration that  he  was  a  witness  to  the  fulfillment 
of  his  unhappy  prediction.  That  influx  of  Chinese 
against  which  he  vigorously  warned  Congress  as- 
sumed such  proportions  that  the  citizens  in  some 
localities  attempted  to  take  the  law  in  their  own 


222 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


hands  and  evict  the  Mongolians.  In  seme  instances 
there  were  disturbances,  but  Governor  Squire  took 
prompt  measures  to  uphold  the  majesty  of  the  law, 
while  at  the  same  time  striving  to  avoid  unneces- 
sary severity  toward  that  class  upon  whose  shoul- 
ders fell  the  heaviest  burden  of  Chinese  competi- 
tion. It  is  now  conceded  that  the  course  pursued 
by  Governor  Squire  was  the  only  one  calculated  to 
prevent  serious  outbreaks  and  the  consequent 
bloodshed.  Even  the  then  leaders  of  the  Chinese 
eviction  movement  are  now  numbered  among  his 
warmest  admirers  and  supporters.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  office  Governor  Squire  devoted 
himself  entirely  to  the  management  of  his  large 
landed  interests.  This  he  was  engaged  in  when 
called  upon  to  preside  at  the  Statehood  Convention, 
held  in  Ellensburg,  in  January,  1880.  He  was  also 
made  President  of  the  permanent  committee  au- 
thorized to  procure  and  present  memorials  to  Con- 
gress petitioning  for  Statehood.  This  work  was 
prosecuted  to  success.  Congress  passed  the  ena- 
bling act  granting  admission  to  Statehood.  An 
election  was  held,  resulting  in  an  overwhelming 
majority  for  the  Republican  party,  President  Harri- 
son issued  his  proclamation,  and  the  Legislature 
assembled  for  the  purpose  of  enacting  necessary 
laws  and  to  elect  two  United  States  Senators.  Gov- 
ernor Squire  was  elected  United  States  Senator  on 
the  first  ballot,  for  which  he  was  nominated,  hav- 
ing received  seventy-six  out  of  the  ninety-four 
Republican  votes  cast.  Two  additional  Republican 
votes  would  have  been  cast  for  him  had  not  sick- 
ness prevented  the  attendance  of  two  voters.  The 
Republicans  desired  to  reward  one  who  had  been  a 
life-long  and  consistent  Republican- -a  Republican 
who  cast  his  first  vote  for  Lincoln,  and  who  voted 
the  Republican  ticket  in  front  of  the  enemy  at 
Chattanooga ;  a  Republican  who  had  for  several 
years  been  an  active  member  of  the  Republican 
Executive  Committee  of  the  State  of  New  York :  a 
Republican  who  has  always  given  unsparingly  of 
his  time  and  money  to  the  success  of  the  party,  and 
who  has  not  only  served  his  party  loyally,  but  has 
proved  faithful  to  the  interests  of  the  whole  people 
when  placed  in  official  position.  On  the  23d  of 
December,  1868,  at  Ilion,  New  York,  Senator  Squire 
was  married  to  Ida  Remington,  daughter  of  Philo 
Remington.  Mrs.  Squire's  father  was  the  eldest 
son  of  Eliphalet  Remington,  the  founder  of  the 
world  renowned  Remington  Arms  Company.  Philo 
Remington,  a  singularly  noble  and  able  man,  was 
born  in  Herkimer  County,  New  York,  October  30, 
1816,  (see  pages  152-4  of  this  volume).  At  the 
death  of  his  father,  in  1861,  he  became  the  Superin- 
tendent and  guiding  genius  of  the  great  Remington 


Armory.  He  did  much  to  shape  the  career  of 
Colonel  Squire  as  a  business  man.  Mrs.  Squire, 
who  was  educated  at  two  celebrated  institu- 
tions for  ladies  of  that  day,  Cazenovia  and  Sans 
Souci  Seminaries,  without  doubt  is  one  of  the  most 
highly  cultivated  ladies  of  Washington.  Senator 
Squire  took  his  seat  in  the  Senate  on  the  first  Mon- 
day in  December,  1880.  He  was  assigned  places  on 
the  important  committees  on  Public  Buildings  and 
Grounds,  Coast  Defences,  Fisheries,  and  the  promi- 
nent new  Committee  on  Immigration.  No  novice 
in  public  affairs,  his  large  and  intimate  acquaintance 
with  prominent  men  of  all  parties,  and  his  pre-emi- 
nent social  qualities  combined  to  give  him  a  rank 
and  influence  usually  accorded  only  to  Senators  of 
long  service  :  and  these  advantages  he  has  turned  to 
good  account  for  the  flourishing  and  promising 
young  State  from  which  he  is  accredited. 


MARCLEY,  JAMES  IRVING,  M.D.,  a  leading 
medical  practitioner  of  Buffalo,  and  late 
United  States  Health  Officer  at  that  Port,  was 
born  at  Plainfield,  New  Jersey,  July  17,  1845.  His 
parents  were  M.  F.  and  Thomas  Marcley,  both  na- 
tives of  New  York.  His  early  life  was  passed 
mainly  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where,  together 
with  boarding  schools  in  Connecticut  and  on  the 
Hudson,  his  education  was  received  and  where  he 
studied  medicine,  graduating  at  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  in  1873.  After  spending  some  time  as  as- 
sistant to  the  surgical  clinic  at  the  Demilt  Dispen- 
sary and  in  the  same  capacity  at  the  Free  Dispen- 
sary for  Sick  Children,  both  in  New  York  City,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Clifford  Morrough, 
of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  which  continued 
one  year.  During  this  period  he  officiated  as  Visit- 
ing Surgeon  to  St.  Peter's  Hospital  at  New  Bruns- 
wick. In  April,  1875,  he  removed  to  Buffalo  and  for 
twelve  years  devoted  himself  to  general  practice  in 
that  city.  Becoming  specially  interested  in  the 
treatment  of  hernia,  he  made  a  close  study  of  the 
various  methods  employed  and  was  rewarded  for 
his  labors  by  the  discovery  of  a  radical  cure  for  this 
serious  and  annoying  affection  without  the  neces- 
sity of  an  operation.  After  many  carefully  con- 
ducted scientific  experiments,  instituted  to  test  the 
value  of  his  discovery,  and  which  served  to  convince 
him  of  its  positive  value,  he  gradually  gave  up  gen- 
eral practice  and  since  early  in  1887  has  devoted  him- 
self-wholly  to  the  radical  cure  of  hernia  without  oper- 
ation Dr.  Marcley's  method,  which  is  wholly  his  own 
discovery,  is  an  entirely  new  departure  in  surgical  _ 


MlanlicPublistunq  A  Enamvin 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


223 


practice  and  lias  been  attended  with  remarkable 
success.  Until  recently,  Dr.  Marcley  was  the  onl}- 
physician  practicing  this  specialty,  but  at  present 
there  are  a  number  in  different  parts  of  the  country 
who  have  studied  the  method  under  him  and  are 
devoting  themselves  to  it  exclusivel}'.  The  discov- 
erer claims,  and  it  appears  to  be  amply  borne  out  by 
repeated  tests,  that  his  method  is  applicable  to  all 
forms  of  hernia,  irreducible  as  well  as  reducible. 
So  far  as  known,  this  method  is  the  only  one  ever 
practiced,  that  has  proved  applicable  to  irreducible 
hernia,  and  from  this  fact  the  discovery  commands 
the  respectful  attention  of  the  whole  medical  pro- 
fession. Dr.  Marcley's  high  position  among  his  fel- 
low practitioners  is  the  result  of  untiring  application, 
close  study  and  uncommon  natural  talents.  He  is  a 
man  of  positive  character,  earnest  in  the  discharge 
of  duty  and  devoted  to  his  profession.  His  admit- 
ted skill  as  a  practitioner  led  to  his  being  appointed 
District  Health  Physician  of  Buffalo,  for  the  year 
1877,  and  Special  Health  Physician  in  1882.  In 
October,  1885,  he  was  commissioned  by  the  United 
States  Government  as  Health  Officer  of  the  Port  of 
Buffalo  and  served  as  such  for  several  years.  Dr. 
Marcley  married,  in  March,  1873,  Miss  Frances 
Webb,  of  Elmira,  New  York,  daughter  of  William 
Webb,  Esq.,  of  that  place.  Their  family  consists  of 
three  sons — Irving  W.  Marcley,  Frank  N.  Marcley 
ank  Robert  L.  Marcley. 


WHEELER,  HON.  WILLIAM  ALMON,  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States  from  March  4, 
1877,  to  March  4,  1881,  was  born  in  Malone, 
Franklin  County,  New  York,  on  June  30,  1819,  and 
died  there  June  4,  1887.  He  was  the  first  and  only 
one  of  his  immediate  family  who  became  distin- 
guished. His  grandfather,  on  the  Wheeler  side,  was 
in  the  Revolutionary  battle  of  Concord,  fighting 
with  tlie  Americans.  His  mother's  ancestors, 
named  Woodward,  were  also  Revolutionary  sol- 
diers. The  Wheelers  were  of  Massachusetts  origin, 
the  Woodwards  of  Connecticut.  The  two  families 
went  to  Vermont,  and  settled  near  Highgate  and 
Castleton.  At  the  former  place  the  father  of  the 
late  ex- Vice-President  was  born.  After  a  partial 
course  in  the  University  of  Vermont  he  became  a 
lawyer,  married  Eliza  Woodward,  and  moved  to 
Malone,  where  he  died  when  his  son  was  eight 
years  old.  The  family,  consisting  of  the  boy  Wil- 
liam A.  and  two  sisters,  being  left  without  means 
of  support,  the  mother  reared  the  young  children  as 
best  she  coidd.  Young  Wheeler  was  kept  at  school 
until  he  was  capable  of  teaching  a  country  school, 


after  which  time  he  worked  his  way  up  to  higher 
education.  After  two  years  in  the  University  of 
Vermont,  he  studied  law  for  four  years  with  Asa 
Hascall,  of  Malone,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Mr.  Wheeler  was  almost  continually  in  office  of  a 
public  or  private  nature  from  the  time  he  was  a  law 
student  until  he  left  the  Vice-Presidency  on  the  4th 
of  March,  1881.  While  he  was  studying  law  he  was 
elected  Town  Clerk,  at  a  salary  of  thirty  dollars  a 
year.  From  this  office  he  was  promoted  to  be 
School  Commissioner,  and  then  to  a  School  Inspec- 
torship. In  1847  he  was  elected  District  Attorney 
as  a  Whig  on  a  Union  ticket,  which  carried  a  Dem- 
ocrat for  County  Judge,  this  arrangement  being 
made  at  that  time  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the 
judiciary  of  Franklin  County  out  of  politics.  At 
the  close  of  his  term  as  District  Attorney  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  in  which  body 
he  served  two  terms,  1850-'ol.  In  1857  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate,  serving  in  that  body 
two  years,  1858-'59.  Two  years  later,  1861,  he  went 
to  Washington  as  a  Representative  in  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Congress.  At  the  close  of  one  term  he  re- 
tired to  private  life  for  four  years,  but  was  then 
returned  as  a  member  of  the  Forty-first  Congress, 
and  thence  on  to  March  4,  1877,  he  was  kept  in  the 
House.  Meantime  Mr.  Wheeler  was  charged  with 
a  good  many  trusts  of  a  business,  private,  and 
semi-public  nature.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  one 
of  the  Commissioners  of  the  State  Parks,  a  Commis- 
sion which  grew  out  of  the  Adirondack  survey,  and 
in  1876  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  as  one 
of  the  Commissioners  of  the  State  Survey.  In  1867 
he  was  elected  as  one  of  the  Delegates  to  the  State 
Constitutional  Convention.  It  consisted  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  members,  and  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
chosen  President  of  it  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred 
against  forty-nine  cast  for  all  other  candidates. 
His  nearest  competitor  was  the  late  Henry  C. 
Murphy,  of  Brooklyn,  who  received  only  nine  votes. 
The  next  nearest  was  Amasa  J.  Parker,  of  Albany, 
who  received  five  votes.  The  large  vote  by  which 
Mr.  Wheeler  was  elected  was  not  of  a  party  nature. 
He  presided  over  the  Convention  with  marked 
success.  In  1851,  owing  to  a  chronic  difficulty  in 
his  throat,  he  gave  up  the  practice  of  law.  He  was 
thereupon  selected  to  be  Cashier  of  the  Malone 
Bank,  which  position  he  held  until  1865.  While 
engaged  in  banking,  in  1854,  he  was  made  a  member 
of  a  Board  of  Trustees  for  the  management  of  the 
then  bankrupt  Northern  Railroad,  now  the  busy 
Ogdensburg  and  Lake  Champlain  Road.  When  he 
entered  the  Board,  the  bonds  of  "the  road  were 
kicked  about  as  worth  only  four  cents  on  the  dol- 
lar.   The  Board  elected  him  President  in  order  to 


224 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


concentrate  the  management  of  the- road  in  his 
hands.  In  the  eleven  years  during  which  he  held 
this  trust,  the  bonds  appreciated  to  par,  and  were 
paid  in  full  with  considerable  interest.  Mr. 
Wheeler  himself  did  not  have  a  cent's  worth  of 
investment  in  the  road  he  so  successfully  managed. 
The  business  stimulus  of  the  Civil  War  was,  of 
course,  greatly  to  the  road's  advantage.  While  he 
was  a  member  of  Congress,  the  famous  "  Salary 
Grab"  Act  was  passed  without  his  aid  or  approval. 
He  took  the  additional  salary  that  fell  to  him,  but 
immediately  he  bought  Government  bonds  with  it, 
assigned  them  to  the  Secretary  of  tlie  Treasury, 
and,  turning  them  over  to  the  latter,  had  them 
cancelled.  In  this  way  he  put  the  money  beyond  ! 
possible  reach  of  himself  or  his  heirs.  In  1875, 
while  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Southern  Af- 
fairs, he  rendered  noteworthy  service  as  a  political 
pacificator  in  Louisiana.  He  went  to  New  Orleans 
without  particular  authority  from  Congress,  and  re- 
mained there  a  month,  giving  personal  attention  to 
affairs.  The  plans  he  had  matured  for  adjusting 
the  then  seriously  complicated  state  of  affairs  in 
Louisiana  were  put  into  operation  and  were  the 
means  of  settling  the  troubles,  for  the  time  being  at 
least.  His  public  services  and  his  well-known  in- 
tegrity brought  him  forward  as  a  candidate  for  the 
Presidency,  in  the  Republican  Convention  of  1876, 
at  Cincinnati.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was.  however, 
nominated,  and  Mr.  Wheeler  was  made  the  candi- 
date for  Vice-President.  As  President  of  the  Sen- 
ate he  discharged  his  duties  satisfactorily.  He  was 
not  charmed  by  them  himself.  He  wras  accus- 
tomed to  greater  responsibility  in  office,  and  was 
sometimes  impatient  of  the  dead  calm  of  a  Vice- 
President's  life.  In  1879  he  was  brought  forward 
by  the  Republican  managers  of  this  State  to  act  the 
part  of  pacificator.  When  the  State  Convention 
met  in  Saratoga,  Roscoe  Conkling,  then  Senator, 
was  made  temporary  Chairman,  and  Vice-President 
Wheeler  permanent  Chairman.  The  floor  managers 
were  charged  with  the  duty  of  cheering  lustily  for 
both  presiding  officers,  and  the  part  was  well  taken. 
Mr.  Conkling  graciously  refrained  from  assading  the 
Administration.  For  this  self-denial  he  was  ap- 
plauded by  the  Half-Breeds  as  heartily  as  the  Stal- 
warts cheered  for  what  the  Senator  might  have  said 
if  he  had  taken  the  (Hayes)  Administration  in  hand. 
When  Vice-President  Wheeler  in  making  his  speech 
ventured  to  commend  the  President  as  a  Republi- 
can President,  the  Stalwarts  joined  in  the  general 
hurrah.  To  clinch  the  reconciliation  Mr.  Conkling 
strode  to  the  chair  and  shook  the  Vice-President's 
hand,  when,  closing  his  remarks,  he  took  up  the 
gavel.    Two  years  before,  Mr.  Conkling  and  Mr. 


Piatt  at  Rochester  had  assailed  the  Administration 
ruthlessly;  two  years  afterwards,  the  party  feud 
culminated  in  the  destructive  Senatorial  fight  in 
Albany  and  the  assassination  of  Garfield  at  Wash- 
ington, in  1881.  In  1881  Mr.  Wheeler  was  asked  to 
allow  the  use  of  his  name  as  a  candidate  for  the 
United  States  Senate.  He  declined  in  a  manly 
letter,  determined  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  days 
in  the  quiet  to  which  a  long  and  useful  public  life 
entitled  him,  in  the  bosom  of  the  community  where 
he  was  born,  where  he  had  always  made  his  home 
and  where  all  recognized  in  him  a  ready  friend  and 
a  wise  counsellor.  He  had  been  losing  ground  for 
several  years,  but  had  always  been  able  to  be 
about  until  the  winter  of  1886  In  March,  1887, 
he  was  taken  with  a  chill,  followed  by  fever,  which 
came  near  ending  his  life.  He  finally  rallied,  but 
never  again  regained  his  former  vigor,  and  steadily 
lost  strength  both  of  body  and  mind.  On  Monday 
preceding  his  death  he  sank  into  an  unconscious  con- 
dition and  could  not  be  rallied  out  of  it.  He  died  so 
easily  and  painlessly  that  those  at  his  bedside  could 
scarcely  tell  when.  Mr.  Wheeler  was  greatly  es- 
teemed and  loved  by  all  his  fellow  townsmen,  and  the 
sad  event  cast  a  gloom  over  the  entire  community. 
No  near  relative  was  left  living  to  minister  to  him  dur- 
ing his  illness  or  to  watch  by  his  side  at  death,  but 
the  relatives  of  his  deceased  wife  and  many  friends, 
who  had  been  bound  to  him  from  boyhood  by  the 
closest  ties  of  affection,  were  tender  in  solicitude 
for  him,  and  a  few  of  them  were  grouped,  with  his 
pastor  and  physician,  about  him  when  he  breathed 
his  last.  Flags  at  half-mast  and  other  emblems 
of  mourning  were  generally  displayed.  The  funeral 
was  held  at  one  o'clock  on  Tuesday,  June  7,  at  the 
Congregational  Church,  with  a  sermon  b}'  the  pas- 
tor, to  whom  Mr.  Wheeler  had  been  almost  a 
second  father. 


SCHLEY,  GRANT  BARNEY,  one  of  the  foremost 
of  the  younger  generation  of  financiers  of  New 
York  City,  was  born  on  February  25,  1845,  at 
Chapinsville,  a  small  village  in  Ontario  County, 
New  York,  distant  a  few7  miles  from  Canandaigua, 
the  county  seat.  His  father,  Evander  Schley,  was 
engaged  in  the  dry-goods  and  wool  business  at 
Canandaigua,  and  at  the  famous  academy  there  the 
boy  completed  his  education.  In  1861,  when  he 
was  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  left  home  to  seek 
his  fortune,  and  went  to  Syracuse,  where  he  soon  ob- 
tained employment  in  the  express  office  of  Wells, 
Butterfield  &  Co.  At  that  time  the  express  busi- 
ness between  New  York  City  and  Buffalo  was  . 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


225 


controlled  by  this  firm,  and  that  west  of  Buffalo  and  1 
Suspension  Bridge  by  Livingston,  Fargo  &  Co.  ■ 
He  remained  at  Syracuse,  at  a  salary  of  thirty 
dollars  a  month,  for  about  a  year  and  a  half,  when 
he  was  transferred  to  the  office  at  Suspension 
Bridge.  When  he  left  the  latter  place  he  was  re- 
ceiving thirty  dollars  a  week.  The  consolidation  of 
the  two  firms  named  under  the  title  of  the  American 
Express  Company,  brought  Mr.  Schley  to  New  York 
City,  in  I860.  It  was  necessary  to  have  in  the  head 
office  of  the  new  company  some  one  thoroughly 
familiar  with  both  eastern  and  western  methods  of 
the  business,  and  the  young  agent  who  had  risen  to 
the  control  of  the  Suspension  Bridge  office  was 
selected.  A  subordinate  position  in  the  money  de- 
partment was  given  to  him,  but  he  again  won  rapid 
promotion,  and  from  1870  to  1874  he  was  in  charge 
of  both  the  inward  and  outward  money  department 
and  was  also  the  cashier  of  the  Company — a  posi- 
tion of  great  responsibility.  In  the  latter  year  he 
resigned  his  office  to  enter  the  service  of  the  First 
National  Bank,  which  was  about  to  establish  a  for- 
eign exchange  department.  When  he  left  the  bank, 
six  years  afterward,  he  was  in  full  charge  of  this  de- 
partment, which  he  had  brought  to  a  high  state  of 
efficiency.  On  his  retirement  it  was  immediately 
abolished.  Mr.  Schley's  short  but  interesting  Wall 
Street  career  began  with  a  co-partnership,  in  May, 
1880,  with  Mr.  Ernest  Groesbeck,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Groesbeck  &  Schley.  Although  the  firm 
was  eminently  successful  in  business,  this  connec- 
tion was  dissolved  in  January,  1885,  and  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  following  month  the  present  house  of 
Moore  &  Schley  was  established.  Mr.  Schley  had 
been  a  member  of  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange 
for  four  years,  and  although  he  did  not  often  go 
xipon  the  floor,  he  was  thoroughly  conversant  with 
all  the  details  of  the  business.  His  partner,  Mr. 
John  G.  Moore  (of  whom  a  biographical  sketch  is 
given  in  Vol.  5,  pp.  313-314  of  this  work)  had  spent 
a  year  and  a  half  abroad,  immediately  after  leasing 
the  Mutual  Union  Telegraph  to  the  Western  Union 
Company,  and  on  his  return  directed  his  attention 
to  the  stock  brokerage  business.  Circumstances 
threw  the  two  men  together,  and  conceiving  a 
mutual  regard  and  respect  for  each  other,  they  con- 
cluded to  link  their  fortunes  together  in  a  business 
for  which  both  were  peculiarly  fitted.  The  co-part- 
nership has  been  a  happy  association  to  which  both 
members  brought  the  fruits  of  wide  experience. 
The  growth  of  the  house  they  together  constitute, 
which  is  now  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important 
in  "the  Street,"  has  been  rapid  and  substantial.  Its 
remarkable  success  may  be  said  to  be  equally  due  to 
both  partners.    The  enterprise  and  extensive  appli- 


I  cation  of  one  are  admirably  supplemented  by  the 
financial  knowledge  and  training  of  the  other ;  and 
sound  judgment  and  perfect  harmony  of  action  have 
made  success  certain.  Mr.  Schley's  share  has  been 
chiefly  the  conduct  of  the  office  and  the  manage- 
ment of  the  details  of  the  large  operations  in  which 
the  firm  has  been  frequently  engaged.  This  work 
he  has  performed  with  great  tact  and  unerring 
judgment.  Of  an  agreeable  address  and  amiable 
disposition,  he  is  prompt  in  decision,  anil  in  action 
quick  and  resolute.  In  looking  back  over  his 
career  it  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  any  other  conclusion 
than  that  a  subtle  irresistible  attraction  brought 
him  into  Wall  Street,  where  he  has  won  a  large  for- 
tune, and  that  all  his  previous  experience  helped 
him  forward  to  his  present  success.  In  this  respect 
his  career  affords  a  marked  refutation  of  the  popu- 
lar fallacy,  that  chance  is  the  principal  element  in 
financial  achievements  in  Wall  Street.  Mr.  Schley's 
success  is  undoubtedly  based  upon  a  perfect  know- 
ledge of  finance  acquired  through  years  of  training, 
such  as  would  naturally  ripen  the  judgment  in 
monetary  transactions  ;  and  his  wealth  is  the  legiti- 
mate outcome  of  the  employment  of  his  judgment 
in  the  every-day  channels  of  business.  Few  men 
in  "  the  Street"  are  more  popular  and  none  is  more 
esteemed.  Mr.  Schley  was .  married,  in  1877,  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Baker,  the 
only  sister  of  Mr.  George  F.  Baker,  President  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  New  York.  Mrs.  Schley's 
father  was  George  E.  Baker,  who  was  the  private 
Secretary  of  the  late  Secretary  Seward  during  Ids 
official  career.  He  afterwards  edited  a  life  of  that 
great  statesman.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schley  have  five 
children,  of  whom  four  are  boys.  The  recent  death 
of  Mr.  Schley's  mother  was  the  first  in  his  immedi- 
ate family  during  his  lifetime.  His  father  is  still 
living.  Mr.  Schley  lives  at  No.  812  Madison 
Avenue,  New  York  City,  and  also  owns  a  country 
seat  near  Bedminster,  New  Jersey. 


TRENHOLM,  COLONEL  WILLIAM  LEE,  Presi. 
dent  of  the  American  Surety  Company  of  New 
York  City,  and  ex-Comptroller  of  National  Cur- 
rency in  the.  United  States  Treasurjr,  was  born  in 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  February  3,  183C.  Af- 
ter proper  preparation  for  a  university  career,  he 
studied  at  the  South  Carolina  College  of  Columbia, 
South  Carolina,  from  which  institution  he  graduated 
in  December,  1855.  In  the  following  year  he  be- 
came a  partner  in  the  well-known  commercial 
houses  of  John  Frazer  &  Co.,  of  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  Trenholm  Brothers  &  Co.,  of  New  York, 


226 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


and  Frazer,  Trenholm  &  Co.,  of  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land. Mr.  Trenholm's  father,  George  A.  Trenholm, 
of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  was  a  senior  partner 
in  Charleston  of  the  old  house  of  John  Frazer  & 
Co.,  whose  founder  came  from  Scotland  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  ago.  Mr.  Trenholm,  Sr.,  was 
a  man  of  recognized  ability  and  influence,  who  was 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  the  Confederate  Gov- 
ernment of  the  South  during  the  war.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  his  son, 
William  Lee  Trenholm,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
volunteered  for  military  service  with  the  troops  of 
the  State  of  South  Carolina  and  was  elected  Cap- 
tain of  the  Rutledge  Mounted  Riflemen,  which  be- 
came at  a  later  period  an  independent  command  in 
the  Confederate  Army,  consisting  of  a  squadron  of 
monuted  rifles  and  a  section  of  horse  artillery.  He 
commanded  this  corps  in  South  Carolina  until  April, 
1864,  and  afterwards  in  Virginia,  where  he  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  and  promoted 
to  the  command  of  the  Eighth  Battalion,  South  Car- 
olina Cavalry,  with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
In  1865,  South  Carolina,  like  the  rest  of  the  South- 
ern States,  being  under  provisional  government,  Mr. 
Trenholm  was  made  Special  Aid  to  Governor  Perry 
and  was  charged  with  the  supervision  of  the  rela- 
tions between  the  Federal  military  authorities  and 
the  citizens  in  the  coast  counties.  This  position  in- 
volved duties  requiring  great  judgment  and  deli- 
cate and  discreet  management,  which  were  per- 
formed by  Mr.  Trenholm  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
those  who  had  relations  with  him.  In  1866  a 
number  of  prominent  gentlemen  of  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  united  to  organize  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  that  city,  which  was  in  fact  among 
the  very  earliest  associations  organized  in  the  South 
under  the  National  banking  law.  These  gentlemen 
included  the  late  Andrew  Simonds,  George  W. 
Williams  and  others,  among  whom  was  Mr.  Tren- 
holm. At  this  time  also  he  became  one  of  the  in- 
corporators of  the  Charleston  City  Railway  Com- 
pany. In  1868  Mr.  Trenholm  went  into  a  banking 
business  with  his  father,  the  Hon.  George  A.  Tren- 
holm, under  the  firm  name  of  George  A.  Trenholm 
&  Son,  and  continued  in  this  business  until  1885, 
when  he  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland  one 
of  the  United  States  Civil  Service  Commissioners. 
Mr.  Trenholm  held  this  position,  however,  only  for 
a  few  months,  when  President  Cleveland  called  him 
to  the  position  of  Comptroller  of  the  Currency  in 
the  Department  of  the  Treasury.  In  January,  1889, 
Mr.  Trenholm  resigned  the  Comptrollership  to  ac- 
cept the  Presidency  of  the  American  Surety  Com- 
pany of  New  York.  In  October  of  the  same  year 
lie  was  elected  First  Vice-President  of  the  State 


Trust  Company  of  New  York.  With  two  excep- 
tions, Mr.  Trenholm  never  before  held  public  office 
or  became  a  candidate  for  any  place  filled  by  elec- 
tion, and  on  each  of  these  occasions  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  Aldermen  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
on  tickets  specially  made  up  for  an  unusual  occa- 
sion and  supported  especially  by  the  business  ele- 
ments of  the  community.  The  life-long  experience 
of  Mr.  Trenholm  having  been  mainly  in  financial 
affairs,  he  has  been  looked  upon  as  an  authority 
and  a  judge  in  regard  to  such  matters.  His  utter- 
ances, therefore,  on  subjects  connected  with  the 
currency  and  with  finance  in  general,  have  always 
carried  weight  and  have  been  highly  considered  as 
expressions  of  expert  opinion.  In  1885  Mr.  Tren- 
holm made  two  addresses  on  the  silver  question. 
One  of  these  was  made  at  Chicago  in  the  summer 
of  1885,  by  request  of  the  American  Bankers  Asso- 
ciation of  that  cit}'.  The  other  was  made  in  May 
before  the  Atlanta  Commercial  Convention.  These 
and  other  speeches  on  the  subject  attracted  the 
attention  of  President  Cleveland,  causing  him  to 
discover  in  Mr.  Trenholm  a  man  of  experience, 
knowledge  and  ability  on  financial  questions,  and 
inducing  him  to  give  him  the  appointment  which 
brought  him  more  forcibly  and  more  favorably 
before  the  general  American  public  than  would 
have  otherwise  been  the  case.  .Mr.  Trenholm 
doubtless  inherited  his  tendency  towards  an  ac- 
curate judgment  and  definition  in  financial  affairs 
fromiiis  father,  who  was,  both  by  nature  and  as  a 
result  of  his  life-experience,  more  than  usually 
versed  in  them.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  has 
been  noted  for  a  closeness  of  observation  and  wise 
'■  prudence  in  the  administration  of  financial  duties, 
which  have  given  him  the  confidence  of  business 
men  throughout  the  country  to  a  degree  very  sel- 
dom accorded.  While  eminently  conservative  in 
his  views,  he  is  still  not  without  original  ideas  and 
conceptions  with  regard  to  financial  relations,  which 
show  a  mind  of  broad  scope  and  intelligent  appre- 
ciation of  the  difficult  situations  constantly  occurring 
in  financial  administration,  whether  this  be  over  a 
whole  country  or  over  a  fiduciary  or  other  institu- 
tion. In  Mr.  Trenholm's  official  reports  while 
Comptroller  of  the  Currency,  he  offered  suggestions 
with  regard  to  improving  the  general  features  of 
the  National  banking  system,  and  in  1886  embodied 
these  in  a  bill  for  a  National  banking  code.  The 
design  of  this  bill  was  to  modify  the  security  of  the 
existing  banking  laws,  and  one  section  incorporated, 
into  the  oath  taken  by  directors,  an  obligation  to 
inform  themselves  at  all  times  as  to  the  business 
and  condition  of  the  association.  Another  section 
forbade  the  organization  of  National  banks  with 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


227 


branches,  the  design  suggested  being  that  it  was  in 
the  line  of  public  policy  to  take  precaution  in  ad- 
vance against  any  future  development  of  the  Na- 
tional banking  system  in  the  direction  of  combina- 
tion and  agglomeration,  similar  to  the  development 
among  railroad  and  other  corporations  controlling 
interests  upon  which  the  business  and  convenience 
of  whole  communities  depend.  The  proposed  code 
divided  the  banks  into  two  classes,  those  with  a 
capital  of  $250,000  and  less,  and  those  of  which  the 
capital  exceeded  $250,000,  reducing  the  amount  to 
be  deposited  by  the  smaller  banks  from  one-fourth 
to  one-tenth  of  their  capital,  and  that  to  be  deposited 
by  the  larger  banks  from  $50,000  to  #25,000.  The 
reason  of  this  suggested  change  was  that  the  bond  re- 
quirement was  found  to  be  a  serious  impediment  to 
the  absorption  into  the  National  banking  system  of 
the  State  banks,  and  was  also  an  impediment  to  the 
formation  of  new  banks  of  large  capital.  An  im- 
portant provision  in  this  code  extended  to  the  entire 
„  National  banking  circulation  the  already  existing 
provision  in  the  act  of  1882,  which  reserved  to  the 
United  States  whatever  profit  might  arise  from  the 
failure  to  redeem  the  notes  of  banks  extending 
their  corporate  existence.  This  distinctly  provided 
that  all  uncalled-for  moneys  in  the  various  redemp- 
tion funds  should  ultimately  belong  to  the  United 
States.  One  section  relieved  banks  of  the  obliga- 
tion of  keeping  a  cash  reserve  against  Government 
deposits.  Mr.  Trenholm  also  made  the  suggestion 
for  an  interstate  commercial  code,  and  stated  in  his 
report  on  that  subject  that,  while  the  time  might 
not  yet  be  ripe  for  its  enactment  by  Congress,  such 
legislation  appeared  to  be  in  logical  sequence  to  the 
establishment  and  extension  of  the  National  bank- 
ing system  and  to  the  regulation  by  Congress  of 
interstate  transportation.  It  does  not  appear  that 
these  ideas,  which  originated  with  Mr.  Trenholm, 
were  carried  into  effect  by  act  of  Congress.  Dur- 
ing Mr.  Trenholm's  administration  of  the  Comp- 
trollership  he  received  from  all  parts  of  the  country 
a  vast  number  of  communications  suggesting  modi- 
fications of  the  laws  by  which,  in  the  opinions  of 
the  writers,  the  National  banking  system  would  be 
improved  and  perpetuated.  Upwards  of  forty 
plans  were  suggested,  which  were  classed  by  Mr. 
Trenholm  under  rive  propositions  :  1.  To  do  away 
with  the  note-issuing  function  of  banks ;  2.  To  in- 
crease the  inducements  for  the  banks  to  deposit 
United  States  bonds  as  a  basis  of  National  bank 
circulation  ;  3.  To  provide  by  a  new  issue  of  bonds 
for  a  continuance  of  the  present  or  of  some  modi- 
fied system  of  National  bank  circulation  based  on 
United  States  bonds;  4.  To  substitute  some  other 
security  for  United  States  bonds  deposited  in  the 


Treasury  as  a  basis  for  National  bank  circulation  ; 
5.  To  allow  the  banks  to  issue  circulation  for  their 
general  credit  without  requiring  specific  security 
to  be  deposited.  These  propositions  show  not  only 
the  wide-spread  interest  in  the  administration  of 
the  financial  laws  of  the  country,  but  also  the  very 
different  ideas  held  by  those  thus  sufficiently  inter- 
ested and  who  must  have  considered  themselves  in 
some  degree  qualified  for  judgment  on  the  subject. 
Mr.  Trenholm,  however,  considered  these  various 
suggestions  on  their  merits  and  made  such  recom- 
mendations with  regard  to  some  of  them  as  seemed 
to  him  to  include  both  justice  to  the  banks  and 
security  to  the  business  public.  One  of  his  objects 
was  to  relieve  the  Treasury  and  the  currency  from 
what  he  deemed  to  be  an  unnecessary  and  harass- 
ing interdependence  on  outside  commercial  chances 
and  changes.    To  use  his  own  language  : 

"  Throughout  the  whole  period  of  the  existence 
of  the  National  bank  circulation  there  never  has 
been  a  time  wdien  the  volume  of  the  outstanding 
notes  has  been  determined  by  commercial  forces 
only.  The  operations  of  the  Treasury  have  always 
exercised  an  abnormal  and  a  disturbing  influence, 
and  reciprocally  the  state  of  the  currency  has  con- 
stantly fettered  the  operations  of  the  Treasury." 

Mr.  Trenholm's  suggestion  to  obviate  this  dis- 
turbance was  to  shift  National  bank  deposits  out  of 
the  four-and-a-half  per  cent,  bonds,  the  effect  of 
which  he  ciaimed  would  be  to  produce  a  corres- 
ponding decline  in  the  sensitiveness  of  the  banks 
and  of  the  money  market  to  the  progress  of  re- 
demption of  the  public  debt.  To  use  his  own 
language  again : 

"Once  free  from  the  disturbing  cause  referred 
to,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  volume  of  National 
bank  currency  should  not  soon  find  its  natural  cen- 
ter of  oscillation  ;  that  is,  the  point  above  and  below 
winch  its  normal  movements  of  increase  and  de- 
cline would  conform  to  the  varying  needs  of  the 
commercial  and  other  interests  of  the  country." 

In  his  general  theory  with  regard  to  the  requisite 
amount  of  circulating  medium  or  currency  for  a 
commercial  people,  Mr.  Trenholm  differed  both 
from  Adam  Smith,  who  was  one  of  the  first  to 
enunciate  the  principles  governing  the  question, 
and  Mr.  W.  Stanley  Jevons,  who  was  one  of  the 
latest.  Both  of  these  authorities  held  that  the 
amount  of  circulating  medium  in  any  country  at 
any  time  should,  pari  passu,  agree  with  the  number 
of  the  population  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits. 
In  disagreement  with  this  theory,  Mr.  Trenholm 
said , 

"From  the  standpoint  of  the  commercial  and 
other  industries  of  the  country  elasticity  is  more 
important  than  quantity  in  the  currency.  Their 
interests  are  better  subserved  by  a  currency  so  elas- 
tic in  volume  as  to  respond  immediately  to  varia- 


228 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


tions  in  the  demand  for  it  than  by  a 'great  volume 
of  money  rigid  in  amount.  Elasticity  of  the  vol- 
ume of  the  currency  supplies  to  commercial  opera- 
tions what  springs  "and  a  smooth  road  supply  to 
transportation.  In  each  case  more  can  be  accom- 
plished with  less  wear  and  tear  and  less  breakage 
than  is  possible  when  these  conditions  are  wanting." 

Whatever  opinions  may  be  held  as  to  the  perti- 
nence or  wisdom  of  these  ideas  in  their  application 
to  existing  conditions  in  the  financial  system  of  the 
United  States,  there  can  be  no  question  as  to  the 
thoughtful  and  thorough  study  of  these  conditions 
which  must  have  given  rise  to  the  quite  original 
propositions  of  Mr.  Trenholm.  It  is  in  this  direc- 
tion of  original  idea  and  thought  about  subjects 
which  have  engrossed  him,  that  Mr.  Trenholm's 
importance  and  influence  in  the  financial  world 
are  due. 


LEVY,  JEFFERSON  M.,  a  prominent  citizen  and 
lawyer  of  New  Y'ork,  was  born  in  that  city  on 
April  16,  1852.  His  ancestors  settled  in  New 
York  and  Virginia  early  in  the  seventeenth  century 
and  were  among  the  oldest  owners  of  real  estate  in 
the  first  named  colony,  their  patent,  according  to 
the  annals  in  Albany,  dating  back  to  1665.  The 
mortal  remains  of  his  great-grandfather  lie  buried 
in  the  old  cemetery  in  the  "  new  Bower}'"  in  New 
York  City,  and  those  of  his  grandmother, — who, 
upon  her  presentation  at  the  Court  of  St.  James, 
shortly  after  the  Revolutionary  War,  while  on  a 
visit  to  England,  was  called  "  the  American 
beauty," — are  interred  at  Monticello,  in  Virginia,  for- 
merly the  home  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  but  now  by 
inheritance  the  property  of  her  grandson,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Representatives  of  the  family 
to  which  Mr.  Levy  belongs  have  made  its  name 
historical  through  their  services  in  all  the  wars 
in  which  the  United  States  have  been  involved. 
His  uncle,  Commodore  Uriah  P.  Levy,  United 
States  Navy,  was  the  ranking  officer  in  the  Navy 
at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1862.  One  of  the  most 
ardent  of  patriots,  the  life  of  this  brave  and  dis- 
tinguished officer  reads  like  a  romance,  and  while 
history  records,  it  will  furnish  an  example  which 
young  men  may  emulate  with  honor  to  themselves 
and  profit  to  their  country.  By  great  industry  and 
honorable  occupation  as  seaman  and  officer  he  be- 
came part  owner  and  master  of  a  vessel  by  the  time 
he  attained  his  majority.  When  war  broke  out  be- 
tween his  native  land  and  Great  Britain  he  volun- 
teered his  services,  and  his  name  became  insepara- 
ble from  the  brave,  patriotic  officers  and  men  who  in 
the  "Argus"  defied  the  enemy  in  the  English  Chan- 


nel, and  he  was  among  those  officers  who  after- 
wards languished  in  chains  in  Dartmoor  prison  un- 
til the  end  of  the  war.  He  received  his  promotion 
to  a  Lieutenancy  for  "  meritorious  service  and  ex- 
traordinary merit."  Shortly  after  the  war  (about 
1817)  on  what  was  then  called  the  Field  of  Honor 
he  received  the  fire  of  an  implacable  enemy  several 
times  before  returning  it.  In  1822,  at  Dubardeau 
Inlet,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  he  saved  the  lives  of 
men  and  women  imperiled  by  the  winds  and  waters 
of  a  furious  gale,  and  the  scars  he  received  then  he 
bore  to  his  grave.  In  1827,  at  Rio  Janeiro,  he  inter- 
posed his  own  body  between  blows  aimed  by  Brazil- 
ian soldiers  at  a  brother  officer,  and  saved  his  life  by 
receiving  on  his  hand  the  sabre  and  in  his  side  the 
bayonet  intended  for  that  brother  officer.  This  man- 
liness and  the  skill  he  showed  in  naval  matters  were 
noted  by  the  Emperor  Dom  Pedro,  who  offered  him 
the  command  of  the  splendid  frigate  "Caroline" 
and  great  dignities,  if  he  would  resign  from  the 
American  Navy  and  take  service  under  the  Brazil- 
ian flag.  But  to  this  proposal  the  gallant  young 
officer  patriotically  sent  reply:  "I  would  rather 
serve  as  a  cabin  boy  in  my  own  service  than  as  a 
captain  in  an}'  other  service  in  the  world."  This 
officer  was  a  great  admirer  of  Thomas  Jefferson, 
and  the  tine  bronze  statue  of  the  author  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  by  David  d'Anjiers,  now 
in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  was 
his  gift  to  the  United  States  Government  in  the  year 
1834.  He  also  presented  a  copy  of  this  splendid 
work  of  art  to  the  city  of  New  York  and  it  now  or- 
naments the  Governor's  room  in  the  City  nail.  In 
recognition  of  his  distinguished  services  to  his 
country,  the  Mayor  and  Commonalty  of  New  York 
presented  him  with  the  freedom  of  the  city  and  a 
magnificent  gold  box.  He  resolutely  set  his  face 
against  the  British  custom  of  flogging,  which  pre- 
vailed in  the  navy  in  its  earlier  days,  taking  grounds 
against  it  as  inhuman  and  unmanly  and  a  foul  in- 
justice to  our  gallant  tars.  He  was  the  author  of 
the  statute  for  the  "  Abolition  of  Whipping  in  the 
United  States  Navy  "  which  put  an  end  to  the  prac- 
tice, and  won  for  him  the  title,  which  he  prized,  of 
"the  Father  of  the  Seamen  of  the  United  States 
Navy."  After  the  death  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  third 
President  of  the  United  States,  whose  deeds  and 
character  he  appreciated  and  esteemed,  he  pur- 
chased his  beloved  "Monticello"  at  the  request  of 
President  Andrew  Jackson,  from  the  estate  of  Jeffer- 
son. This  property,  which  is  regarded  as  the  grand- 
est old  colonial  home  in  America,  was  begun  by 
Jefferson  in  1764  and  finished  in  1771.  It  is  built 
somewhat  like  the  palace  of  the  Petit  Trainou  at 
Versailles;  its  public  rooms  consist  of  a  grand  sa-- 


Atlantic PuMsMna  *  Snaravtno  Co 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


229 


Ion,  dining  hall,  library,  Jefferson,  Madison  and 
Monroe  rooms,  ball  room  and  grand  hall.  It  stands 
in  a  commanding  position  on  a  small  plateau  ele- 
vated some  three  hundred  feet  above  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  five  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  estate  embraces 
five  hundred  acres  of  park  land,  gardens  and  lawns. 
Monticello  was  visited  by  the  British  raider,  Gen- 
eral Tarleton,  during  the  Revolution,  but  he  con- 
siderately spared  the  lovely  mansion  and  set  a 
guard  over  it.  During  the  late  Civil  War  this  mag- 
nificent property,  lying  entirely  within  the  Confed- 
erate lines,  was  confiscated  by  the  Confederate  Gov- 
ernment, together  with  all  the  other  property,  real 
and  personal,  of  Commodore  Levy,  who,  although 
a  Democrat,  remained  faithful  in  his  allegiance  to 
the  National  Government.  At  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War,  his  nephew,  Mr.  Jefferson  M.  Lev}-,  entered 
and  took  possession  of  the  property  as  the  legal  in- 
heritor of  the  estate  of  his  illustrious  uncle.  The 
father  of  Mr.  Jefferson  M.  Levy  was  the  late  Cap- 
tain J.  P.  Levy,  also  a  gallant  officer  in  the  service 
of  the  United  States.  Born  in  Philadelphia,  in  1807, 
he  grew  up  in  the  service  of  his  country,  and  at  the 
time  of  the  Mexican  War,  being  then  in  the  prime 
of  his  manhood,  commanded  the  United  States  ves- 
sel "  America,"  and  was  appointed  by  General  Win- 
field  Scott  commanding  naval  officer  of  the  port  of 
Vera  Cruz  at  its  surrender.  He  died  in  1883.  Jef- 
ferson M.  Levy,  his  eldest  son,  was  educated  under 
private  tutors,  graduating  at  the  University  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  when  nearly  of  age  began 
the  study  of  law  under  the  late  Hon.  Clarkson  N. 
Potter,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  jurists  at  the 
American  bar.  After  being  admitted  to  practice, 
one  of  the  first  cases  placed  in  his  hands  was  that 
of  the  widow  of  the  late  James  B.  Taylor,  whose  in- 
terests he  defended,  in  contesting  and  settling  the 
many  litigations,  against  an  array  of  older  attorneys' 
embracing  a  number  of  the  most  distinguished  law- 
yers at  the  bar  of  New  York  and  Oneida  Counties, 
including  Francis  Kernan,  Roscoe  Conkling,  Henry 
L.  Clinton  and  Edward  W.  Stoughton.  He  suc- 
ceeded so  well  in  exposing  the  wretched  condition 
of  the  laws  governing  the  administration  of  estates 
in  the  Surrogate's  office,  that  new  laws  were  enacted 
by  the  State  Legislature,  which  repealed  the  old  and 
put  an  elfective  check  for  the  future  upon  the  sys- 
tem of  extravagant  and  wasteful  allowances  which, 
up  to  that  time,  had  been  a  scandal  and  a  disgrace. 
While  inheriting  wealth,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
may  justly  lay  claim  to  being  a  self-made  man,  as 
he  has  never  employed  in  any  manner  his  inheri- 
tance, but  has  made  his  way  entirely  through  his 
own  efforts.    He  has  always  paid  a  great  deal  of  at- 


l  tention  to  real  estate  matters,  and,  although  it  is 

!  well  known  that  he  makes  no  sale  of  his  abilities  in 
this  direction,  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  great- 
est, if  not  the  greatest  real  estate  expert  in  the  city 
of  New  York.  Mr.  Levy  has  always  been  noted  for 
his  intense  interest  in  public  affairs.  Long  before 
he  was  of  age  this  bent  of  his  mind  was  plainly 
manifest.  His  ambitions  and  studies  have  been  in 
the  direction  of  public  life,  although  he  has  seen  fit 
to  refuse  all  public  office  suggested  for  his  accept- 
ance. His  acquaintance  with  public  men  is  very 
large,  particularly  in  the  Democratic  party,  with 

J  many  of  the  leaders  of  which  he  has  been  on  terms 
of  closest  and  most  confidential  intimacy.    He  is  a 

I  familiar  figure  in  political,  social  and  club  circles  in 
the  metropolis,  and,  although  unmarried,  takes  a 
justifiable  pride  in  his  magnificent  country  home  in 
Virginia,  which  it  is  his  pleasure  and  privilege  to 
beautify  and  retain  in  the  same  condition  as  when  it 
wTas  in  the  possession  of  its  illustrious  founder.  Mr. 
Levy  is  a  Vice-President  of  the  Young  Men's  Dem- 
ocratic Club,  and  a  member  of  the  New  York  His- 
torical Society  and  of  the  Manhattan  and  other  well 
known  clubs.  He  is  a  man  of  genial  nature,  elegant 
manners  and  charitable  impulses,  and  is  widely 
popular  in  all  circles.  The  possession  of  an  ample 
fortune,  acquired  through  his  own  unaided  efforts, 
gives  him  that  freedom  which  enables  him  to  devote 
a  goodly  share  of  his  time  to  the  study  and  educa- 
tion of  the  great  problems  of  statecraft  for  which 
he  has  a  natural  inclination,  and  upon  which  his 
views  are  frequently  solicited  and  his  advice  carried 
into  effect  by  distinguished  nien  of  his  acquaintance 
prominent  in  public  life. 


VEBSTER,  DAVID,  M.D.,  a  distinguished  ocu- 
list and  aurist  of  New  York  City,  and  Pro- 
fessor of  Ophthalmology  in  the  New  York 
Polyclinic,  and  in  the  Medical  Department  of  Dart- 
mouth College,  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  was 
born  at  Cambridge,  Nova  Scotia,  on  July  16,  1842. 
His  parents  were  Asael  and  Hephzibah  Webster, 
natives  of  Nova  Scotia.  The  latter,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Pearson,  was  a  cousin  of  Sir  Charles 
Tupper,  the  Canadian  statesman,  her  mother  and 
his  father  being  brother  and  sister.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  received  his  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine  from  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College, 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  at  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1868,  after  a  thorough  course  of  study  in  all  the 
branches  of  medicine.  He  became  deeply  interested 
in  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear  and  devoted  himself 


23O  CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


to  their  mastery  under  the  hest  specialists.  In  1869 
he  was  appointed  House  Surgeon  of  the  Brooklyn 
Eye  and  Ear  Hospital,  and  remained  in  that  posi- 
tion a  year  and  a  half.  He  then  became  House 
Surgeon  of  the  Manhattan  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital 
(in  New  York  City)  where  he  remained  two  years. 
Upon  leaving  this  institution  he  went  into  the  office 
of  the  late  Dr.  Cornelius  Rea  Agnew,  who  was  then 
at  the  zenith  of  his  fame  as  an  eye  and  ear  special- 
ist, and  with  whom  he  remained  associated  in  prac- 
tice until  the  death  of  this  distinguished  man  on 
April  18,  1888.  Dr.  Webster's  abilities  in  the 
specialty  to  which  he  has  devoted  his  life  have 
earned  for  him  a  reputation  which  is  National,  and 
have  brought  him  high  honors  in  his  profession. 
In  1881  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Ophthal- 
mology in  the  New  York  Polyclinic,  "a  school  of 
clinical  medicine  and  surgery  for  practitioners," 
founded  in  1880-'81,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers,  and  which  claims  the  honor  of  being 
the  pioneer  post-graduate  school  of  medicine  in  the 
United  States.  This  position  he  still  holds.  In 
1889  he  accepted  the  Chair  of  Ophthalmology  in  the 
Medical  School  of  Dartmouth  College,  at  Hanover, 
New  Hampshire.  Among  other  leading  profes- 
sional positions  he  occupies,  may  be  mentioned  the 
following  :  Surgeon  to  the  Manhattan  Eye  and  Ear 
Hospital,  and  Ophthalmic  Surgeon  to  the  Skin  and 
Cancer  Hospital,  to  the  Hospital  for  the  Ruptured 
and  Crippled,  to  the  House  of  Mercy  and  to  the 
Hackensack  Hospital,  Hackensack,  New  Jersey. 
He  is  also  Consulting  Surgeon  to  the  Paterson  Eye 
and  Ear  Infirmary,  Paterson,  New  Jersey.  He  is  a 
member  and  in  1882  was  President  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  the  Count}'  of  New  York.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Ophthalmological  Society 
— of  which  he  was  President  in  1883 — of  the  New 
York  Academy  of  Medicine,  of  the  Neurological 
Society,  of  the  American  Ophthalmological  Society, 
of  the  American  Otological  Societ}-,  of  the  New 
York  State  Medical  Society,  and  of  the  New  York 
Society  for  the  Relief  of  the  Widows  and  Orphans 
of  Medical  Men.  Dr.  Webster  is  the  author  of 
numerous  papers  on  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear, 
which  have  been  given  wide  circulation  in  the 
pages  of  the  leading  medical  journals.  Notwith- 
standing the  extensive  demands  made  upon  his 
time  by  professional  labors,  he  finds  leisure  to  be- 
come interested  in  many  other  subjects  and  to  lend 
his  aid  to  worthy  charities,  and  to  the  encourage- 
ment of  general  science  and  art.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  New  York  Historical  Society  and  also  of  the 
Union  League  Club.  He  was  married,  in  1876,  to 
Miss  Genevieve  Macfarlane,  but  has  no  living 
children. 


JOHNSON,  HON.  JESSE,  United  States  District 
Attorney  for  the  Eastern  District  of  New 
York,  including  the  Counties  of  Kings,  Queens, 
Richmond  and  Suffolk,  was  born  in  Bradford,  Ver- 
mont, February  20, 1842.  He  was  properly  prepared 
at  the  schools  for  a  university  education,  and  en- 
tered Dartmouth  College,  graduating  in  1863.  Dur- 
ing the  next  year  he  studied  in  the  Albany  Law 
School  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Shortly  after- 
wards he  went  to  reside  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  soon  reach- 
ing considerable  prominence  as  a  lawyer.  From  the 
beginning  of  his  legal  career  Mr.  Johnson  took  an 
active  interest  in  politics,  and  was  at  first  associated 
with  the  Democratic  party.  He  was  an  earnest  po- 
litical worker,  and  his  services  were  very  useful  to 
his  party,  and  under  the  administration  of  Hon. 
William  C.  DeWitt  he  was  made  Assistant  Corpora- 
tion Counsel.  He  subsequently  served  eight  years, 
from  1869  to  1877,  in  the  law  department  of  Brook- 
lyn. Mr.  Johnson  afterwards  resumed  his  law  prac- 
tice, and  soon  after  this  severed  his  connection  with 
the  Democratic  party.  His  personal  capacity  being 
well  known  as  also  his  energy  and  skill  as  a  political 
leader,  he  was  at  once  placed  in  a  high  position  in 
the  councils  of  the  Republican  party.  Probably  a 
reason  for  this  also  existed  in  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances under  which  Mr.  Johnson's  transfer  of 
political  fealty  had  been  made.  During  the  last 
four  or  five  years  of  his  experience  as  Assistant 
Corporation  Counsel,  and  more  particularly  during 
the  administration  of  the  Reform  Republican  Mayor, 
Mr.  Frederick  A.  Schroeder,  and  during  the  term  of 
office  of  Mr.  DeWitt,  it  happened  that  Mr.  Johnson 
was  engaged  in  the  energetic  prosecution  of  delin- 
quent city  officials.  This  fact  brought  the  office 
into  antagonism  with  the  local  Democratic  organiza- 
(  tion,  but  should  properly  be  taken  as  an  evidence 
that  he  did  not  permit  his  party  allegiance  to  bias 
him  in  respect  to  his  official  duty.  Naturally 
enough:  however,  having  thus  come  into  conflict 
with  the  Democratic  party,  he  drifted  into  the  op- 
posite organization,  where  his  quality  of  fidelity  to 
public  interests  would  seem  to  have  been  better  ap- 
preciated than  in  the  party  from  which  he  retired. 
In  1883  Mr.  Johnson  was  candidate  for  Judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  the  Second  Judicial  District,  in- 
cluding Kings,  Queens,  Dutchess,  Suffolk,  Rich- 
mond, Orange,  Westchester  and  Putnam  Counties. 
His  opponent  was  the  Hon.  William  Bartlett,  who- 
!  was  successful  in  obtaining  the  election  ;  but  excel- 
lent testimony  to  Mr.  Johnson's  popularity  was 
shown  by  the  fact  that  he  not  only  received  the 
hearty  endorsement  of  his  associates  in  the  legal 
profession,  but  that  he  succeeded  in  largely  reducing 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


the  Democratic  majority.  Since  his  accession  to 
membership  in  the  Republican  party,  Mr.  Johnson 
has  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  energetic 
workers  in  its  ranks.  This  has  been  particularly 
the  case  in  the  Twentieth  Ward  of  Brooklyn,  where 
he  resides.  He  has  always  labored  faithfully  and 
tenaciously  in  support  of  Republican  principles  and 
of  the  candidates  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Convention  in 
1888,  and  there  earnestly  advocated  the  nomination 
of  General  Harrison,  and  exercised  considerable  in- 
fluence over  the  New  York  delegation  in  his  favor. 
During  the  progress  of  the  campaign,  Mr.  Johnson 
went  on  the  stump  and  did  most  effective  work. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  he  contributed  materially  to- 
wards reducing  the  opposition  vote  in  Kings  Coun- 
ty. Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Republican 
General  Committee,  a  Director  in  the  Brooklyn  Re- 
publican League,  and  a  member  of  the  Lafayette 
Republican  Club,  and  has  turned  his  membership  in 
these  organizations  to  excellent  effect  in  rendering 
good  service  to  the  Republican  party.  In  local  poli- 
tics Mr.  Johnson  has  the  admirable  reputation  of 
having  studiously  and  persistently  kept  aloof  from 
factions  while  being  at  all  times  a  most  earnest  and 
outspoken  Republican.  He  has  gained  great  popu- 
larity among  the  rank  and  file,  from  the  fact  that  it 
is  recognized  that  he  has  more  consideration  for  the 
wishes  of  the  voters  than  for  the  manipulators  of 
deals  for  personal  or  factional  purposes.  In  regard 
to  the  important  office  which  Mr.  Johnson  now 
holds,  and  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Harrison  in  the  summer  of  1889,  (it  being  the  first 
Republican  appointment  in  Brooklyn  under  Mr. 
Harrison's  administration) — it  is  to  be  said  that  he 
received  the  almost  unanimous  endorsement  of  the 
County  Committee  and  of  the  Republican  leaders 
generally.  The  office  is  of  course  one  of  the  great- 
est responsibility,  and  the  satisfaction  with  which 
Mr.  Johnson's  appointment  was  hailed  by  Republi- 
cans of  every  stripe  throughout  Kings  County  gave 
especial  attestation  of  the  wisdom  of  President  Har- 
rison's choice.  It  is,  however,  very  strikingly  a 
compliment  to  Mr.  Johnson's  personal  reputation, 
and  affords,  moreover,  additional  proof  of  the  ex- 
cellence of  his  choice  for  United  States  District 
Attorney,  that  the  appointment  proved  to  be  quite 
as  satisfactory  to  his  Democratic  fellow-citizens  as 
to  the  Republicans.  The  Eagle,  the  leading  Demo- 
cratic organ  of  Brooklyn,  and  one  of  the  most 
prominent  Democratic  papers  in  the  country,  in  re- 
ferring to  Mr.  Johnson's  appointment,  paid  him  the 
following  highly  complimentary  and  certainly  de- 
served tribute : 
"  The  choice  of  Mr.  Johnson  leaves  no  room  for 


legitimate  criticism.  To  the  discharge  of  his  duties 
he  brings  a  capacity  adequate  to  their  fulfillment. 
During  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years  at  the 
local  bar  he  has  established  a  reputation  as  one  of 
the  most  industrious,  studious,  energetic  and  capa- 
ble members  of  his  profession  resident  here.  He 
was  easily  the  best  equipped  of  all  the  candidates 
who  aspired  to  the  place,  and  his  elevation  will  be 
received  with  entire  satisfaction  by  his  fellow-citi- 
zens. It  is  fortunate  for  all  concerned  that  the  out- 
going officer  is  succeeded  by  so  competent  and 
trustworthy  a  gentleman  as  Mr.  Johnson.  Never  a 
factionist  by  inclination,  he  can  reasonably  be  ex- 
pected to  hold  aloof  from  internal  party  strife.  If, 
in  designating  officials  for  the  other  federal  offices 
here,  President  Harrison  does  as  well  as  he  has  with 
the  District  Attorneyship,  the  people  of  Brooklyn 
will  be  gratified,  and  the  Executive  will  have  no 
reason  to  complain  of  the  reception  accorded  to  his 
selections." 

This  certainly  was  extraordinary  language  to  be 
employed  by  the  leading  organ  of  the  opposition,  in 
regard  to  an  appointment  of  such  importance  as 
that  which  Mr.  Johnson  fills.  No  expression  of 
opinion  from  any  source  could  convey  a  more  grati- 
fying or  more  flattering  testimonial  to  the  height  of 
personal  and  public  esteem  reached  by  Mr.  Johnson 
than  this.  Here  also  it  will  be  observed  that  allu- 
sion is  made  to  Mr.  Johnson's  abstention  from  con- 
nection with  factional  workings  and  methods,  afact 
which  illustrates  what  will  easily  have  been  recog- 
nized as  a  predominant  quality  in  Mr.  Johnson's 
political  character.  Thoroughly  loyal  to  party  prin- 
ciples, he  exhibits  an  equally  thorough  scorn  for  the 
lower  grades  of  party  politics  and  for  the  tricks  and 
manoeuvres  by  which  party  deals  are  effected  for 
personal  or  factional  aggrandizement.  In  his  pres- 
ent office  he  follows  such  eminent  lawyers  as  Ben- 
jamin D.  Silliman,  Secretary  Benjamin  F.  Tracy 
and  Judge  A.  W.  Teuney.  Of  course  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  in  this  office  Mr.  Johnson  can- 
not but  be  greatly  aided  by  the  thorough  knowledge 
of  legal  decisions  and  official  technicalities  gained 
during  his  long  service  as  Assistant  Corporation 
Counsel.  Mr.  Johnson  is  the  senior  member  of  the 
well-known  law  firm  of  Johnson  &  Lamb,  and  has 
for  many  years  been  in  possession  of  a  large  and 
very  lucrative  practice.  While,  as  already  stated, 
united  to  several  important  political  organizations, 
he  is  also  a  member  of  many  social  clubs  and  socie- 
ties in  Brooklyn,  including  the  Oxford  and  the 
Brooklyn  Clubs.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of  distin- 
guished and  intellectual  appearance,  affable  in  man- 
ner, courteous  and  dignified,  presenting  to  all  asso- 
ciating with  him,  the  appearance  of  a  man  of  mark 
and  culture.  Upon  the  broad  foundation  of  a 
thorough  and  liberal  school  and  college  education 
and  comprehensive  study  for  his  profession,  he  has 
erected  a  superstructure  of  professional  and  general 


232 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


knowledge,  such  as  very  seldom  falls  to  the  share  of 
men  so  largely  engaged  in  party  politics  as  he  has 
been.  Outside  of  his  party  service,  it  is  also  to  be 
remembered  that  he  has  been  a  thorough,  able  and 
conscientious  lawyer,  probably  as  well  equipped  in 
his  profession  as  any  man  of  his  age  in  the  State. 
It  is  a  generally  recognized  fact  that  the  law  firm 
of  which  he  is  the  head,  has  one  of  the  largest  busi- 
nesses in  Brooklyn,  and  is  indeed  one  of  the  leading 
firms  in  the  metropolitan  district  of  New  York  and 
vicinity.  Mr.  Johnson  was  counsel  for  the  first 
commission  ever  appointed  in  Brooklyn  to  organize 
a  Rapid  Transit  Company,  and  it  was  organized 
by  that  commission.  He  also  drew  the  charter  for 
the  Kings  County  Railroad  Company,  and  was 
identified  with  that  company  and  its  contests  during 
six  or  seven  years  of  the  active  litigation  which 
it  waged  for  existence. 


WALKER,  HON.  EDWARD  C,  ex-State  Senator 
from  the  Thirtieth  Senatorial  District,  and 
resident  of  Batavia,  New  York,  was  born  in 
Byron,  New-York,  June  14,  1837.  His  grandfather, 
Amasa  Walker,  was  born  in  Ashford,  Connecticut, 
in  1767,  and  came  to  Byron,  Genessee  Count}7,  with 
his  family  in  1811.  His  son,  Cyrus,  was  at  this 
time  twelve  years  of  age.  Genessee  County  was 
then  mainly  a  dense  and  heavy  wilderness  of  forest, 
which  it  was  necessary  for  the  newly-arrived  immi- 
grants to  break  up  in  order  to  hew  out  for  them-  i 
selves  a  home  for  the  future.  The  family  came 
from  English  ancestry  which  could  be  traced  to  Ply- 
mouth Colony,  Massachusetts,  at  an  early  period  of 
its  settlement,  and  which,  in  all  the  individuals 
whose  history  is  recorded,  has  displayed  distin- 
guishing characteristics  of  strength  of  mind,  lofty 
aims  and  purposes,  and  energetic  industry  and  un- 
yielding perseverance.  Mr.  Amasa  Walker  created 
out  of  his  "patch  in  the  woods  "  a  good  home,  his 
son  Cyrus  aiding  him  in  this  until  he  readied  man- 
hood, when,  in  December,  1822,  he  married  Miss 
Anna  Hulett,  of  Byron.  They  were  an  industrions, 
economical  and  hardy  people,  possessing  sound 
judgment  and  sterling  integrity,  and  as  a  result  of 
their  labors  and  economy  they  became  a  very  suc- 
cessful and  prosperous  family.  Mr.  Cyrus  Walker 
became  largely  interested  in  landed  propertj',  his 
active  career  being  chiefly  devoted  to  speculations 
in  real  estate  and  other  property.  Though  a  man 
of  prominence  and  influence,  he  never  inclined  to 
public  life  and  never  held  other  than  a  few  local 
offices.  He  and  his  wife  died  at  Batavia  not  many 
years  since,  having  made  that  beautiful  country 


town  their  residence  during  the  latter  period  of 
their  life.  Edward  C.  Walker,  son  of  Cyrus,  and 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  fifth  and  young- 
est child  of  his  parents,  and  from  his  earliest  child- 
hood proved  to  be  of  a  studious  and  acquisitive 
nature.  He  was  fortunate  in  having  excellent  early 
advantages  toward  the  acquisition  of  a  thorough 
education,  and  these  he  improved  to  the  f idlest. 
His  primary  schooling  was  received  at  his  native 
town  of  Byron,  and  he  also  studied  at  the  Cary 
Seminary  of  Oakfield,  and  later  pursued  his  studies 
at  the  Academy  in  Wilson,  Niagara  County.  This 
was  complemented  by  a  course  at  Genessee  College 
in  Lima  and  in  the  Syracuse  University,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  June,  1861.  He  now  studied  law 
and  was  ad  mitted  to  the  bar  in  18G2,  having  only 
passed  one  term  in  the  Albany  Law  School,  and  yet 
successfully  undergoing  a  rigid  examination  of 
three  days'  duration  before  the  Court  of  Appeals, 
then  in  session  at  Albany.  Mr.  Walker  immediately 
formed  a  law  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law, 
ex-Senator  George  Bowen,  in  Batavia,  which  was 
continued  with  success  for  four  years  when,  his 
health  having  begun  to  fail  owing  to  too  close  con- 
finement and  application  to  his  profession,  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  the  law  and  adopt  a  vocation 
better  calculated  for  his  physical  organism  and 
temperament.  He  now  entered  upon  a  series  of  in- 
vestments and  speculations  in  landed  properties 
and  in  farms,  banking,  insurance  and  mercantile 
properties,  which  he  has  continued  with  marked 
financial  success  up  to  the  present  time.  Mr. 
Walker's  business  career  has  not  only  been  a 
success  in  a  commercial  point  of  view,  evidencing 
exceptional  ability  in  that  direction,  the  legitimate 
product  of  sound  judgment  and  keen  foresight,  but- 
it  has  also  been  characterized  by  a  liberality  and 
sense  of  honor  and  justice  and  an  uncompromising 
integrity,  which  have  endeared  him  to  his  fellow- 
citizens  in  a  degree  certainty  most  flattering  to  him. 
From  early  manhood  Mr.  Walker  had  evinced  more 
or  less  interest  in  politics.  From  18G2  he  had  been 
a  citizen  of  Batavia,  always  active  and  energetic  in 
promoting  the  general  interest  and  aiding  public 
improvements  in  the  town,  and  also  invariably 
nobly  responsive  to  every  demand  of  the  cause  of 
benevolence  and  charity.  He  has  given  much  of 
his  time  to  the  service  of  public  institutions  and 
organizations  for  charitable  objects,  having  been 
for  many  years  Trustee  of  the  New  York  Institution 
for  the  Blind,  at  Batavia,  and  of  the  Syracuse  Uni- 
versity, and  Trustee  of  Ingham  University,  at  Le 
Roy,  New  York,  and  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  at  Batavia.  In  1868  Mr.  Walker  was 
elected  Member  of  Assembly  from  Genessee  County,. 


A'lfS  0y  J.fi.Ru*  *  Son*.  A"***  ■ 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


233 


and  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Ed- 
ucation. In  18(59  he  was  unanimously  nominated 
by  the  Republican  party  for  Member  of  Assembly 
and  was  elected  by  a  large  majority.  During  this 
year  he  was  given  a  place  on  the  Committee  on 
Public  Education,  and  also  on  that  on  Banks  and 
Banking.  He  interested  himself  particularly  in  the 
Normal  School  system  of  the  State  and  did  very 
good  service  in  that  direction.  He  was  also  on  the 
Committee  on  Public  Institutions.  Aside  from 
taking  an  active  part  in  political  campaigns  and 
making  liberal  contributions  towards  the  cause  of 
Republicanism,  Mr.  Walker  held  aloof  from  politics 
for  several  years.  In  1885  he  was  the  Republican 
candidate  for  the  Thirtieth  Senatorial  District,  com  - 
posed of  the  counties  of  Genessee,  Livingston.  Niag- 
ara and  Wyoming,  and  was  elected  by  nearly  three 
thousand  majority  over  his  opponent,  Mr.  Higgins, 
of  Lockport.  In  the  State  Senate  he  was  honorably 
recognized  by  being  appointed  Chairman  of  the 
important  Committees  on  Banks,  and  the  Manufac- 
ture of  Salt.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittees on  Railroads,  Insurance,  and  Engrossed 
Bills.  In  1887  he  was  re-elected  to  the  Senate  by 
an  increased  plurality  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty- 
nine  over  the  previous  election  in  1885.  In  the 
Senate  of  1889  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Railroads,  and  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
General  Laws  and  of  several  other  committees.  It 
also  fell  to  the  lot  of  Senator  Walker  to  be  placed 
on  the  Committee  to  investigate  the  corrupt  ring 
which  procured  the  Broadway  Surface  Railway 
deal  in  the  city  of  New  York.  This  Committee  re- 
ceived general  congratulations  and  encomiums  for 
the  manner  in  which  its  members  acquitted  them- 
selves of  an  onerous  and  most  important  public 
duty.  In  this  Committee,  Senator  Walker  labored 
earnestly  and  faithfully  toward  the  accomplishment 
of  the  tinal  result.  As  a  legislator  he  has  always 
proved  himself  a  most  industrious,  earnest  and  inde- 
fatigable worker,  having  for  his  object  invariably 
the  best  interests  of  the  people.  Among  the  bills 
which  he  introduced  into  the  Senate  that  became 
laws,  were  many  tending  to  improve  the  banking 
system  of  the  State;  the  Motor  Power  Bill,  author- 
izing street  surface  railroads  to  change  from  horse 
to  any  other  power  after  obtaining  the  consent  of  a 
majority  of  the  property  owners  on  the  proposed 
line  and  the  consent  of  the  Railroad  Commissioners; 
and  the  bill  which  prevents  assignees  from  giving 
to  preferred  creditors  more  than  one-third  of  the 
estate.  He  also  introduced  a  marriage  license  bill, 
tending  to  prevent  ill-timed  and  hasty  marriages, 
and  also  to  provide  a  more  perfect  record  for  the 
purpose  of  tracing  the  estates  of  children.  This 


bill  passed  the  Senate  twice  and  it  is  believed  that 
it  will  yet  become  the  law  of  the  State.  For  his 
action  with  regard  to  this  bill,  Senator  Walker  has 
received  complimentary  letters  from  Bishop  Doane 
and  other  prominent  clergymen,  and  from  eminent 
judges  and  well-known  lawyers  throughout  the 
State,  who  thus  give  evidence  of  their  appreciation 
of  the  importance  of  such  a  law.  Senator  Walker 
is  known  throughout  his  section  of  the  State  and 
respected  as  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  a  judi- 
cious and  faithful  legislator.  He  is  an  excellent 
political  organizer,  and  a  forcible  and  logical 
speaker.  In  January,  1890,  Senator  Walker  was 
selected  by  the  Hon.  William  Windom,  Secretary 
of  the  United  States  Treasury,  one  of  three  Com- 
missioners to  locate  the  Government  Building  and 
Post  Office  in  Buffalo.  Referring  to  the  social  and 
moral  side  of  the  life  of  Senator  Walker,  his  biog- 
rapher, who  devotes  himself  in  any  just  degree  to 
an  examination  and  sifting  of  the  facts  of  his  life, 
finds  in  him  a  most  exemplary  exponent  of  every- 
thing that  is  elevating  and  progressive  in  character 
and  accomplishment.  In  his  own  city  of  Batavia, 
as  has  been  already  stated,  he  has  been  a  most  lib- 
j  eral  and  yet  judicious  giver  to  everything  of  a 
charitable  nature  calculated  to  elevate  the  social 
and  educational  standards,  and  to  advance  the  in- 
terests of  young  men  and  women  more  particularly. 
No  organization  tending  in  this  direction,  or  benefi- 
cent society,  has  had  to  go  without  his  aid  if  this 
I  were  applied  for.  His  contributions  to  the  cause 
I  of  religion  and  in  aid  of  church  charities  and  bene- 
factions have  been  most  bountiful,  irrespective  of 
!  creed  or  denomination.  Senator  Walker  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Au- 
burn Theological  Seminary,  and  has  held  impor- 
tant relations  with  many  other  religious  institutions 
j  not  mentioned.  He  has  been  an  active  business 
1  man  in  Batavia  and  very  few,  if  any,  have  done 
more  towards  building  up  that  city,  both  in  an 
architectural  and  business  sense.  Mr.  Walker  was 
married,  January  14,  1862,  to  Miss  Martha  L.  Marsh 
of  Massachusetts,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two 
children,  Edward  C.  Walker,  and  Raymond  M. 
Walker.  The  extraordinary  and  most  obvious  fea- 
ture of  Senator  Walker's  character,  and  that  which 
has  been  most  illustrated  in  his  life,  is  the  grasp  of 
affairs  which  he  has  been  able  to  accomplish  with- 
out failure  or  lack  of  effective  work  in  any  direc- 
tion. So  also  to  rightly  estimate  the  characteristics 
of  a  growing  city,  and  make  investments  with  a 
view  to  that  which  will  turn  out  successful,  is  illus- 
trative of  a  business  power  very  unusual  in  connec- 
tion with  the  other  qualities  which  Senator  Walker 
possesses.    His  legislative  career,  filled  with  iutel- 


234 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ligent  interest  in  educational  and  financial  affairs, 
gives  the  required  evidence  of  the  ethical  side  of 
his  varied  nature.  That  a  man  so  interested  in 
money-making  and  to  a  certain  extent  in  party  pol- 
itics, should  devote  himself  to  reforming  and 
strengthening  the  laws  in  regard  to  the  marriage 
relation,  and  those  which  govern  and  direct  higher 
education  in  the  State,  is  certainly  a  most  sur- 
prising and  most  flattering  testimonial  to  the  catho- 
licity of  his  ability  and  character.  In  the  introduc- 
tion and  advocacy  of  a  bill  tending  to  reduce  busi- 
ness dishonesty,  as  in  the  matter  of  the  power 
of  assignees,  still  another  important  element  of 
character  is  illustrated  in  the  case  of  Senator 
Walker.  Altogether  one  can  hardly  leave  the  study 
of  his  life  and  of  his  varied  activities  without 
reaching  the  conclusion  that  here  is  a  well-rounded 
nature,  a  vigorous  intellect  and  a  character  faithful 
and  earnest  in  the  prosecution  of  duty. 


flLKESJON,  SAMUEL,  of  Buffalo,  was  born  in 
Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  in  1781,  and  died  in  the 
mountains  of  Tennessee  in  July,  1848.  He 
was  rjf  Scotch  Covenanter  stock  and  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  Men  of  his  name  and  race  died  fighting  for 
religious  freedom  at  Bothwell  Bridge,  in  1G79.  The 
final  defeat  of  the  Covenanters  exiled  the  family  to  the 
North  of  Ireland,  whither  they  took  with  them  their 
love  of  battle  and  devotion  to  Protestant  liberty. 
Six  Wilkesons  were  killed  in  the  siege  of  Derry. 
The  exiles  had  received  their  distributive  portions 
of  land  in  the  Pale.  Within  less  than  a  century  the 
increase  of  the  family  exceeded  the  supporting 
power  of  its  land  and  emigration  became  the  only 
relief.  Accordingly  John  Wilkeson  and  his  wife, 
Mary  Robinson,  the  father  and  mother  of  Samuel 
Wilkeson,  came  to  America  in  1760  and  settled  in 
Delaware.  Impressed  with  the  ideas  of  liberty 
which  he  had  imbibed  in  his  native  laud,  John 
Wilkeson  hailed  the  struggle  of  the  Revolution  and 
the  opposition  to  the  British  monarchy  with  delight, 
and  when  the  war  broke  out  he  entered  the  army 
with  the  commission  of  a  Lieutenant  and  fought 
until  peace  wa9  declared.  What  was  left  of  his 
regiment  at  this  period  was  camped  at  Carlisle, 
Pennsylvania,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
literally  a  military  product,  was  born.  On  the  dis- 
banding of  the  army,  John  Wilkeson  went  with  his 
family  into  Washington  County,  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, with  a  soldier's  land  warrant,  and  there  he 
hewed  a  farm  out  of  the  wilderness.  His  son,  in 
his  very  childhood,  was  held  face  to  face  with  the 
battle  of  life  on  the  American  frontier,  and  had  his 


character  formed  and  tempered  in  that  severest  but 
manliest  of  schools.    His  education  by  teaching 
commenced  in  the  nearest  log   school-house,  and 
ended  in  juxt  two  weeks.    Labor  on  his  father's  farm 
in  the  wilderness,  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old, 
must  have  been  performed  in  a  heavy  conflict  with 
his  sense  of  power,  his  ambitious  aspirations,  and 
his  marvelous  imagination.     After  his  father's 
death,  he  married,  and  went  to  Southeastern  Ohio 
and  opened  a  farm  for  himself  in  another  wilderness. 
As  he  was  logging  and  burning  one  night,  a  sense 
I  of  the  slowness  and  distance  of  reward,  for  his  terri- 
ble toil,  stopped  his  work.     Before  he  resumed  it, 
he  had  planned  a  change  of  employment  and  was  a 
builder  of  keel  boats,  and  a  merchant,  and  a  trans- 
porter. With  him,  to  determine  was  to  do.   Soon  he 
was  master  of  vessels.    The  first  of  his  vessels  he 
built  with  his  own  hands,  from  timber  trees  grow- 
ing on  the  river  bank,  with  no  other  tools  than  an 
axe,  a  wedge,  a  saw,  an  auger  and  a  hammer.  The 
beginning  of  the  superb  commerce  of  three  thous- 
and ton  vessels  that  now  enter  the  harbor  of  Buffalo, 
was  in  these  open  boats,  and  salt  was  the  prin- 
cipal freight.     Sometimes   he   varied  his  traffic 
by  the  inland  route  with  voyages  to  points  up  Lake 
Erie,  but  this  lake  trade  was  soon  destroyed  by 
the  War  of  1812.    In  the  early  part  of  this  conflict, 
the  American  army,  under  General  Harrison,  was 
delayed  in  its  advance  to  invade  Canada  by  the 
failure  of  the  contractor  to  provide  transportation 
by  boats.    In  this  emergency  Wilkeson  was  ap- 
pealed to  by  the  Commander-in-Chief  to  give  his 
army  transportation.     He  consented,  and  quickly 
gathering  a  force  of  axemen  and  carpenters,  he  has- 
tened to  the  Grand  River  in  Northern  Ohio,  attack- 
ed the  timber  growing  on  its  banks,  sawed,  hewed, 
\  rived,  framed  and  planked,  and  in  a  wonderfully 
short  time,  completed  his  transports  and  delivered 
them  at  Maumee  within  the  conditions  of  his  time 
contract.    His  family  was'at  Portland  in  Chautau- 
qua County.      The  British  army  was  in  march 
across  the  Niagara  River  from  the  Canada  side. 
•Armed  with  a  rifle,  Wilkeson  hurried  to  Buffalo 
with  his  regiment  to  get  into  the  expected  right. 
The  battle  was  fought  north  of  Black  Rock  and 
near  the  Conjockada  creek.    The  militia  was  over- 
matched by  Wellington's  veterans,  in  numbers  as 
well  as  effectiveness,  and  were  thoroughly  beaten. 
Buffalo  was  captured  and  burned.  Wilkeson  walked 
home  to  Chautauqua  to  his  family.  In  the  spring  of 
1814,  while  the  war  was  yet  in  progress,  he  loaded 
a  lake  boat  at  Portland  with  the  frames  and  cover- 
ing of  a  store  and  dwelling  house,  and,  embarking 
his  family,  sailed  to  Buffalo,  to  settle  there  perma- 
i  nently  and  do  business  as  a  merchant.    He  erected 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


235 


his  store  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Niagara  Streets, 
and  his  dwelling  on  the  east  side  of  Main,  south  of 
Genessee  Street.  On  the  14th  of  December,  1814, 
peace  was  proclaimed.  Our  army  passed  the  win- 
ter in  cantonment.  In  the  spring  of  1815,  Buffalo, 
as  the  nearest  town,  naturally  attracted  and  held  a 
large  number  of  the  most  lawless  of  the  soldiers,  as 
terrible  in  peace  as  in  war.  They  instantly  became  a 
disturbing  and  dangerous  social  element,  against 
which  the  citizens  sought  a  summary  remedy. 
They  found  it  in  persuading  Samuel  Wilkeson  to 
accept  the  then  important  judicial  office  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace.  His  discharge  of  the  duties  of  a 
criminal  magistrate  is  one  of  Buffalo's  living  tradi- 
tions. He  was  a  terror  to  evil  doers.  A  natural 
lawyer,  impetuous,  utterly  fearless,  hating  wrong 
and  loving  right,  looking  in  an  instant  through  men 
as  through  glass,  he  smote  the  rascals  and  ruffians 
with  terrible  quickness  and  the  utmost  reach  of  the 
law.  He  flung  the  dangerous  into  jail,  the  turbu- 
lent and  petit-larcenous  he  frightened  out  of  town. 
He  swept  Buffalo  clean  of  the  lees  of  the  war. 
Public  opinion  never  reversed  his  judgments.  In 
1819  Mr.  Wilkeson  was  a  leading  advocate  of  the 
construction  of  the  Erie  caual.  An  "  association  " 
of  citizens  had  failed  to  comply  with  a  law  which 
authorized  the  State  to  loan  to  the  village  of  Buffalo 
twelve  thousand  dollars  with  which  to  build  a  har- 
bor on  the  security  of  a  bond  in  double  the  amount. 
This  threatened  the  enterprise  with  ruin  by  a  loss  of 
the  loan  through  a  lapse  of  the  law.  Money  was 
scarce,  the  times  following  the  war  being  exceed- 
ingly hard.  Every  member  of  the  Harbor  Associa- 
tion became  discouraged,  and  with  the  exception  of 
Charles  Townsend  and  Oliver  Forward,  refused  to 
execute  the  required  security.  It  was  Buffalo's  cri- 
sis. Judge  Wilkeson  stepped  to  the  front  and,  with 
Townsend  and  Forward,  agreed  to  give  the  State  an 
approved  bond  in  the  penal  sum  of  twent3'-five 
thousand  dollars.  The  harbor  loan  was  saved.  In 
due  time  the  work  was  begun.  None  of  the  three 
gentlemen  who  sustained  the  enterprise  had  any 
knowledge  or  experience  with  regard  to  the  work 
of  harbor  building.  Wilkeson  had  never  even 
seen  an  artificial  harbor,  and  had  a  valuable  mer- 
cantile business  which  required  his  personal  atten- 
tion. His  two  associates,  however,  were  deter- 
mined that  he  should  build  that  harbor,  and  they 
finally  prevailed  upon  him  to  abandon  his  business 
and  take  charge  of  the  construction.  As  a  result 
the  great  structure  was  built  in  two  hundred  and 
twenty-one  days.  •  The  importance  of  this  work 
could  hardly  be  over-estimated.  Indeed,  it  was  so 
thoroughly  recognized  in  Buffalo  that  on  the  panel 
of  the  square  of  granite   covering  the  grave  of 


I  Samuel  Wilkeson,  which  faces  the  harbor,  is 
chiselled  the  epitaph  "  Vrbem  Condidit."  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  he  built  the  city  of  Buffalo  by  building 
its  harbor.  The  Erie  Caual  was  under  construction 
—a  water  channel  to  connect  Lake  Erie  with  the  At- 
lantic Ocean  and  make  New  York  the  market  of  the 
Lake  basin  and  upper  Mississippi  Valley.  The 
point  at  which  the  canal  should  receive  the  waters 
of  the  lakes  was  of  triple  consequence,  to  com- 
merce, to  rival  terminal  interests  and  to  State  poli- 
tics. The  government  of  the  State  wanted  the 
best  connection.  The  people  of  Black  Rock  wanted 
the  canal  to  enter  the  Niagara  River,  somewhat  be- 
low the  head  of  that  deep  but  rapid-revolving  cur- 
rent. Buffalo  claimed  that  the  only  possibility  of  a 
large  and  good  harbor  at  the  foot  of  the  lakes,  was 
in  Buffalo  Creek.  Outside  of  these  contestants,  two 
active  and  one  passive,  reposed  the  Holland  Land 
Company,  indifferent  through  territorial  exclusion 
from  the  water  front  by  the  State's  reservation  of 
the  mile-wide  strip  of  land  on  the  Niagara  River 
and  on  the  lake  shore  to  the  foot  of  Genessee  Street. 
Yet  these  foreign  speculators  in  American  land 
nursed  in  imagination  a  New  Amsterdam,  where 
Black  Rock  now  is,  and  woidd  probably  have  built 
it  there,  had  they  owned  the  ground,-  As  it  was. 
they  kept  their  hands  away  from  every  effort  to 
make  Buffalo  the  terminus  of  the  canal,  arguing 
that  wherever  the  canal  terminated,  Black  Rock  or 
Buffalo,  one  of  their  town  plats  behind  either  ter- 
minus could  surely  enrich  them.  The  building  of 
the  harbor  saved  the  Holland  Land  Company's  Buf- 
falo town  plat  for  its  proprietors,  and  gave  speedy 
sale  for  all  their  lands  in  the  county  of  Erie.  The 
company  never  gave  a  dollar  to  the  perilous  enter- 
prise. The  following  from  an  eye-witness  of  this 
work,  is  a  graphic  picture  of  the  situation  and  its 
results  :* 

"  As  if  it  were  only  yesterday  the  writer  c  an  re- 
member, being  perched  on  his  father's  shoulder,  as 
he  waded  across  the  mouth  of  Buffalo  creek  in 
superintendence  of  the  crib-laying,  and  being  star- 
tled by  the  bugle-toned  power  of  the  magnetic  voice 
which  gave  commands  to  his  men  as  he  walked. 
It  was  a  ford  only  waist  deep  to  the  tall  man. 
Ships  holding  one  hundred  thousand  bushels  of 
grain,  move  under  great  sail  where  he  caressingly 
carried  a  child.  And  as  it  were  yesterday's  sight, 
the  writer  recalls  the  large  timber  trees  which 
fringed  the  lake  north  and  south  of  the  creek  and 
the  great  elms,  sycamores,  black  walnuts,  bass- 
woods  and  oaks  which  threw  shadows  over  the 
silent  water-way,  and  east  of  Main  Street  became  a 
forest  on  both  its  banks— a  forest  and  a  swamp, 
dense  witli  trees  and  all  vegetable  growth,  extend- 

*  The  late  Samuel  Wilkeson,  Jr.,  of  New  York— late  Secre- 
tary of  the  Northern  Pacific  Kailway  Company,  detailed 
these  facts. 


236 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ing  from  the  bend  of  Niagara  River,  around  by  what 
is  now  the  Terrace  and  Exchange  Street,  then  the 
edge  of  a  bin  if  which  was  once  the  wall  of  the  lake;  a 
swamp  through  which,  south  of  the  eminence,  Main 
Street  had  been  cut  and  corduroyed  with  immense 
lops  painful  to  travel:  a  swamp,  which  west  of  the  Ter- 
race and  north  and  south  of  Court  Street,  was  terri- 
ble to  the  writer,  then  a  little  child,  as  a  black  fast- 
ness, alive  with  serpents,  turtles  and  frogs.  The 
man  who  turned  the  severe  work  on  the  harbor 
into  a  joyous  battle  by  wading  the  creek  and  labor- 
ing among  his  men  in  the  water  up  to  his  waist, 
doubling  their  effectiveness  with  electric  w  ords  and 
a  judgment  unerring  and  quick  as  lightning,  that 
man  changed  the  swamp  into  a  populous  and  beau- 
tiful city;  he  built  the  harbor  of  Buffalo.  Urbem 
Condidit.  The  harbor  made  the  Buffalo  creek  the 
western  terminus  of  the  Erie  canal.  That  made 
Buffalo  the  outlet  of  the  commerce  of  the  vast  re- 
gion commercially  dependent  on  the  Great  Lakes." 

The  Canal  Commissioners  met  in  Buffalo  in  the 
summer  of  1822,  to  decide  finally  where  the  Erie 
canal  should  terminate.  Samuel  Wilkeson  present- 
ed the  claim  of  Buffalo  and  argued  it,  using  a  map 
which  he  had  made  of  the  lower  part  of  the  lake, 
the  creek  and  Niagara  Kiver,  and  drawing  witli 
prodigious  effect  on  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
action  of  the  winds,  currents  and  waves  on  the 
waters  connected  with  both  the  proposed  termini. 
The  celebrated  DeWitt  Clinton  judicially  summed 
up  the  case.  The  pleader  for  Black  Rock  was  Gen- 
eral Peter  B.  Porter,  and  in  the  name  and  authority 
of  the  State,  it  was  decided  in  favor  of  Buffalo.  The 
canal  was  completed  from  the  Hudson  River  to 
Lake  Erie  on  the  26th  of  October,  1825.  The  beau- 
tiful and  swift  packet-boat,  built  of  Lake  Erie  red 
cedar  and  named  the  "  Seneca  Chief,"  on  which  em- 
barked DeWitt  Clinton  and  a  committee  of  Buffalo's 
citizens,  of  which  Samuel  Wilkesou  was  Chairman, 
made  the  first  passage  through  the  entire  length  of 
the  canal  to  tide-water,  carrying  with  her  a  new 
cask  filled  with  water  from  Lake  Erie,  and  returning 
to  Buffalo  with  a  cask  of  sea  water,  thus  marrying 
the  inland  lakes  to  the  sea  forever.  In  February, 
1821,  Wilkeson  had  been  appointed  first  judge  of 
the  Erie  Common  Pleas.  He  had  probably  never 
held  in  his  hand  an  elementary  work  on  law,  nor  in 
any  technical  sense  was  he  a  lawyer :  but  he  was  a 
natural  judge.  His  instantaneous  insight,  his  com- 
prehensive common  sense,  dignity,  intolerant  hon- 
esty and  wise  imperativeness,  carried  him  with  com- 
plete credit  through  a  third  term.  In  1824  Judge 
Wilkeson  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  and 
served  in  that  body  and  in  the  Court  for  the  Correc- 
tion of  Errors  for  six  years.  In  1836  he  was  elected 
Mayor  of  Buffalo.  During  all  this  period  of  public 
service  he  had  prosecuted  different  kinds  of  busi- 
ness with  sagacity  and  energy.  He  had  continued 
to  be  a  merchant-forwarder  on  the  lakes.    As  one 


of  the  contractors,  he  built  a  section  of  the  Erie 

I  Canal.  He  was  a  warehouseman  and  ship  owner, 
built  the  first  iron  foundry  in  Buffalo,  and  started  in 
that  town  its  now  enormous  trade  of  manufacturing 
steam  engines,  stoves  and  hollow-ware.  Previous 
to  this,  he  had  purchased  a  charcoal  blast-furnace  in 
Lake  County,  Ohio,  where  he  established  his  sons, 
and  he  afterward  erected  a  furnace  in  Mahoning 

I  Countyr,  in  the  same  State — the  first  in  this  country 
to  "blow  in"  on  raw  bituminous  coal  and  to  smelt 
iron  with  that  fuel  uncoked.  Thus  devoting  himself 
to  the  public  service  and  the  municipal  interests  of 
the  place  where  he  had  made  his  home,  and  still  de- 
voting a  large  portion  of  his  time  to  his  private 
business  interests,  he  was  yet  able  to  interest  him- 
self deeply  in  politics  and  in  the  discussion  of  the 
problems  which  were  at  that  time  prominently  be- 
fore the  public  mind.  High  up  among  these  was 
the  question  of  African  slavery.  The  tidal  wave  of 
abolition  was  forming  and  had  reached  so  far  as  to 
become  a  question  on  which  thinking  men  were 
forced  to  take  sides.  Wilkeson  opposed  it.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  unconditional  and  immediate  eman- 
cipation of  the   slaves  would  result  in  bringing 

i  about  the  extermination  of  the  latter  by  the  whites, 
and  an  armed  struggle  between  the  North  and  South 
for  the  control  of  the  Federal  Government.  He 
therefore  favored  a  system  of  gradual  and  compen- 
sated emancipation,  and  advocated  the  colonization 
of  the  blacks  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  He  be- 
came so  prominent  in  this  question,  as  indeed  he 
did  in  everything  to  which  he  gave  his  mind,  that 
the  control  of  the  American  Colonization  Society 
was  surrendered  to  him,  and  he  removed  to  Wash- 
ington, and  for  two  years  edited  the  organ  of  the 

:  society,  "  The  African  Repository."  Here  he  prac- 
tically governed  the  Colony  of  Liberia,  organized 
commerce  with  it  from  the  ports  of  Baltimore  and 
Philadelphia,  gathered  colonists  wherever  he  could 
in  the  South  and  shipped  them  to  the  new  Republic, 
and  thus  sought  to  build  a  sufficient  break-water 
against  the  advancing  tide  of  disorganization  which 
was  already  threatening.  But  the  struggle  was  not 
to  be  averted.  Sentiment  in  both  parts  of  the  coun- 
try finally  rejected  colonization  as  a  remedy  for  the 
acknowledged  evil,  and  it  was  abandoned.  The 
situations  set  forth  in  which  Judge  Wilkeson  was 
placed  in  positions  of  command  or  of  authority, 
were  of  sufficient  importance,  as  is  shown,  to 
demonstrate  his  character  as  a  man  greatly  above 

I  the  ordinary  in  capacity  and  in  magnetic  force. 
Among  those  who  best  knew  him,  he  was  recognized 
as  a  king  among  men.  It  was  native  to  him  to 
seize  situations  which  required  treatment,  and  to  give 
orders.    He  was  a  born  commander.    Men  obeyed 


G  Pi/Wishing  kEmjram 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


237 


him  without  loss  of  self-respect.  His  right  to  direct 
was  conceded.  He  moved  masses  of  men,  and  did 
not  excite  jealousy.  His  knowledge  of  what  was 
best  to  do  was  intuitive.  He  never  came  to  a  con- 
clusion by  logical  steps  or  by  waiting.  It  is  doubt- 
ful if  he  ever  lost  an  opportunity.  His  knowledge 
was  prodigious.  His  imagination  was  extraordin- 
arily rich.  His  humor  was  fine.  Through  all  his 
life,  men  considered  it  a  privilege  to  hear  him  talk. 
The  graphic  art  with  words  was  his.  The  great 
magnetic  force  of  the  man  flashed  over  the  wires  of 
his  talk,  filling,  kindling  and  lifting  his  listeners. 
Had  he  esteemed  himself  much,  and  been  fond  of 
applause,  he  would  have  been  an  irresistible  orator. 
He  was  incorruptibly  honest.  His  scorn  of  what 
was  dishonorable,  or  mean,  was  grand.  He  had  a 
dignity  that  all  men  respected,  and  felt  was  becom- 
ing. His  courage  was  chivalric  and  complete,  and 
down  in  the  lion  heart  of  the  man,  his  friends  found 
warmth  and  sympathy.  Judge  Wilkeson  was  mar- 
ried three  times,  his  first  wife  being  the  mother  of 
all  his  children.  She  was  Jane  Oram,  the  daughter 
of  James  Oram,  a  Scotch-Irish  exile,  who  came  to 
this  country  with  Samuel  Wilkeson's  father,  and 
with  him  fought  through  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 
Of  Judge  Wilkeson's  six  children — John,  Elizabeth, 
Eli,  W  illiam,  Louise  and  Samuel — only  the  oldest — 
John,  is  now  living.  His  second  wife  was  Sarah  St. 
John  of  Buffalo,  a  woman  of  uncommon  intellect 
and  character.  His  third  was  Mary  Peters  of  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  who  grew  to  high  repute  as  an 
educator  of  girls.  Judge  Wilkeson's  death  at  the 
time  of  ifs  occurrence  would  almost  have  seemed 
to  have  been  unnecessary.  A  man  of  magnificent 
physique  and  splendid  general  health,  he  caught  a 
simple  malady,  at  the  first  Chicago  land  sale,  and 
this  was  maltreated  by  physicians,  until  at  last  it 
extended  into  an  incurable  organic  disease.  He 
died  in  July,  1848,  in  his  sixty-seventh  year,  in  a 
tavern  in  the  Tennessee  mountains.  Noble  in  his 
life,  he  left  behind  him  in  his  descendants,  a  splen- 
did and  effective  tribute  to  his  memory.  The 
cannonade  against  Fort  Sumter,  which  opened 
the  Southern  rebellion,  was  not  heard  by  this 
veteran,  as  he  lay  in  his  grave  at  "  Forest  Lawn." 
Eight  of  his  grandsons  heard  it,  and  went  into  the 
Union  army;  three  of  them  under  age,  two  seven- 
teen years  old,  the  other  sixteen.  Not  one  of  the 
eight  served  on  a  general  staff,  in  the  department  of 
transportation  or  supplies,  or  was  ever  placed  on 
detail  duty.  Each  and  all  were  in  the  line  and  at 
the  front.  John  Wilkes  Wilkeson,  oldest  son  of 
Judge  Wilkeson's  son  John,  was  killed  in  the 
bloody  battle  of  Seven  Pines  in  command  of  Com- 
pany K,  of  the  One  Hundredth  New  York  Infan- 


try. His  courage  was  as  perfect  as  his  integrity. 
He  was  as  pure  as  he  was  brave  and  true,  steadfast 
and  gentle.  He  was  shot  in  the  front.  Bayard 
Wilkeson,  the  oldest  son  of  Samuel,  was  killed  in 
the  first  day's  fighting  at  Gettysburg,  commanding 
Battery  G,  of  the  Fourth  United  States  Artillery, 
when  only  nineteen  years,  one  month  and  fifteen 
days  old.  Though  a  mere  boy,  he  had  already 
served  with  his  battery  in  and  about  Fortress  Mon- 
roe and  Norfolk,  and  taken  part  in  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg  ;  and  he  was  recognized  as  so  thor- 
ough a  soldier  and  so  good  a  commander,  that  his 
battery  had  the  post  of  honor  in  the  Eleventh  Corps, 
the  right  of  the  line  of  inarch. 


HUTCHINSON,  HON.  CHARLES  WEBSTER,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Utica,  Oneida  County, 
New  York,  and  formerly  Mayor  of  that  city, 
was  born  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  on  July  4, 
182G,  in  which  city  his  parents  were  then  temporari- 
ly residing.  His  birth  took  place  at  the  residence 
of  Major  Samuel  McClellan,  who  occupied  the 
dwelling  on  the  corner  of  School  and  Benefit  Streets 
in  that  city.  Mr.  Hutchinson  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  city  of  Utica  from  the  year  following  his  birth, 
and  there  received  his  early  education,  under  such 
prominent  instructors  as  Thomas  Towell,  William 
Backus,  William  Williams,  William  C.  Barrett, 
David  Prentice,  LL.D.,  George  R.  Perkins,  LL.D. , 
and  others.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  the 
scientific  department  at  Geneva  College,  devoting 
himself  principally  to  these  studies,  and  the  modern 
languages.  He  was  then  appointed  to  a  position  as 
clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Syracuse  and  Utica  Rail- 
road Company  at  Utica.  He  resigned  this  position 
in  the  year  1847,  having  been  appointed  teller  of  the 
Fort  Plain  Bank,  and  acted  for  the  three  subsequent 
years  in  that  capacity.  Returning  to  Utica,  he  as- 
sumed charge  of  the  combined  interests  of  his  father 
and  the  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour  in  the  manufactur- 
ing firm  of  E.  K.  Browning  &  Co.,  but  after  a  few 
months  he  took  charge  under  his  own  name,  and 
devoted  himself  to  its  interests  until  the  autumn  of 
the  year  1865,  when  he  disposed  of  the  business  and 
went  to  Europe  with  his  wife,  passing  between  two 
and  three  years  in  travel  upon  the  continent,  and  a 
winter  in  Africa  and  Egypt,  returning  to  Italy  by 
the  Mediterranean  and  Sicily.  Upon  his  return 
home  to  Utica  he  took  an  active  interest  in  matters 
of  a  public  character,  and  for  several  years  was  a 
Director  of  the  Utica  Mechanics'  Association.  He 
was  Vice-President  and  presiding  officer  of  the  New 
York  State  Sportman's  Association  for  several  years 


2*8 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


from  its  organization,  and  was  a  member, of  the  first 
committee  who  presented  a  revision  of  the  game 
laws  to  the  Legislature  of  this  State,  which  were 
adopted,  and  in  the  year  1871  he  was  elected  its 
President.  He  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  city  of 
Utica  in  the  year  1875,  and  during  his  term  of  office 
a  number  of  important  local  measures  were  succes- 
fully  inaugurated  and  completed.  Several  artistic 
fountains  were  erected  in  the  public  parks,  and  the 
latter  beautified  and  reclaimed  from  their  former 
neglected  condition:  several  culverts  were  built, 
and  the  work  of  filling  the  streets  over  them  was 
rapidly  pushed  forward,  the  benefits  of  which  were 
soon  proved,  by  the  rapid  improvements  and  growth 
of  the  easterly  part  of  the  city.  His  administration 
was  marked  by  a  judicious  economy  in  public  ex- 
penditures, and  many  improvements  were  inaugu- 
rated, to  the  ultimate  advancement  of  the  interests 
of  the  cityr.  The  year  of  his  Mayorality,  being  nota- 
ble as  the  Centennial  year,  it  was  a  period  which 
brought  into  more  than  ordinary  prominence  the 
local  executive  officials  throughout  the  country. 
During  that  year  the  citizens  of  Utica  extended  the 
hospitalities  of  the  city  for  the  Ninth  Annual  Reun- 
ion of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  which  invita- 
tion was  accepted  for  the  dates  of  September  loth 
and  16th.  Mayor  Hutchinson,  in  his  official  capacity 
as  Chief  Magistrate,  made  the  address  of  welcome  in 
the  Opera  House,  and  addresses  were  also  delivered 
by  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour,  Hon.  Koscoe  Conkliug 
and  other  citizens.  Among  those  present  were 
President  Grant,  Vice-President  Henry  Wilson, 
several  members  of  the  National  Cabinet,  and 
Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
while  the  Army  was  represented  by  General  Sher- 
man and  his  staff,  and  Generals  Joseph  Hooker, 
H.  W.  Slocum,  H.  A.  Barnum,  J.  G.  Parkhurst, 
Henry  M.  Cist,  Daniel  Butterfield,  J.  S.  Fullerton, 
David  S.  Stanley,  A.  G.  McCook,  James  McQuade, 
J.  B.  Kiddoo  and  Wheaton,  and  many  other 
distinguished  Union  commanders.  His  Excel- 
lency, Governor  Samuel  J.  Tilden  was  the  guest 
of  Mr.  Hutchinson,  and  with  him  were  many  other 
prominent  State  officials,  constituting  altogether 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  gatherings  of  Na- 
tional and  State  dignitaries  ever  assembled  out- 
side of  the  capital  of  the  Nation.  The  reunion  was  a 
grand  success,  and  was  fully  appreciated  by  all  the 
delegates  and  guests  who  were  in  attendance,  and 
they  expressed  the  highest  gratification  at  the  at- 
tention shown  them  by  the  citizens,  and  their  liber- 
ality of  entertainment  and  generous  hospitality. 
Railroad  trains  and  other  modes  of  conveyance 
were  kept  at  the  free  disposal  of  the  visitors,  and 
Trenton  Falls,  the  Armory  at  Ilion,  the  cotton  fac- 


tories and  other  industries  of  the  city,  and  New 
York  Mills  and  adjoining  villages  were  visited. 
The  reunion  closed  with  a  reception  and  ball  at  the 
Opera  House,  President  Grant  and  Governor  Til- 
den receiving  in  the  proscenium  boxes.  One  of  the 
guests  wrote  of  it  as  follows:  "No  notice  of  this 
event,  written  at  the  late  hour  required  by  the  cir- 
cumstances, can  do  justice  to  its  elegance  and  suc- 
cess in  even'  particular.  Each  succeeding  moment 
seemed  to  be  more  and  more  enjoyable,  and  the  cul- 
mination was  a  grand  triumph.  Nothing  of  the 
kind  ever  before  attempted  in  this  city  or  vicinity, 
has  equalled  it ;  it  reflected  the  greatest  credit  upon 
the  city  and  the  good  people  who  tendered  it  with 
the  most  perfect  cordiality  to  their  honored  guests, 
the  brave  men  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland.  It  will  be  a  long  time  ere  the  bright 
dream  will  be  forgotten."  Mr.  Hutchinson  was 
prominent  in  organizing  The  Utica  Park  Associa- 
tion, and  was  its  President  from  its  incorporation  in 
the  year  1872  until  1889,  excepting  three  terms, 
when  other  matters  engrossing  his  attention,  he  de- 
clined an  election.  This  park  property  was  esti- 
mated to  have  cost  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  but  it  was  sold  by  him  to  the 
State  Masonic  Home,  in  the  year  1889,  for  the  sum 
of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  To  this  noble 
charity  in  which,  as  a  Mason,  Mr.  Hutchinson  was 
deeply  interested,  he  donated  toward  this  purchase 
price  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  Asa 
Mason,  he  is  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge,  Oneida  Chap- 
ter, Utica  Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  and  Yah- 
nun-dali-sis  Lodge  of  Perfection,  and  has  taken  the 
32d  Degree  of  the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish 
Rite,  in  Cosmopolitan  Consistory  of  New  York.  He 
is  also  prominent  in  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
now  holds  the  position  of  Chief  of  Equipment  of 
the  Patriarchs  Militant  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  in  the  department  of  the  Atlantic.  Mr. 
Hutchinson  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  The  Oneida 
Historical  Society,  of  which  the  late  Hon.  Horatio 
Seymour  was  President  from  its  founding  in  the 
year  1876  until  his  death.  During  this  period  he 
was  First  Vice-President  and  acting  President  of 
the  society,  and  is  one  of  the  Board  of  Councillors, 
and  at  present  holds  the  same  positions.  He  has 
delivered  several  addresses  before  the  society  upon 
subjects  relating  to  the  early  history  of  the  Mohawk 
Valley,  and  was  a  member  of  the  committee  of  five 
who  selected  the  design  and  erected  the  monument 
commemorating  the  Battle  of  Oriskan}",  August  6, 
1777.  He  is  also  a  corresponding  member  of  a  num- 
ber of  historical  societies.  For  many  years  he  has 
devoted  a  portion  of  his  leisure  to  the  studies  of 
ethnology,  history,  and   allied  subjects,  and  his 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


239 


library  is  large  and  valuable  in  rare  books,  in  both 
English  and  foreign  languages.    One  of  his  favorite 
subjects  of  stud}-  is  Indianology,  particularly  relat- 
•  ing  to  the  Iroquois  or  tribes  of  the  Six  Nations.  His 
cabinet  of  Indian  curios  and  relics  is  one  of  the 
most  noted  in  the  State,  and  was  exhibited  at  the 
Bartholdi  Exhibition  in  New  York,  at  the  Albany 
Bi-Centennial,  and  at  the  International  Fair  in 
1888,  held  at  Buffalo.   Mr.  Hutchinson,  in  apprecia- 
tion of  the  warm  interest  he  has  taken  in  matters 
relating  to  the  condition  and  welfare  of  the  Iroquois, 
was  adopted   by  them,  and  given  the  name  of 
"  Gy-ant-wa-ka  "  (The  Cornplanter)  by  a  council  of 
the  Senecas,  on  their  reservation,  June  15,  1885. 
Among  the  corporate  positions  held  by  him,  was 
that  of  President  of  the  Utica  and  Mohawk  Bail- 
road  Company,  and  he  ultimately  bee  ame the  owner 
of  that  road.    He  is  also  President  of  the  Central 
New  York  Agricultural  Association,  and  is  a  Trus- 
tee of  the  Holland  Trust  Company  of  New  York 
City.    He    was   elected   a  vestryman  of  Trinity 
Church,  Utica,  in  the  year  1861,  and  warden  in  the 
year  1887.    This  church  is  one  of  the  oldest  Episco- 
pal churches  in  the  western  part  of  this  State,  hav- 
ing been  organized  May  24,  A.D.,1803,  and  incor- 
porated August  14,  1804.    He  is  largely  interested 
in  real  estate  and  the  manufacturing  interests  of 
the  city  of  his  residence,  and  is  sanguine  of  a  rapid 
and  prosperous  development  of  its  great  natural  re- 
sources in  the  near  future.    Mr.  Hutchinson  was 
married  October  9,  1851,  by  the  Bt.  Rev.  Thomas 
M.  Clark,  the  present  bishop  of  Bhode  Island,  to 
Miss  Laura  Clark  Beckwith,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
the  late  Alonzo  S.  Beckwith,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut.    She  died  April  11,  1883, 
leaving  no  children.    Mrs.  Hutchinson  was  active 
and  generous  in  all  charitable  works,  and  her  sister 
and  herself  were  the  "  two  founders "  of  that  be- 
nevolent institution  "  The  House  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd" whose  mission  is  the  care  of  little  children. 
Mr.  Hutchinson's  father,  Holmes  Hutchinson,  was 
an  eminent  civil  engineer,  and  was  a  son  of  Ama- 
ziah  Hutchinson  and  Elizabeth  Mack.  He  was  born 
at  Genoa,  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  January  5, 
1794,  and  removed  to  Utica  in  the  year  1819,  and 
was  almost  constantly  employed   as  an  engineer 
upon  the  Erie  Canal  and  its  enlargement,  and  other 
canals  of  the  State  from  that  date  until  1835,  when 
he  was  appointed  Chief  Engineer  of  the  middle  di- 
vision, which  position  he  held  until  the  year  1841. 
During  this  period  he  made  the  maps  and  surveys 
of  the  Erie  Canal  from  Canastota  to  the  Hudson 
Biver,  also  of  the  Black  River,  Cayuga,  Crooked 
Lake,  Chemung  and  Seneca  Canals,  the  Glens  Falls 
Feeder,  and  the  Rochester  Aqueduct,  also  of  a  pro- 


posed canal  on  Long  Island,  uniting  Jamaica  Bay 
with  Rockaway  Inlet.    His  report,  dated  March, 
1826,  says  "that  constructing  nine  miles  of  canal 
through  the  inland  bays  form  a  continuous  naviga- 
tion from  Sag  Harbor  to  the  city  of  New  York,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  miles  "  and  he 
recommended  its  construction.     In  L889,  after  a 
lapse  of  sixty-three  years,  this  project  has  again 
been  brought  into  prominence.    In  the  year  1825  he 
was  engaged  as  Chief  Engineer  by  the  Connecticut 
River  Company  upon  the  recommendation  of  Gov- 
ernor De  Witt  Clinton  of  New  York  to  survey  a 
route  of  water  communication  from  Barnet,  in  the 
State  of  Vermont,  to  the  city  of  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  nineteen  miles. 
Upon  receiving  his  report  the  Directors  of  the  com- 
pany by  resolution  said  "  that  Mr.  Hutchinson  has 
fully  justified  their  high  wrought  anticipations."  In 
tin-  year  1826  he  was  appointed  by  the  authorities  of 
the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
construction  of  the  Blackstone  Canal  from  Worces- 
ter, Massachusetts,  to  the  city  of  Providence.  In 
1828  lie  was  Chief  Engineer  of  the  construction  of 
the  Oxford  and  Cumberland  Canal  in  the  State  of 
Maine.  He  married,  February  15,  1824,  Maria  Abeel 
Webster,  the  second  daughter  of  Joshua  Webster, 
M.D.,  of  Fort  Plain,  New  York,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  among  the  early  physicians  of  the 
Moha  wk  Valley.    Doctor  Webster  was  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Thomas  Webster  of  Ipswich,  England, 
and  was  a  sou  of  John  Webster,  of  Scarboro,  in  the 
State  of  Maine.    He  was  surgeon  of  the  One  hun- 
dred and  thirty-eighth  Regiment  New  York  State 
Volunteers  during  the  War  of  1812,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature  in  the  year  1822.  Doc- 
tor Webster   married  Catharine   Wagner,  whose 
mother  was  the  (laughter  of  John  Abeel,  the  Indian 
trader,  whose  father,  Johannes  Abeel,  resided  in 
Albany,  ami  was  Recorder  and  Mayor  of  thai  city 
during  the  years  1694  and  1695  and  also  during  1709 
and  1710.    He  was  also  one  of  the  Commissioners  of 
Indian  Affairs  from  the  years  1706  to  1710.  Mrs. 
Webster's  grandfather  was   Colonel  Johan  Peter 
Wagner,  who,  with  William  Fox,  had  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  first  two  of  the  Palatinates  who 
settled  in  the  Mohawk  Valley  easterly  of  the  Garoga 
Creek,  in  the  town  of  Palatine,  in  the  year  1723. 
The  Colonel's  oldest  son,  also  Johan  Peter,  was  a 
member  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  during  the  Re- 
volution, and  was  Lieutenant-Colonel  in  the  regi- 
ment of  Colonel  Cox,  at  the  battle  of  Oriskany, 
August  6,  1777,  in  which  battle  two  of  his  sons,  Jo- 
han Georgand  Johan  Jost,  and  live  members  of  the 
Wagner  family  were  also  engaged.    After  General 
Herkimer  was  wounded   and   Colonel  Ebenezer 


240 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


Cox  was  killed,  tradition  says  that  Colonel  Wagner 
took  command  of  the  brigade,  which  resulted  in  the 
victory  so  decisive  for  the  American  forces.  Mr. 
Hutchinson  was  prominent  in  many  of  the  early  en- 
terprises in  the  State  ;  was  one  of  the  original  Di- 
rectors of  the  Syracuse  and  Utica  Railroad,  also  of 
the  Lake  Ontario  Steamboat  Company,  also  of  the 
Bank  of  Utica  and  other  corporations,  and  was  for 
some  years  the  President  of  the  Syracuse  and  Os- 
wego Railroad.  He  was  quiet  in  his  demeanor  and 
courteous  in  speech  and  manner,  and  all  who  were 
brought  into  contact  with  him  accorded  him  their 
respect  and  esteem,  and  acknowledged  his  high 
sense  of  honor  and  scrupulous  integrity.  He  died 
suddenly  at  his  residence  in  the  city  of  Utica,  Feb- 
ruary 21, 1865,  aged  seventy-one  years.  The  records 
and  traditions  of  the  Hutchinson  family  are  that 
"the  founder  of  this  old  family  is  traced  back  to 
the  tenth  century  and  came  from  Cranborg  in  the 
Danish  Island  of  Zealand,  with  Harold  Harefoot, 
and  he  was  then  designated  in  Latin  "  Uitonensis" 
meaning  a  native  of  Witton.  The  family  settled  in 
England  at  or  near  Middleham,  in  the  Bishopric  of 
Durham,  and  they  were  free  tenants  of  the  Prince 
Bishops  of  that  manor,  particularly  Cornforth  and 
Humb'er  Knowles,  after  the  Conquest.  Eleazar 
Hutchinson,  the  ancestor  of  this  branch  of  the 
family,  came  to  America  in  the  year  1633,  and  after- 
wards settled  at  Lebanon,  now  Andover,  Connecti- 
cut. There  were  four  of  this  name  in  direct  de- 
scent. Eleazar  the  second  married  Ruth  Long. 
They  had  seven  children,  Amaziah,  the  father  of 
Holmes  Hutchinson,  being  the  third  son,  who  was 
born  December  14,  1762.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Mack  March  30,  1791.  They  had  teu  children, 
Holmes  being  the  second  son.  His  mother's  grand- 
mother was  Sybella  Browne,  the  only  daughter  of 
Sir  John  Browne,  Viscount  Montaigne,  of  London- 
derry, Ireland,  who  married  John  Mack,  who,  with 
his  wife  and  William,  his  son,  came  from  the  town 
of  Armagh  to  America  in  the  year  1732,  and  settled 
at  Londonderry,  New  Hampshire. 


JONES,  HON.  WILLIAM  MARTIN,  an  eminent 
lawyer  of  Rochester,  prominent  for  many  years 
as  a  leading  worker  in  the  cause  of  temperance, 
and  in  1888  the  candidate  of  the  Prohibition  party 
for  the  office  of  Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
was  born  in  Onondaga  County,  New  York,  July  24, 
1841.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  P.  and  Lodoiska 
Jones.  The  former,  who  died  in  1880,  was  a  native 
of  South  Wales,  and  belonged  to  an  old  and  highly 
respected  family  of  one  of  the  most  historically  in- 


teresting and  picturesque  sections  of  that  country. 
In  crossing  the  ocean,  when  quite  a  young  man,  he 
left  behind  him  family,  friends  and  position.  Never- 
theless he  retained  a  deep  affection  for  the  land  of 
his  birth,  and  recrossed  the  Atlantic  several  times 
to  visit  the  old  homestead.  Mrs.  Jones,  the  mother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  at  Crown 
Point,  New  York,  and  is  still  living.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Butler  family,  so  well  known  in  local  and 
historical  annals.  Her  grandfather  was  a  Colonel 
in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones 
were  people  of  intelligence  and  integrity.  From 
them  their  son  inherited  no  wealth — as  they  pos- 
sessed little  of  this  world's  goods — but  he  did  inherit 
from  them  that  high  moral  character,  unyielding 
fixity  of  purpose  and  manly  perseverance,  which, 
with  maturity  and  opportunity,  have  brought  him  a 
competence,  distinguished  social  position,  and  en- 
viable honors.  He  was  a  young  child  when  his 
parents  removed  from  his  birthplace  to  Monroe 
County,  and  a  boy  of  tender  years  when  they  made  a 
second  removal,  to  Knowlesville,  in  Orleans  County. 
When  but  seven  years  of  age  he  was  prostrated  by 
a  severe  attack  of  scarlet  fever,  and  the  robust  con- 
stitution he  inherited  from  a  long  line  of  sturdy  an- 
cestors was  so  shattered  by  the  inroads  of  this 
disease,  and  an  accident  that  occurred  about  the 
same  time,  that  until  his  thirteenth  year  his  physi- 
cal condition  was  the  source  of  constant  anxiety  to 
his  affectionate  and  devoted  parents.  When  health 
permitted,  he  attended  the  village  school,  and,  so 
far  from  failing  to  take  advantage  of  his  limited  op- 
portunities, regretted  that  they  were  not  greater. 
He  also  followed  the  practice,  usual  among  village 
boys,  of  doing  odd  jobs  for  whatever  reasonable 
compensation  the  employment  would  bring,  and, 
neglecting  no  opportunity  of  adding  to  his  small 
earnings,  was  from  time  to  time  employed  at  wages 
which,  compared  with  what  boys  receive  for  ser- 
vices these  days,  were  marvelously  small.  As  he 
sometimes  laughingly  asserts,  he  held  a  "  Govern- 
ment position  "  before  he  was  out  of  his  teens.  It 
was  indeed,  an  humble  one,  but  he  discharged  its 
duties — carrying  the  United  States  mail  on  his 
back,  twice  a  day,  from  the  village  post  office  to 
the  railroad  station,  a  mile  distant — with  punctual- 
ity and  fidelity,  being  cheered  in  his  task  by  the 
thought  that  the  money  which  its  performance 
brought  him  and  which  he  was  saving  carefully, 
was  so  much  toward  enabling  him  to  secure  the 
higher  education  which  he  craved.  At  the  village 
school  he  not  only  made  his  mark  as  a  pupil,  but  so- 
impressed  the  trustees  with  his  ability  to  teach,  that, 
having  dismissed  the  former  instructor,  they  offered 
the  place  to  him.    But  he  was  desirous  of  securing 


CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


24I 


a  thoroughly  classical  education,  and  being  warmly 
seconded  in  his  views  by  his  parents,  who  had  made 
and  were  still  willing  to  make  sacrifices  in  his  be- 
half, he  respectfully  declined  the  flattering  offer, 
and  soon  after  entered  the  Albion  Academy,  where 
he  began  to  fit  himself  for  admission  to  Yale  Col- 
lege. He  had  been  but  a  year  in  this  excellent 
school,  when,  on  invitation,  he  accepted  a  position 
in  it  as  assistant  teacher,  and  was  engaged  with  his 
classes  when  the  Civil  War  opened.  He  finished 
his  preparation  for  college  at  a  preparatory  school 
in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  but  never  entered  col- 
lege. Two  of  his  older  brothers  were  among  the 
first  who  responded  to  the  call  for  volunteers  in  the 
defense  of  the  Union,  and  it  was  not  a  great  while 
before  he  himself  was  mingling  in  scenes  and 
events  which  have  entered  into  the  history  of  his 
country.  He  became  acquainted  with  Major-Gen- 
eral Edwin  D.  Morgan,  "  The  War  Governor"  of 
New  York,  soon  after  his  election  to  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States,  and  for  two  years  Mr.  Jones  was 
with  him  in  Washington  as  his  Private  Secretary. 
Mr.  Jones  was  introduced  at  the  Government  De- 
partments by  the  eminent  Senator,  with  the  request 
that  he  should  be  accorded  the  same  privileges  and 
courtesies  when,  he  called,  as  the  Senator  himself. 
These  duties  brought  Mr.  Jones  into  more  or  less  in- 
timate relations  with  the  great  men  who  figured  in 
the  stirring  scenes  of  those  days,  and  he  still  cher- 
ishes many  pleasant  reminiscences  of  personal  con- 
tact with  such  men  as  President  Lincoln,  Secretary 
Seward,  Secretary  Stanton,  Secretary  Chase  and 
other  distinguished  characters  of  that  epoch.  His 
acquaintance  with  Secretary-  Seward  ripened  into 
intimacy,  and  after  the  adjournment  of  Congress  in 
18(>4,  he  filled  the  position  of  Private  Secretary  to 
William  H.  Seward  and  his  son,  Frederick  A.  Sew- 
ard, in  the  Department  of  State  for  several  weeks, 
and  until  his  efficiency  won  for  him  the  promotion 
to  the  post  of  Chief  Clerk  of  the  Consular  Bureau. 
One  who  knew  him  at  this  period  of  his  life  writes : 

''A  position  of  such  magnitude  at  such  a  critical 
time,  brought  a  discipline  to  the  boy  still  pushing  for 
a  college  course,  which  has  been  invaluable  during 
his  subsequent  life.  His  youth,  coupled  witli  his 
anxious  desire  to  meet  all  the  requirements  of  this 
high  position,  which  had  theretofore  always  been 
filled  by  men  of  greater  age  and  wider  experience, 
told  heavily  upon  his  strength.  Many  a  time  he 
counted  the  strokes  of  the  old  State  Department 
clock  as  they  indicated  the  hour  of  midnight,  or  one 
or  two  in  the  morning,  while  he  sat  by  his  desk 
writing  official  despatches  containing  instructions  to 
go  by  the  morning's  mail,  to  Government  Consuls, 
located  nearly  all  over  the  world,  watching  rebel 
blockade  runners,  and  guarding  the  interests  of  our 
nation  under  alien  skies." 

In  1866,  the  war  ended,  and  wearied  out  with  hard 


[  work,  and  a  severe  attack  of  typhoid  fever,  Mr. 
Jones  resigned  his  position,  and  was  immediately 
appointed  by  President  Johnson  to  be  United  States 
Consul  at  Clifton,  Canada,  which  appointment  was 
promptly  confirmed  by  the  Senate.  By  this  lime  ii 
had  become  necessary  for  him  to  relinquish  his 
cherished  hope,  that  of  a  thorough  classical  course 
at  college,  but  he  had  enjoyed  opportunities  and  ad- 
vantages which  went  far  to  compensate  him  for  that 
loss.  He  bore  with  him  to  his  new  position  the 
heartiest  expressions  of  confidence  and  esteem,  from 
the  heads  of  the  different  departments  of  Govern- 
ment, and  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  al- 
though the  youngest  and  most  inexperienced  man 
who  had  ever  held  the  position  he  then  vacated,  he 
bad  performed  its  duties  faithfully  and  to  the  ap- 
proval of  the  eminent  statesman  who,  more  than 
any  other  man  aside  from  the  President  himself, 
had  shaped  the  policy  of  the  administration  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  during  the  trying  ordeal  of  the 
Southern  Rebellion.  Mr.  Jones  remained  in  the 
Consulship  at  Clifton  exactly  five  years,  and  until 
1871.  During  the  comparative  leisure  of  these  five 
years  he  read  law,  and  upon  his  retirement  from  of- 
fice, established  himself,  at  Rochester,  New  York, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  He  soon  demonstrated  his 
ability  as  a  lawyer  and  in  a  few  years  rose  to  a 
position  of  eminence  among  his  colleagues.  His 
practice  increased  in  proportion  as  his  reputation 
rose,  and  is  to-day  one  of  the  best  in  the  city.  His 
offices  at  Rochester  are  models  of  convenience  and 
are  well  supplied  with  an  extensive  law  library,  and 
the  most  competent  assistants.  Mr.  Jones  is  by  na- 
ture an  idtra  and  aggressive  temperance  man. 
From  his  infancy  he  has  been  a  total  abstainer.  Be 
became  a  Cadet  of  Temperance  at  the  age  of  ten 
years,  and  later  in  life  joined  the  Sous  of  Temper- 
ance. In  1867  he  entered  the  Order  of  Good  Tem- 
plars, and  two  years  later  was  a  delegate  at  the 
session  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  that  organization  held 
at  Rochester.  Since  that  time  he  has  attended 
nearly  every  session  of  that  body,  and  many  ses- 
sions of  the  Right  Worthy  Grand  Lodge,  the  Inter- 
national body  of  which  he  is  now  the  Treasurer, 
Mr.  Jones  has  never  sought  official  standing  in  the 
Order,  but  his  eminent  personal  worth  and  earnest 
services  have  been  honored  by  his  election  to  fill 
some  of  the  highest  positions  in  its  power  to  bestow. 
In  187!)  he  was  elected  Grand  Counselor  of  New 
York,  and  three  months  afterwards  succeeded  to 
the  office  of  Grand  Chief  Templar,  (his  predecessor, 
Andrew  S.  Draper,  having  resigned  to  take  his  seat 
in  the  New  York  State  Legislature,)  and  was  re- 
elected to  the  office  four  consecutive  years.  In  1885, 


242 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


at  the  annual  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  held  at 
Schenectady,  he  was  renominated  for  the  sixth  term 
by  acclamation,  but  peremptorily  declined,  to  the 
great  sorrow  of  the  hundreds  of  delegates  present. 
As  an  influential  member  of  the  Grand  and  Right 
Worthy  Grand  Lodges,  he  has  been  instrumental  in 
advancing  and  in  seeing  successfully  carried  for- 
ward, plans  for  the  benefit  of  the  Order,  all  over  the 
world.  The  Official  Organ,  a  monthly  publication 
of  the  Order  of  Good  Templars  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  was  established  and  edited  by  him  from  his 
offices  in  Rochester,  from  1881  to  1885.  Mr.  Jones 
has  always  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions.  A 
rigid  observer  all  his  life  of  the  triple  pledge — for- 
swearing liquor,  tobacco  and  profanity — he  believed 
for  many  years  that  the  interests  of  temperance 
could  be  best  subserved  by  moral  suasion  and  the 
support  received  from  the  Republican  party — the 
party  for  which  he  had  thrown  his  first  vote,  and  in 
which,  after  years  of  earnest  effort  in  advocacy  of 
its  principles,  lie  had  achieved  a  certain  degree  of 
prominence.  After  the  failure  of  the  Republican 
party  to  redeem  pledges  made  at  the  Richfield 
Springs  Convention  in  1882,  he  became  convinced 
that  the  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic  could  not  be 
obtained  through  this  party  under  its  dominant 
management.  He  then  threw  the  weight  of  his  in- 
fluence and  support  into  the  Third  Party  movement, 
and  as  one  of  its  unflinching  members  ran  for  office 
on  its  tickets  at  a  time  when  to  do  so  was  to  invite 
only  ridicule  and  persecution.  In  1885  he  received 
the  Prohibition  party  nomination  for  Attorney-Gen- 
eral of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  had  already 
commended  himself  highly  to  Prohibitionists  through 
his  remarkable  success  in  hundreds  of  suits  he  had 
conducted  in  the  State;  and  his  nomination  by  ac- 
clamation at  one  of  the  largest  temperance  conven- 
tions ever  assembled^  was  hailed  with  delight  by 
friends  of  the  cause  everywhere.  His  letter  of  ac- 
ceptance was  a  document  of  strength  and  effective- 
ness. It  was  also  a  reply  to  an  invitation  from  a 
so-called  Temperance  Assembby  to  the  State  Com- 
mittee, asking  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Jones,  on  the 
ground  that  the  Republican  party  had  nominated  a 
temperance  man  for  Attorney-General,  and  that  Mr. 
Jones'  vote  would  endanger  his  prospects  for  an 
election.  In  it  he  declared  that  he  had  never 
sought  preferment  in  the  party  and  now  accepted 
the  nomination  offered  him,  simply  from  a  sense  of 
duty.  The  closing  paragraph  of  this  letter  has  the 
true  ring  of  earnestness  and  reform,  and  is  here 
quoted  as  an  eloquent  exposition  of  the  views  of  its 
writer: 

"Recognizing  the  fact,  as  I  believe  all  members 
of  the  Prohibition  party  do,  that  to  the  rum  traffic 


and  its  surrounding  influences,  is  due  a  very  large 
percentage  of  the  crimes  that  are  visited  upon  com- 
munities, I  believe  that  the  extermination  of  such 
iniquity  will  be  accomplished  in  this  State  and 
Nation  only  through  thoroughly  organized  State 
and  National  political  effort.  The  party  that  seeks 
the  accomplishment  of  this  purpose  is  not  by  any 
means  a  new  one,  although  it  comes  before  the  peo- 
ple of  the  present  generation  under  a  new  name.  It 
is  the  party  that  has  bared  its  breast  to  the  foe  for 
more  than  two  thousand  years  in  the  defense  of  the 
principles  of  right  and  justice  and  of  the  homes  of 
the  people.  It  is  true  it  has  met  with  reverses,  but 
it  has  been  victorious  in  the  end.  It  was  that  party 
that  stood  in  the  pass  at  Thermopylae,  and.  although 
there  was  scarcely  one  left  to  tell  the  story,  that  bat- 
tle was  not  a  lost  battle  :  but  it  has  borne  fruit 
through  the  generations  that  followed  it,  and  is  yet 
bearing  fruit  to  the  people  of  the  world.  Many  bat- 
tles have  been  lost  that  we  feel  ought  to  have  been 
won.  Much  precious  blood  has  been  spilled  that 
seemed  to  bring  no  recompense.  And  man}-  valua- 
ble lives  have  gone  down  in  gloom  that  in  our  phil- 
osophy we  feef  ought  to  have  set  in  an  effulgence  of 
glory.  But  those  battles  have  not  been  fought  in 
vain.  That  precious  blood  has  not  been  allowed  to 
be  wasted.  And  those  lives  that  have  passed  under 
clouds  here  have  only  disappeared  temporarily  to 
rise  where  clouds  will  never  obscure  the  heavenly 
light  that  will  encircle  them  through  an  eternity.  I 
j  count  it  nothing  to  stand  in  the  pass  at  Thermopy- 
i  lae,  and  to  go  down  fighting  for  the  cause  of  humau- 
ity.  And  although  I  may  be  first  to  fall  in  the  strug- 
gle that  is  going  on  in  the  imperial  State  of  New 
York  to-day  in  the  defense  of  the  homes  of  our 
commonwealth,  I  shall,  if  it  be  thought  to  be  my 
duty,  regard  it  a  pleasure  to  hold  up  the  standard  of 
the  party  of  the  people  and  to  pass  it  on  to  those 
that  shall  follow  me,  unstained  by  any  act  of  dis- 
honor or  tainted  with  selfish  or  ambitious  purposes. 
Whether  it  shall  be  deemed  wise  that  I  shall  continue 
J  to  aid  in  carrying  the  banner  for  prohibition  in  the 
great  State  of  New  York  during  the  campaign  of 
1885,  or  not,  will  not  change  in  the  remotest  my 
purpose  never  to  cease  the  contest  for  'God  and 
Home  and  Native  Land '  while  there  remains  a 
dramshop  between  the  oceans." 

Apart  from  his  prohibition  principles,  Mr.  Jones 
j  possessed  eminent  qualifications  for  the  office  of  At- 
torney-General. The  high  order  of  his  legal  attain- 
ments was  indisputable,  and  his  experience  covered 
a  wide  range.  Besides  this  he  was  well  known  all 
over  the  State,  was  personally  very  popular  and  his 
affiliations  were  absolutely  untainted.  All  of  which 
was  evident  from  the  fact  that  he  polled  a  vote  in  the 
campaign  which  represented  a  notable  accession  to 
the  ranks  of  his  party,  drawn  mainly  from  "the  bet- 
ter element"  of  his  fellow  citizens.  In  1888,  Mr. 
Jones  received  from  his  party  the  distinguished 
honor  of  the  nomination  for  Governor  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  In  the  campaign  which  followed — 
one  of  the  most  spirited  political  contests  ever  waged 
in  the  State — Mr.  Jones  took  an  active  part  and  ad- 
dressed large  meetings  in  nearly  every  county  in  the 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


243 


State.  His  opponents  for  the  office  of  Governor 
were  Hon.  Warner  Miller,  the  Republican  candidate, 
who  made  a  lively  canvass  on  the  high  license  plat- 
form for  the  avowed  purpose,  as  he  stated  after  the 
election  was  over,  of  keeping  dowu  the  prohibition 
vote  ;  and  Governor  David  B.  Hill,  the  successful 
candidate  of  the  Democratic  party  for  re-election, 
who  made  an  equally  energetic  canvass  of  the  State, 
on  the  old  Democratic  anti-sumptuary  platform. 
Mr.  Jones,  whose  enthusiastic  support  of  true  tem- 
perance principles  had  endeared  him  to  many  of  the 
best  citizens  of  the  State,  polled  thirty  thousand 
two  hundred  and  fifteen  votes,  running  ahead  of  the 
National  ticket.  This  flattering  endorsement  proved 
not  only  the  strength  of  the  principles  for  which  he 
stood  the  principal  standard  bearer  in  the  State,  but 
also  the  high  appreciation  of  his  personal  fitness  for 
the  executive  office  entertained  by  some  of  the  most 
worthy  citizens  of  the  State.  On  July  5,  1871,  Mr. 
Jones  married  Miss  Gertrude  M.  Nicholls,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Abram  Nicholls,  of  Monroe  County,  New 
York,  who  died  when  she  was  a  child.  After  sev- 
eral months  of  travel  in  Europe  and  different  sec- 
tions of  the  United  States,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones 
settled  in  Rochester,  where  they  have  since  resided. 
Mrs.  Jones  is  a  lady  of  education  and  refinement  as 
well  as  a  woman  of  great  kindness  of  heart,  and  is  a 
worthy  helpmeet  of  a  worthy  husband.  Four  chil- 
dren have  blessed  this  marriage,  of  whom  three  sur- 
vive :  two  boys  and  a  girl.  Mr.  Jones'  character  has 
been  admirably  summed  up  in  the  following  para- 
graph which  is  quoted  from  the  Good  Templars' 
Gem,  published  in  New  York  some  ten  years  ago. 
It  is  from  the  pen  of  a  gentleman  now  high  in  offi- 
cial position  in  New  York  State: 

"W.  Martin  Jones  is  one  of  nature's  noblemen. 
He  has  opinions,  and  he  utters  them;  he  forms  con- 
victions and  he  stands  by  them.  He  never  hedges 
or  trims  for  the  sake  of  policy  or  expediency,  but  he 
never  forgets  to  be  a  gentleman.  He  is  a  model 
husband  and  father.  He  is  an  .able  lawyer,  with  a 
large  practice,  but  he  gives  his  time  liberally  and 
uses  all  his  force  and  strength  of  character  to  pro- 
mote the  interests  of  our  Order  and  advance  the 
cause  of  temperance  as  a  matter  of  principle  and 
duty." 


EVANS,  HON.  ISAAC  J.,  County  Judge  of  Oneida 
County,  and  a  prominent  citizen  and  lawyer 
of  Rome,  New  York,  was  born  at  Oriskany, 
Oneida  County,  New  York,  July  20,  1853.  His 
parents.  William  and  Jane  Evans,  natives  of  Wales, 
are  still  living  and  are  among  the  most  respected 
residents  of  Rome,  in  which  city  his  three  brothers 
also  reside.    One  of  the  latter,  Edwin  Evans,  M.D. 


is  a  prominent  practitioner  of  medicine  in  that  city. 
(See  following  biography.)  Another,  David  G. 
Evans,  was  a  member  of  the  New  York  State 
Assembly  in  1881,  and  the  third,  Griffith  Evans,  is  a 
prosperous  merchant.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  educated  at  Whitestown  Seminary,  in  Whites- 
town,  New  York,  one  of  the  first  institutions  for 
classical  training  in  this  State.  Later,  he  received 
instruction  for  some  time  at  Cornell  University. 
He  was  an  earnest,  diligent  and  careful  student, 
and  his  close  application  and  eager  search  for 
knowledge  led  him,  at  this  early  age,  to  lose  no 
opportunity  for  advancement,  but  to  sound  the  full 
gamut  of  the  subjects  he  sought  to  master.  From 
his  youth,  lie  had  shown  a  marked  predilection  for 
the  legal  profession.  His  instincts  naturally  bent 
to  this  pursuit.  Consequently,  in  1874  he  began  the 
regular  course  of  study  at  the  Albany  Law  School. 
At  the  end  of  two  years  he  was  graduated  with  the 
usual  diploma  His  brief  professional  life  has 
demonstrated  how  deeply,  broadly  and  solidly  he 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  discipline  in  the  princi- 
ples of  the  law.  When  admitted  to  the  bar,  Mr. 
Evans  brought  to  his  chosen  profession  all  the 
requisites  of  a  jurist.  Selecting  Rome  as  the  field 
for  his  labors,  he  opened  an  office  in  that  city,  and 
applied  himself  with  diligence  to  all  kinds  of  legal 
work.  "  It  was  not  long,"  says  a  contemporary 
writer,  "  before  his  extraordinary  abilities  and  re- 
markable talents  were  observed  and  appreciated. 
Clients  came  to  him  and  a  lucrative  practice  was 
soon  acquired  "  His  keen  legal  acumen  found 
chance  to  assert  itself.  Conjoined  with  his  grace 
of  person,  his  fluency  and  charm  of  speech,  his 
adaptability  to  forensic  discussion  and  his  breadth 
of  learning, — it  won  him  exceptional  recognition. 
His  practice  in  a  few  years  extended  to  all  parts  of 
the  county  and  the  young  lawyer  became  rated 
among  the  foremost  members  of  the  Oneida  bar. 
In  1883  he  was  honored  by  the  Republicans  with 
the  nomination  for  Special  Judge  of  Oneida  County 
— his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  bench  being  admitted 
by  all.  He  was  elected  by  a  handsome  majority, 
and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  on  the  1st 
day  of  January,  1884.  Rarely  has  one  so  young 
been  called  upon  to  assume  such  onerous  duties  as 
it  became  his  lot  to  perform.  His  senior  on  the 
bench,  County  Judge  William  B.  Sutton,  being 
unavoidably  absent  through  illness  for  the  greater 
portion  of  two  3rears,  during  that  entire  period  the 
duties  of  this  official  devolved  upon  Mr.  Evans,  in 
addition  to  his  own.  This  trying  task  he  performed 
with  signal  ability  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
people  of  the  county,  who  were  warm  in  their  com- 
mendation of  his  judicial  fairness  and  impartiality. 


244 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


His  former  colleagues  at  the  bar  acknowledged  his 
high  talent  as  a  lawgiver,  and  approved  his  fidelity, 
characteristic  energy,  sound  analysis,  and  careful 
discrimination.  Before  his  elevation  to  the  bench, 
he  had  already  made  a  reputation  as  a  successful 
trial  lawyer.  In  the  fall  of  188G,  with  the  warmth 
of  unquestioned  confidence,  his  friends  pressed  Ids 
name  forward  in  the  Republican  Count}*  Conven- 
tion as  that  of  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  County 
Judge  of  Oneida  Count}'.  His  rival  in  the  conven- 
tion for  the  nomination  was  the  Hon.  William  A. 
Matteson,  of  Utica,  New  York — at  that  time  the 
popular  and  efficient  District  Attorney  of  the 
County — over  whom  he  was  successful.  The  oppos- 
ing candidate — the  Democratic  nominee — was  the 
Hon.  Alexander  T.  Goodwin,  of  Utica.  On  the  day 
of  election,  Mr.  Evans  went  to  the  polls  witli  the 
approval  of  hundreds  of  the  best  citizens  of  both 
the  leading  political  parties,  and  when  the  ballots 
were  counted  and  the  result  declared,  it  was  found 
that  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  eleven  hundred 
and  eighty-seven  votes  over  his  able  and  popular 
opponent.  This  was  flattering  preferment,  for  Mr. 
Evans  was  at  that  time  only  thirty-three  years  of 
age.  The  victory  was  all  the  more  remarkable 
from  the  fact  that  he  received  a  plurality  of  seven 
hundred  and  sixty-four  votes  in  the  city  of  Rome, 
where  he  resides,  while  at  the  preceding  election, 
John  D.  McMahon,  the  Democratic  nominee  for 
Recorder,  was  chosen  over  a  strong  Republican 
opponent  by  a  plurality  of  over  nine  hundred  votes, 
and  the  city  is  naturally  Democratic  by  nearly  five 
hundred  votes.  On  January  1,  1887,  Mr.  Evans 
dunned  the  judicial  ermine,  and  has  worn  it  with 
becoming  modesty,  rare  tact,  wise  and  sound  dis- 
cretion, ever  since.  Judge  Evans'  admirable  ad- 
ministration of  the  Oneida  County  Judgeship  has 
greatly  strengthened  the  already  high  estimation  in 
which  his  talents  and  abilities  were  held.  ''His 
ready  and  clean  analysis  of  questions  of  extreme 
nicety  and  difficult  problems  of  law  have  won  him 
the  golden  opinions  of  the  bar  "  of  Oneida  County, 
while  bis  graceful  personal  characteristics,  cour- 
tesy, forbearance,  and  patience  have  earned  him 
the  meed  of  popular  praise  and  appreciation.  In 
his  judicial  capacity,  his  decisions  are  embodiments 
of  his  learning,  his  tireless  research,  close  analysis 
and  logical  application  of  precedents.  He  is  famil- 
iar with  the  rules  of  American  and  English  juris- 
prudence. He  is  an  explorer  of  the  authorities. 
He  pioneers  for  principles,  and  seeks  the  beginning 
and  the  foundation  upon  which  to  base  and  build 
an  opinion.  He  is  possessed  of  fine  sensibilities 
and  is  totally  lacking  in  arbitrariness  or  that 
ostentation  which    so   ill   befits  judicial  incum- 


bency. Apropos  of  these  comments  upon  the 
ability  and  fitness  which  has  been  displayed 
by  Judge  Evans  on  the  bench  in  Oneida  County, 
it  is  no  small  tribute  to  the  estimation  in 
which  the  advocates  and  citizens  hold  his  high 
and  deserving  qualities  and  his  ready,  correct 
and  decisive  disposal  of  ambiguous  and  perplexing 
legal  problems,  that  he  has  been  on  many  occasions 
called  into  other  counties  of  the  State  to  preside  at 
important  trials.  Notably  among  these  was  the 
trial  of  Alonzo  Bradt,  at  Johnstown,  Fulton  County, 
New  York,  for  manslaughter  in  the  first  degree  in 
killing  one  Lyman  Shaul,  in  October,  1887 ;  and 
that  of  Captain  David  Boyd,  at  Oswego  in  January, 
1890,  for  a  similar  charge,  in  killing  Lorenzo  Hayes, 
at  Mexico,  Oswego  County,  in  September,  1889.  In 

|  each  of  these  cases  and  in  all  others  which  it  has 

j  been  his  province  to  try  outside  of  the  county 
of  his  home,  he  has  added  new  laurels  and  gained 
new  lustre.  His  equitable  rulings,  and  his  un- 
biased and  impartial  manner  were  noted  with  pleas- 
ure and  admiration.  The  press  gave  him  the  un- 
sought honor  of  very  complimentary  and  eulogistic 
articles,  while  the  bar  of  each  of  these  several  coun- 
ties has  extended  to  him  the  unusual  plaudit :  "  He 

I  is  typical  in  every  sense  of  the  office  he  represents." 
For  a  number  of  years,  Judge  Evans  has  been  the 
senior  member  and  head  of  the  well  known  law 
firm  of  Evans,  Watters  &  Olney,  of  Borne.  His 
associates  in  this  firm — Thomas  E.  Watters,  Esq., 
and  James  P.  Olney,  Esq., — are  lawyers  of  ac- 
knowledged character  and  ability  and  hold  positions 
among  the  brightest  and  ablest  members  of  the 
Oneida  bar.  The  practice  of  this  firm  extends  far 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  county.  Judge  Evans 
is  a  man  of  scholarly  tastes,  a  dilettante,  and  an  earn- 

j  est  student  of  the  classics.  He  has  a  fine  library, 
both  general  and  professional.  A  great  portion  of 
his  time,  not  occupied  by  judicial  duties,  is  spent 
in  the  cloisters  of  his  study,  in  the  perusal  of  the 
works  of  the  most  chaste  and  refined  authors.  In 
personality.  Judge  Evans  is  a  pleasing  figure.  His 
stature  is  above  the  medium.  He  is  solidly  built, 
of  good  height,  and  of  erect  carriage.  His  fine 
physique  is  set  off  by  a  handsome  face — of  the  an- 
tique mould — with  firm  chin,  aquiline  nose,  mas- 

;  sive  brow,  and  dark  gray  eyes.  His  hair  is  black 
and  abundant.  His  face  is  adorned  with  a  dark 
mustache.  Judge  Evans  wTas  married  on  April  7, 
1880,  to  Miss  Ella  S.  Williams,  of  Verona,  who  died 
February  15,  1883,  leaving  one  son,  the  fruit  of  their 
union,  who  is  now  in  school.  On  July  3,  1889, 
Judge  Evans  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  Elizabeth 
Fulton,  daughter  of  Alfred  Fulton,  of  Hogansburgh, 

I  New  York.    This  lady,  in  whom  all  the  virtues  of 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


245 


true  womanhood  were  personified,  died  very  sud- 
denly on  December  18,  1889,  while  her  husband 
was  engaged  in  holding  a  session  of  court  in  Utica. 
Her  loss  was  an  unexpected  and  severe  blow  to  her 
devoted  husband.  Judge  Evans  is  a  man  of  mod- 
erate habits,  and  his  private  life  is  exemplary.  He 
is  a  shrewd  politician,  but  not  an  offensive  partisan. 
He  is  very  sociable,  and,  therefore,  popular  with  all 
classes.  Undoubtedly,  he  has  not  yet  reached  the 
zenitli  of  his  professional  career. 


EVANS,  EDWIN,  M.D.,  a  prominent  citizen  and 
physician  of  Rome,  was  born  at  Whitestown, 
Oneida  County,  New  York,  March  25,  1845. 
His  parents  were  William  and  Jane  Evans,  natives 
of  Wales,  who  came  to  America  about  the  year 
1844.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  one  of  five 
children.  In  his  boyhood  he  made  excellent  use  of 
the  educational  facilities  of  his  native  place,  attend- 
ing first,  for  several  3'ears,  the  local  common  schools 
and  afterwards  finishing  his  course  at  the  White- 
stone  Seminary.  Becoming  interested  in  medicine 
through  the  perusal  of  some  popular  medical  books, 
he  decided  to  enter  that  profession,  and  in  18(57, 
matriculated  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  New  York  City.  His  scientific  studies 
proved  extremely  congenial,  and  his  progress  was 
so  rapid  that  in  1870  he  was  graduated  with  honor, 
and  received  the  degree  and  diploma  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  After  familiarizing  himself  with  the 
actual  treatment  of  disease  by  a  brief  sojourn  at  the 
various  New  York  hospitals,  he  began  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Home,  New  York, 
where  he  has  continued  to  reside  up  to  the  present 
day.  Devoted  to  his  calling,  his  advance  was  rapid 
and  he  soon  gained  an  excellent  and  remunerative 
practice.  His  standing  among  his  professional 
brethren  is  shown  by  his  election,  in  1880,  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society, 
of  which  he  had  been  a  member  since  1871.  He  is 
also  a  prominent  member  of  the  New  York  Medical 
Society,  and  of  the  United  States  Medical  Associa- 
tion. Since  1875  he  has  been  physician  to  the  Onei- 
da County  Asylum  and  Almshouse.  In  politics  Dr. 
Evans  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  in  1885 
he  was  nominated  by  his  fellow-citizens  of  that 
party  for  the  office  of  Mayor  at  Rome.  His  great 
political  strength  and  wide  personal  popularity  are 
attested  by  the  fact  that  he  was  defeated  by  only 
one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  votes,  in  a  city  where 
the  usual  Democratic  majority  is  much  greater. 
Dr.  Evans  is  a  member  and  Steward  of  the  First 
Methodist  Church,  and  is  active  in  promoting  re- 


ligious and  charitable  work.  For  some  years  past 
he  has  been  prominent  in  the  Masonic  Fraternity, 
and  at  present  is  Eminent  Commander  of  Home 
Commandery,  No.  45,  Knights  Templar.  Emi- 
nently successful  in  his  profession  and  noted  for  his 
public  spirit  and  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens, he  is  likewise  esteemed  in  all  circles 
for  his  agreeable  personal  qualities  and  high  worth 
as  a  man.  He  married,  in  1872,  Miss  Etta  S.  Gregg, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  A.  B.  and  Susan  L.  Gregg,  of 
Utica,  New  York.    He  has  two  children. 


MCMAHON,  HON.  JOHN  DANIEL,  Recorder  of 
Rome,  was  born  at  Toronto,  Ontario,  (then 
Canada  West),  on  January  28,  1859.  He  is 
the  sou  of  Daniel  McMahon,  a  native  of  County 
Clare,  Ireland,  and  of  Alice  Cavanaugh,  his  wife, 
the  latter  a  native  of  Florence,  Oneida  County,  New 
York.  At  the  last  named  place  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  spent  his  early  youth,  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict school.  Thence  he  passed  to  the  Free  Acad- 
emy at  Rome,  where  he  was  graduated  after  being 
prepared  to  enter  college  during  the  sophomore 
year.  Instead  of  adopting  the  latter  course  he 
studied  Latin  and  Greek  under  private  tutors  for 
about  two  years.  He  then  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  Messrs.  Johnson  &  Prescott,  promi- 
nent lawyers  of  Rome,  New  York,  with  whom  he 
remained  from  January  5,  1880,  to  October  6,  1882, 
when  lie  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  On  March  7, 
1883,  he  was  appointed  Corporation  Counsel  of 
Koine  by  vote  of  the  City  Council,  and  on  March  12 
of  the  following  year  was  reappointed  to  that  office. 
On  March  G,  1880,  he  was  elected  City  Judge  or  Re- 
corder of  Rome,  by  the  flattering  majority  of  one 
thousand  votes,  carrying  every  ward  in  the  city ; 
and  on  Tuesday,  March  4,  1890,  at  the  expiration  of 
his  first  term  of  office,  was  re-elected  for  a  second 
term  of  four  years,  and  is  the  first  person  who  has 
ever  been  honored  by  re-election  to  this  office  in 
Rome.  Mr.  McMahon  was  but  eighteen  years  of 
age  when  he  took  the  stump  for  the  Democratic 
party,  and  in  every  campaign  since  then  he  has 
ta  ken  a  leading  part  in  his  district.  He  is  a  forcible 
and  fluent  speaker,  an  excellent  debater,  and  thor- 
oughly informed  on  all  party  matters,  local,  State 
and  national.  For  ten  or  twelve  years  past  he  has 
been  called  repeatedly  to  deliver  addresses  on  mem- 
orable anniversaries  (including  "  Decoration  Day  " 
and  the  Fourth  of  July)  and  has  acquitted  himself 
of  this  task  with  ease  and  distinction,  not  merely 
where  he  is  known  but  in  other  and  possibly  more 
critical  localities.  In  the  fall  of  1888,  he  was  brought 


246 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


forward  as  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  Congress 
in  the  Twenty-third  Congressional  District  of  New 
York,  and  made  a  run  little  short  of  phenomenal. 
Although  defeated  he  polled  fifteen  hundred  votes 
more  than  the  ticket  on  which  his  name  was  regu- 
larly printed,  while  his  Republican  opponent  ran 
behind  in  every  town  and  city  in  the  district  save 
three.  Judge  McMahon's  rise  at  the  bar  has  been 
no  less  gratifying  than  his  political  career.  In 
March,  1884,  he  became  the  junior  member  of  the 
well-established  law  firm  of  Johnson  &  Prescott, 
which  then  took  the  style  of  Johnson,  Prescott  »fc 
McMahon.  In  September  of  the  same  year  he  formed 
a  law  partnership  with  T.  Curtin,  Jr.,  of  Rome, 
the  firm,  which  still  continues,  taking  the  name  of 
McMahon  &  Curtin.  As  a  practicing  lawyer,  Judge 
McMahon  has  figured  conspicuously  at  the  Rome 
bar  for  a  number  of  years,  and  has  won  many  nota- 
ble successes.  He  was  "  associate  "  in  the  defense 
of  Calvin  McIIarg,  who  was  tried  in  March,  1885,  at 
Utica,  New  York,  for  murder.  He  defended  John 
Minnig  for  murder,  nearly  a  year  later,  and  secured 
a  verdict  of  manslaughter  in  the  second  degree,  with 
imprisonment  at  Auburn  for  two  years.  In  June, 
1887,  he  defended  C.  Arthur  Day,  also  tried  for  mur- 
der. On  April  15,  1890,  he  was  nominated  by 
Governor  Hill  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  to"  suc- 
ceed Hon.  Daniel  Magone,  of  Ogdensburg,  as  one  of 
the  Managers  of  the  State  Insane  Asylum  at  Utica, 
New  York.  Judge  McMahon's  law  practice  is  very 
large  and  keeps  him  constantly  employed  when  not 
on  the  bench.  He  is  one  of  the  most  popular  of 
young  men.  Frank,  honest  and  manly,  he  is  also 
learned  in  the  law,  a  diligent  worker  and  an  able 
and  impartial  magistrate.  He  was  married  on  April 
20,  1886,  to  Miss  Julia  F.  Johnson,  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  D.  M.  K.  Johnson,  of  the  firm  of  Johnson  & 
Prescott,  his  former  partners.  By  this  marriage 
there  has  been  one  child,  Daniel  J.  McMahon,  born 
March  8,  1887. 

■  ♦  

TTT  HEELER,  MAJOR  JEROME  BYRON,  a  prom- 
uy  inent  and  successful  American  business  man, 
11  capitalist  and  banker,  was  born  in  Troy,  New 
York,  September  3,  1841.  He  is  the  son  of  good  old 
New  England  stock.  His  father  and  mother  were 
both  natives  of  Massachusetts,  and  descendants  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  New  England.  On  the  male 
side  he  springs  from  the  English  family  of  Wheeler, 
which  is  of  Norman  origin.  The  name  is  spoken  of 
by  Lower,  in  his  work  on  "  Norman  Names,"  as  one 
of  the  oldest  of  its  class,  and  is  traced  by  this  learned 
writer  to  its  original  from  Houeller,  as  it  appears  in 


the  History  of  Cotentin.  "  It  was  introduced  into 
England  at  the  Conquest,  by  Robert  C.  Whelere  and 
Hugh  le  Welere,  names  found  upon  the  Calendarium 
Rotabirium,  Orighuiliu m  now  preserved  in  the  Brit- 
ish Museum.  It  became  Wheeler,  as  the  centuries 
elapsed,  branches  of  the  family  bearing  the  sur- 
name becoming  located  in  Surrey,  Worcester,  War- 
wick, Middlesex,  Salop,  Essex  and  Lincolnshire. 
Neweuham  Court,  Tedbury,  is  one  of  its  chief  seats. 
The  family  is  now  represented  in  the  Baronetane  of 
England,  by  Colonel  Sir  Trevor  Wheler,  the  eleventh 
baronet,  whose  patent  dates  back  to  1660.  in  which 
year  the  title  was  conferred  by  Charles  II.  The  old 
heraldic  crest  of  the  family  is  given  as  "an  eagle 
displayed,  gulex,  issuing  out  of  a  ducal  coronet." 
The  motto  appended  thereto  is  ''Facie  Tenus" — 
Even  to  the  Face.  On  the  female  side,  Major  Wheeler, 
through  his  mother,  who  was  a  second  cousin  of 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  traces  his  ancestry  back 
through  Ralph  Emerson  to  Thomas  Emerson,  who, 
in  1606,  had  a  grant  of  Bradbury,  County  Durham, 
where  he  built  a  market-cross  on  which  was  cut  the 
Emerson  crest,  i.  e.,  a  lion  rampant  holding  a  battle 
axe.  In  Major  J.  B.  Wheeler,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  "  the  resistless  energy  in  the  face  of  all  op- 
position, combined  with  intellectual  grasp,"  is  as 
predominant  a  trait  as  it  ever  was  in  any  of  his  Nor- 
man ancestors.  In  his  boyhood  he  attended  the 
public  schools  at  Waterford,  Saratoga  County, 
whither  his  parents  had  removed  in  his  early  youth. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  took  a  clerical  posi- 
tion, but  a  year  later  gave  it  up  to  apply  himself  to 
mechanical  pursuits,  in  which  he  remained  engaged 
until  September  3,  1862,  when  he  patriotically  cele- 
brated his  twenty-first  birthday,  by  availing  himself 
of  the  privileges  acquired  with  his  majority,  by  en- 
listing as  a  private  soldier  in  the  Sixth  New  York 
Cavalry,  United  States  Volunteers,  which  was  then 
being  recruited  in  his  native  city.  After  a  few 
moDths  in  camp  of  instruction  at  Staten  Island,  this 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Washington,  and  pro- 
ceeded thence  to  Cloud  Mills,  Virginia,  where  it 
was  mounted.  From  that  time  forward  until  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War,  the  regiment  remained  at  the 
front,  participating  in  the  Peninsula  campaign  and 
all  the  battles  of  the  Potomac,  fighting  with  Sheri- 
dan in  the  Valleyr,  and  taking  part  in  the  last  battle 
of  the  Rebellion,  at  Appomatox  Court  House.  The 
young  soldier  had  been  but  a  short  time  in  service 
when  he  was  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  and 
assigned  to  the  staff  of  the  Colonel  of  the  regiment^ 
Thomas  C.  Devin,  a  gallant  and  efficient  officer, 
with  whom  he  remained  through  his  successive  pro- 
motion to  the  command  of  brigade  and  division, 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  finally  mustered 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK 


247 


out  in  September,  1865,  with  the  rank  of  Brevet- 
Major,  United  States  Volunteers.  Major  Wheeler's 
war  record  is  something  of  which  lie  may  well  be 
proud.  His  military  career  began  with  his  entry 
upon  manhood,  and  the  earnest  and  brave  manner 
in  which  he  accepted  and  discharged  the  grave  and 
responsible  duties  which  fell  to  him  in  the  field,  de- 
serve more  than  passing  mention,  both  for  the  honor 
which  attaches  to  duty  well  performed,  and  as  a  proof 
of  the  excellence  of  his  character  and  abilities  be- 
fore he  entered  the  arena  of  business.  He  had  worn 
the  blue  but  a  short  time  when  he  was  made  a  cor- 
poral. Always  proud  and  energetic,  holding  him- 
self aloof  from  the  vice  and  contamination  that  pre- 
vailed to  such  a  large  degree  in  the  army,  he  soon 
caught  the  eye  of  Colonel  Devin,  and  before  the 
reigment  took  the  field  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Quartermaster  Department  with  the  grade  of  ser- 
geant. "This  opened  up  a  new  held  to  him,"  writes 
Major  John  F.  Barkley,  one  of  his  superior  officers, 
whose  testimony  is  here  quoted,  "  and  as  subse- 
quent events  proved,  called  forth  those  peculiar 
qualities  that  nature  had  largely  endowed  him  with, 
— method,  action,  energy  and  system."  "  He 
showed  such  ability  "  writes  Colonel  Jas.  Cating, 
referring  to  his  service,  "  that  he  was  promoted 
soon  to  be  Second  Lieutenant.  He  gave  such  satis- 
faction as  Regimental  Quartermaster  he  was  soon 
promoted  to  be  First  Lieutenant  and  Brigade  Quar- 
termaster. As  soon  as  we  got  into  active  service 
he  had  an  opportunity  to  show  his  real  value.  *  *  * 
The  First  Brigade  of  the  Second  Division,  Cavalry 
Corps,  was  also  the  first  to  have  food,  while  J.  B. 
Wheeler  was  Quartermaster."  The  same  gallant 
officer  bears  testimony  to  Major  Wheeler's  personal 
bravery  in  the  following  language  :  "  While  on  re- 
treat and  just  before  the  battle  of  Bull  Hun  (No.  2) 
it  was  a  race  with  both  armies  for  Washington. 
The  commands  were  marching  parallel,  at  times 
very  close.  The  enemy  several  times  tried  very 
hard  to  break  through  our  lines.  On  one  occasion 
they  made  a  desperate  attempt.  Every  man  we  had 
was  engaged.  It  is  customary  to  hold  one  squadron 
to  support  the  battery.  This  time  I  had  to  send  the 
squadron  to  the  front,  leaving  the  battery  without 
support.  The  guns  were  charged  with  canister, 
sighted  low  and  at  short  range.  General  John  Bu- 
ford  ordered  me  to  find  out  something  about  the 
wagon  train.  On  my  way  I  met  J.  B.  Wheeler  look- 
ing for  help.  1  Let  me  have  some  troops  or  I  will 
lose  my  train  !'  he  said.  I  told  him  I  had  not  a 
man  ;  to  rally  what  men  he  had  around  his  train, 
and  do  the  best  he  could.  He  did  so.  In  short  or- 
der he  led  the  men  himself  and  drove  the  enemy 
back.    They  made  another  dash  at  him.    This  time 


the  fierce  little  Wheeler  charged  down  on  them, 
driving  the  enemy  in  utter  rout,  saved  the  train  and 
perhaps  the  army."  In  consideration  of  his  valua- 
ble services  he  was  promoted  to  be  Captain  and  Di- 
vision Quartermaster,  and  was  brevetted  Major  for 
his  meritorious  services.  General  Devin  was  a 
warm  admirer  of  his  plucky  young  staff  officer,  and 
he  openly  declared  that  if  he  commanded  the  army 
of  the  Potomac  he  would  insist  upon  his  being 
made  Chief  Quartermaster.  "  During  hisservice  in 
the  brigade  and  division  staff,  he  was  always  at  the 
front,"  writes  Colonel  W.  L.  Heermance,  "  even 
when  his  duties  did  not  call  him  to  the  post  of  dan- 
ger, and  his  zeal,  with  good  judgment,  was  second  to 
none  of  those  with  whom  he  served."  Brigadier- 
General  W.  Merritt,  U.  S.  A.,  late  Major-General  of 
Volunteers,  said  of  him  :  "  One  of  the  youngest  offi- 
cers of  the  regiment,  he  was  at  the  same  time  one  of 
the  most  distinguished.  *  *  *  I  knew  of  no  impor- 
tant engagement  in  which  the  regiment  took  pari 
(and  it  was  in  all  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac or  the  Shenandoah  Valley),  in  which  he  did  not 
bear  a  conspicuous  part  as  a  staff  officer."  During 
or  after  an  engagement  or  forced  march,  his  trains 
were  alwajrs  up  in  advance  of  most  others,  to  afford 
supplies  to  the  famished  troops,  and  his  promptness 
and  dispatch  became  a  proverb  in  the  whole  divi- 
sion. General  Devin,  with  whom  he  served,  re- 
peatedly mentioned  him  in  his  reports  as  having  dis- 
tinguished  himself  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  in  that 
detailing  the  arduous  operations  of  the  Second  Bri- 
gade, First  Cavalry  Division,  from  May  26  to  July 
2,  1864,  says  :  "  Lieutenant  Jerome  B.  Wheeler,  As- 
sistant Quartermaster  of  the  Brigade,  has,  as  usual, 
rendered  valuable  service  not  only  to  the  command 
but  to  the  whole  division,  and  I  would  again  urge 
upon  superior  authority  the  claims  of  this  energetic 
and  efficient  officer."  The  records  of  the  army  show 
that  he  was  frequently  referred  to  in  a  special  man- 
ner for  valuable  services  at  a  time  when  officers 
were  not  thus  lightly  mentioned.  Upon  being  mus- 
tered out  of  the  army  Major  Wheeler  returned  to 
Troy  and  took  a  responsible  clerical  position,  winch 
he  held  nearly  a  year,  when  he  removed  to  New  York 
City  and  entered  the  employ  of  his  former  comrade 
in  arms,  Major  John  F.  Barkley,  then  a  dealer  in 
grain.  Although  strongly  attached  to  each  other, 
both  recognized  that  the  position  did  not  afford  suf- 
ficient prospects  for  Mr.  Wheeler's  .future  advance- 
ment to  make  it  a  permanent  one.  Among  others, 
General  Devin,  then  in  New  York,  took  a  great  in- 
terest in  obtaining  for  his  young  ex-staff  officer  a 
larger  field  for  his  talents,  and  in  conversation  one 
day  with  the,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Holt  & 
Company,  in  the  flour  business,  said,  "  If  you  can 


248 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


make  a  position  in  your  house  for  Mr.  Wheeler  you 
will  get  a  valuable  man.  He  is  a  good  son,  and  has 
passed  through  the  war  without  acquiring  any  sol- 
diers'vices:  his  integrity  is  undoubted  and  his  en- 
ergy and  business  capacity  have  been  signally 
shown  in  the  Quartermaster's  Department  in  which 
he  served."  An  opportunity  occurring  in  Febru- 
ary, 1860.  that  firm  made  propositions  to  Mr. 
Wheeler  which  were  accepted  by  him  and  acquiesced 
in  by  Mr.  Barkley,  who  expressed  himself  as  sorry 
to  part  with  him  but  glad  at  the  improvement  iu  his 
prospects.  Mr.  Wheeler  continued  iu  the  employ- 
ment of  Messrs.  Holt  &  Company  until  February  1, 
1878,  when  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm,  fully 
justifying  the  high  commendation  bestowed  upon 
him  by  his  friend.  General  Devin,  and  winning  the 
solid  regard  of  his  employers,  who,  as  already 
stated,  admitted  him  to  a  partnership  in  the  firm. 
The  death  of  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  R.  B.  Valen- 
tine, of  the  firm  of  R.  H.  Macy  it  Company,  of  New 
York  City,  which  occurred  early  in  1879,  occa- 
sioned the  withdrawal  of  Major  Wheeler  from  the 
firm  of  Holt  &  Company,  April  1,  1879,  he  having 
been  appointed  executor  of  Mr.  Valentine's  estate. 
By  an  arrangement  with  Mr.  C.  B.  Webster,  the  sur- 
viving .partner  of  It.  II.  Macy  <fc  Company,  Mr. 
Wheeler  entered  the  firm  as  partner  on  the  date  last 
given.  The  house  of  R.  H.  Macy  &  Company  is 
one  of  the  largest  retail  houses  in  existence  and  has 
no  rival  in  America,  and  probably  but  one  in  the 
world — the  famous  Bon  Marehe  of  Paris.  In  the 
large  and  varied  business  of  that  house,  with  its  nu- 
merous departments  and  small  army  of  employees 
(some  two  thousand  at  that  time),  Mr.  Wheeler 
found  a  wide  field  for  his  organizing  and  adminis- 
trative abilities,  through  which  the  already  exten- 
sive business  was  increased  with  a  steady,  prosper- 
ous growth,  and  with  remarkable  harmony  among 
the  persons  employed.  The  faculty  of  winning  the 
confidence  and  regard  of  his  subordinates  has  ever 
been  a  striking  trait  in  Major  Wheeler's  character, 
and  together  with  his  strong  vitality  and  buoyancy 
of  temperament,  has  contributed  much  towards  his 
successful  career.  The  requirements  of  the  vast 
business  of  II.  H.  Macy  &  Company  would  have 
sufficed  to  tax  to  the  uttermost  the  energy  of  an  or- 
dinary man.  Major  Wheeler  proved  to  be  an  ex- 
traordinary one.  He  not  only  met  all  the  require- 
ments but  he  had  time  and  energy  to  spare.  In  the 
fall  of  1882  he  made  a  trip  to  Colorado,  stopping  at 
Denver,  Leadville  and  Mauitou.  To  assist  the  rela- 
tive of  a  friend  of  his,  he  purchased  the  controlling 
interest  in  two  mines  near  the  town  of  Aspen  and 
presented  a  one-eighth  interest  in  said,  mines  to  the 
party  mentioned.    The  following  winter  he  pur- 


chased three  additional  mines  lying  near  the  two  or- 
iginally purchased,  and  in  the  summer  of  1883  re- 
turned to  Manitou  with  his  family,  to  look  at  the 
property  he  had  purchased  the  previous  year.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  he  took  a  trip  to  Aspen,  in  Pitkin 
County,  about  fifty  miles  directly  west  of  Leadville. 
Pleased  with  the  beautiful  camp  and  quick  to  per- 
ceive the  opportunities  presented,  he  made  investi- 
gations which  confirmed  the  statements  of  those  en- 
gaged there  in  mining,  and  almost  immediately  he 
resolved  upon  a  course  of  action  which  he  pro- 
ceeded to  carry  out,  with  the  result  that  on  the  1st 
of  January,  1888,  he  retired  from  the  house  of  It. 
II.  Macy  &  Company,  and,  withdrawing  wholly  from 
mercantile  pursuits,  has  since  devoted  Ins  entire  at- 
tention to  his  Colorado  interests.  The  amount  of 
work  which  he  performed  in  addition  to  that  of  the 
business  of  Macy  &  Company,  during  the  live  years 
preceding  his  withdrawal  from  that  firm,  was  truly 
wonderful,  and  could  have  been  endured  by  but  few 
men  ;  even  his  robust  constitution,  well  preserved 
for  such  trials  by  a  temperate  and  orderly  life, 
could  not  much  longer  have  borne  the  strain.  When 
Major  Wheeler  became  interested  iu  Aspen,  the  pros- 
pects of  the  place,  rated  by  the  quality  of  the  min- 
eral produced,  were  encouraging  :  but  there  was  no 
business  talent  to  give  an  impetus  to  affairs,  and  al- 
though operations  had  been  conducted  since  1879, 
very  little  had  been  accomplished.  One  of  his  first 
acts  on  arriving  in  the  place,  in  1883,  was  to  pur- 
chase a  smelter  that  had  been  erected  a  year  pre- 
viously but  had  never  been  run.  Upon  his  return 
to  New  York  he  interested  his  partner,  Mr.  Web- 
ster, and  also  his  friend,  Mr.  Robert  S.  Holt,  in  the 
enterprise,  and  they  concluded  to  put  in  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  each.  The  Aspen  Mining  and  Smelt- 
ing Company  was  organized  in  1885,  with  Major 
Wheeler  as  President,  Mr.  Robert  S.  Holt  as  Vice- 
President,  Mr.  James  L.  Tilton  as  Secretary,  and 
Mr.  Samuel  S.  Earle  as  Treasurer.  The  company's 
offices  are  at  54  Wall  Street,  New7  York  City.  Ore 
was  struck  in  the  Aspen  Mine  in  December,  1884, 
and  it  now  ranks  second  among  American  silver 
mines  as  a  payer  of  dividends.  It  is  a  very  heavy 
producer  and  promises  to  keep  up  its  output  for  a 
long  time.  Of  this  bonanza  Major  Wheeler  is  one- 
third  owner.  The  property  of  the  Aspen  Mining 
and  Smelting  Company  lies  on  the  slope  of  Aspen 
Mountain,  facing  the  town  of  Aspen.  It  includes 
sixty-seven  acres  of  laud,  the  product  of  which  dur- 
ing the  last  five  years  is  valued  at  $3,500,000.  A 
writer  who  has  visited  the  mine  says  :  "  When  it  is 
considered  that  ores  have  been  taken  in  quantity  from 
this  mine  of  the  value  of  from  #1,000  to  #3,000  per 
ton,  so  that  the  value  of  a  [single  wagon  load  has 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


249 


often  exceeded  $10,000,  and  this  the  product  of  the 
labor  of  two  mines  engaged  at  work  for  one  day, 
the  assertion  frequently  made  that  Aspen  is  the 
-1  richest  mining  camp  on  earth  '  seems  to  have  sub- 
stantial support."  During  the  year  1888,  the  Aspen 
Mining  and  Smelting  Company  produced  a  total  of 
26,196  net  tons  of  ore,  having  a  gross  value  of  $1,- 
283,555.69.  This  ore  was  found  in  masses  having 
still  undetermined  lateral  extent,  and  varying  from 
two  to  twenty-four  feet  in  thickness,  and  an  aver- 
aging force  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  men 
was  required,  including  the  miners,  trammers  car- 
penters and  timbermen,  and  the  blacksmiths.  ''It 
is  doubtful"  says  an  expert  observer,  "if  ever  a 
smelter  was  started  under  such  difficult  circum- 
stances as  was  that  of  the  Aspen  Smelting  Com- 
pany." Several  hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
ore  was  purchased  before  a  pound  of  it  was  smelted. 
The  ores  purchased  contained  a  very  small  percent- 
age of  lead,  very  refractory,  and  contained  no  iron. 
Coke  could  only  be  obtained  by  transferring  it  on- 
burros  over  a  high  mountain  range.  During  the 
winter  of  1882-'83,  Major  Wheeler  purchased  some 
coal  land  about  thirty-five  miles  from  Aspen,  and 
immediately  began  to  test  the  coal,  to  ascertain 
whether  it  was  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  coke. 
Finding  that  it  was  a  good  coking  coal,  he  immedi- 
ately began  the  construction  of  coke-ovens,  being 
obliged  to  transport  the  material  for  the  same  by 
rail  and  wagon  from  Denver.  The  ovens  built  are 
probably  the  most  costly  ovens  ever  built  in  the 
State.  The  cost  of  transportation  on  coke  from  the 
ovens  to  Aspen  was  from  twenty-five  dollars  to 
thirty  dollars.  As  soon  as  a  sufficient  quantity  had 
been  manufactured  and  transported  to  the  smelter 
the  latter  was  "  blown  in,"  and  although  many  of 
the  ores  contained  eight  and  nine  per  cent,  of  zinc, 
besides  other  refractory  elements,  still  the  smelter 
was  run  successfully,  and  the  bullion  produced  was 
probably  the  richest  ever  turned  out  by  an}'  smelter 
in  the  State.  It  soon  became  necessar}-  to  increase 
the  smelter  plant,  to  erect  roasters,  and  to  put  in 
water-power  and  many  other  improvements.  The 
smelting  was  continued  until  about  $1,800,000 
worth  of  bullion  had  been  produced.  Soon  after 
shipments  of  bullion  began  to  go  forward,  and  the 
attention  of  capitalists,  was  drawn  to  this  new  camp. 
Believing  its  future  would  justify  the  building  of  a 
railroad,  Major  Wheeler  associated  himself  with  a 
number  of  capitalists,  and  the  building  of  the  Colo- 
rado Midland,  a  standard  gauge  road,  was  com- 
menced. In  February,  1888,  its  trains  were  running 
into  Aspen.  Shortly  after  this,  the  Denver  and  Rio 
Grande  Road  ran  their  lines  to  Aspen,  and  the  close 
of  1888  found  the  town  connected  with  the  outside 


world  by  two  good  lines  of  railway.  Before  the  Mid- 
land Road  was  in  operation  the  Grand  River  Coal  and 
Coke  Company  was  organized,  with  Major  Wheeler, 
who  was  a  large  stockholder  in  it,  as  President. 
Immediate  steps  were  taken  to  supply  the  Roaring 
Fork  Valley,  adjacent  towns,  and  the  railroad  with 
coal.  The  work  accomplished  in  developing  th,  >< 
mines  is  wonderful,  and  they  arc  at  present  capable 
of  producing  two  thousand  tons  daily  of  coking,  do- 
mestic and  steam  coal.  The  company  has  now  in 
operation  two  hundred  and  fifty  Welsh  Drag  coke 
ovens,  which  are  producing  coke  equal  in  quality  to 
any  manufactured  in  the  United  States,  and  second 
in  quality  only  to  the  famous  Cardiff  coke  of  Eng- 
land. In  the  fall  of  1883  Major  Wheeler  organized 
a  bank  in  Aspen,  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  B. 
Wheeler  &  Company,  taking  as  a  partner  and 
cashier  Mr.  D.  M.  Van  Hoevenbergh.  This  institu- 
tion has  steadily  increased  in  prosperity,  and  has 
the  confidence  of  the  entire  business  community 
and  also  of  the  older  banks  of  the  State.  In  May, 
1889,  Major  Wheeler  opened  his  second  bank  at 
Manitou  ;  and  in  July  following  he  established  a 
third  bank  at  Colorado  City.  In  July,  1889,  Major 
Wheeler  purchased  the  Rust  Sampling  Works,  one 
of  the  most  extensive  in  Colorado,  and  in  connec- 
tion therewith  recently  began  the  operation  of  the 
old  Hewitt  Works.  The  Aspen  Mountain  Tramway, 
also  owned  by  him,  and  extending  to  valuable  min- 
ing properties,  will  also  prove  an  important  factor 
in  the  permanent  development  of  the  locality.  An- 
other valuable  property  in  which  he  is  largely  inter- 
ested and  is  President,  is  the  Enterprise  Mining 
Company,  which  owns  twenty-six  acres  of  ground 
north  of  the  property  of  the  Aspen  Mining  and 
Smelting  Company.  This  mine  is  under  the  man- 
agement of  Colonel  W.  E.  Newberry,  son  of  Pro- 
fessor Newberry,  of  Columbia  College,  New  York. 
It  is  commonly  said,  and  with  truth,  that  "  Wheeler 
made  Aspen."  His  judgment  saw  at  once  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  place,  and  his  energy  and  business 
tact  supplied  the  means  for  development.  Largely 
to  him  was  owing  the  introduction  of  the  locomo- 
tive, and  following  in  its  wake  came  "  the  rivulet 
of  commercial  prosperity  which  is  now  a  widening 
river."  The  wealth  derived  from  his  mining  prop- 
erties has  been  invested  in  local  development  and 
improvements,  with  the  grand  result  of  contributing 
to  the  general  welfare  and  aiding  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  State.  The  Wheeler  Opera  House,  a 
marvel  of  artistic  adornment  and  beauty,  is  one  of 
the  specially  attractive  features  of  Aspen,  and  was 
erected  by  Major  Wheeler  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  It  has  a  seating  capacity  of 
seven  hundred,  and  like  W'heeler  Block,  the  loca~ 


250 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


tion  of  the  Wheeler  bank  at  Manitou,  is  built  of 
Colorado  red  sandstone.  The  fine  structure  at  As- 
pen, known  as  the  Hotel  Jerome,  one  of  the  most 
complete  in  the  State,  is  another  edifice  due  to  his 
enterprise,  and  cost,  with  its  furniture,  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  At  Manitou,  under  the  shadow  of 
Pike's  Peak,  Major  Wheeler  has  likewise  invested 
largely.  Here  he  built  "Windermere,"  his  sum- 
mer residence,  "  transforming  its  site,  granulated 
rock,  into  a  place  where  flowers  grow  and  breath 
their  perfume,  and  where  luxurious  grass  mantles 
with  living  green  the  rocks  upon  which  its  founda- 
tions rest  "  He  is  President  of  the  Manitou  Mineral 
Water  Company,  which  bottles  and  sends  to  all 
parts  of  the  land  the  famous  water  whose  medicinal 
value  is  now  so  well  known.  Notwithstanding  the 
remarkable  success  which  has  attended  his  enter- 
prises, and  the  large  wealth  accruing  from  them — a 
success  and  wealth  sufficiently  phenomenal  to  have 
affected  the  brain  of  most  individuals — Major  Wheel- 
er remains  distinguished  for  the  same  traits  which 
have  always  characterized  him.  First  of  all,  a  gen- 
tleman, with  all  that  that  implies  :  next,  an  earnest 
man  of  affairs,  closely  attentive  to  business,  with 
marvelous  executive  power  blending  with  know- 
ledge of  and  supervision  over  detail — a  rare  combi- 
nation ;  last  of  all,  but  not  least,  a  good  fellow, 
faithful  to  his  friends,  kindly,  generous  and  helpful. 
For  his  old  comrades  in  arms  he  has  a  very  warm 
spot  in  his  heart.  A  recent  proof  of  his  affection 
for  his  old  regiment  was  his  noble  gift  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars  towards  a  monument  now  erected  on 
the  battle-field  of  Gettysburg,  marking  the  spot 
where  it  formed  in  line  of  battle  on  the  morning  of 
July  1,  1863,  and  steadfastly  held  at  bay  four  to  one. 
At  the  unveiling  of  this  monument  the  survivors  of 
the  gallant  old  Sixth  Cavalry  greeted  the  name  of 
Major  Jerome  B.  Wheeler  with  deafening  cheers. 
Underlying  a  grave  and  gentlemanly  exterior,  there 
exist  in  Major  Wheeler  powers  of  energy,  both 
mental  and  physical,  which  are  a  constant  surprise 
to  bis  friends  and  associates.  He  is  a  splendid 
specimen  of  the  best  type  of  the  American  business 
man,  unpretending,  well  bred  and  educated,  and 
possessing  that  remarkable  adaptability  of  charac- 
ter which  enables  him  to  find  delight  for  one  side 
of  his  nature  in  heroically  fighting  the  battles  of  his 
country,  or  in  wrestling  with  the  forces  of  nature, 
and  for  the  other  in  the  peaceful  enjoyments  of  do- 
mestic life.  In  1870  Major  Wheeler  married  Miss 
Harriet  Macy  Valentine,  a  native  of  Nantucket, 
Massachusetts.  Their  home  is  in  New  York  City, 
but  with  their  surviving  children,  Elsie  and  Marion, 
they  spend  a  portion  of  each  year  at  their  lovely 
.summer  residence  "  Windermere." 


ENOS,  HENRY  K.,  a  prominent  banker  and 
broker  of  New  York  City,  head  of  the  banking 
house  of  H.  K.  Enos  &  Co.,  one  of  the  oldest 
in  the  metropolis,  and  President  of  the  Missouri, 
Kansas  and  Texas  Railway,  was  born  on  the  28th  of 
January,  1837,  at  Millersburg,  Holmes  County,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Robert  King  Enos,  who 
was  a  man  of  distinguished  position  in  that  place 
for  many  years  preceding  his  death,  and  for  several 
years  its  Mayor.  His  great-grandfather,  a  native  of 
Scotland,  and  a  man  of  some  prominence  among  his 
countrymen,  emigrated  to  America  in  the  last  cen- 
tury, bringing  with  him  his  wife  and  small  family. 
He  settled  in  New  Jersey,  where  his  son  Francis, 
the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born.  Francis  Enos  married  Miss  Elsie  Murphy, 
who  was  of  Irish  descent.  Like  her  husband,  this 
young  lady  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  came  of 
a  highly  respectable  family.  Shortly  after  their 
marriage  the  young  couple  moved  to  Washington 
County,  Pennsylvania,  where  Robert  King  Enos, 
the  father  of  Mr.  II.  K.  Enos,  was  born.  Robert  K. 
Enos  was  the  eldest  son  and  second  child  of  a  family 
of  seven.  He  received  a  good  common  school  edu- 
cation in  his  boyhood,  and  in  January,  1822,  he  look 
a  clerkship  in  a  dry-goods  store  at  Florence,  Penn- 
sylvania. In  the  following  year  his  employer,  Mr. 
Samuel  Henry,  removed  his  business  to  New  Lisbon, 
Ohio,  and  the  young  clerk  accompanied  him  thither, 
his  parents  removing  about  this  time  to  Richland 
County,  in  the  same  State.  He  remained  with  Mr. 
Henry  until  September,  1823,  then  went  to  Mans- 
field, where  he  worked  as  a  clerk  for  several  months, 
and  finally  removed  to  Millersburgh,  where  Mr. 
Henry,  his  old  employer,  who  had  preceded  him 
and  was  the  only  merchant  in  the  town,  gave  him 
immediate  employment.  His  career  in  Millers- 
burgh, beginning  in  the  spring  of  1824,  covered  a 
period  of  more  than  sixty  years,  and  was  one  of  ex- 
ceptional usefulness  and  honor.  The  following  par- 
ticulars regarding  it,  are  gleaned  mainly  from  the 
"History  of  Holmes  County,"  (Chicago,  1889)  in 
which  his  life  work  is  set  forth  in  detail.  Robert 
K.  Enos  developed  into  a  young  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  capacity.  He  remained  with  Mr.  Henry 
until  1830,  when  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  un- 
der Dr.  James  S.  Irvine,  of  Millersburgh.  In  1830 
and  1831  he  attended  the  Ohio  Medical  College  in 
Cincinnati,  and  then  established  himself  in  practice 
at  Millersburgh,  as  the  associate  of  his  preceptor, 
with  whom  he  remained  in  partnership  thirty-one 
years.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Millersburgh,  he 
had  been  appointed  Deputy  Clerk  of  the  Courts  for 
Holmes  County,  and  in  September,  1831,  be  was 
made  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  of 


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CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


the  Superior  Court  for  Holmes  County.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1845,  he  resigned  this  position  in  favor  of  his 
friend,  Hon.  Martin  Welker,  then  a  young  man  of 
great  promise,  and  subsequently,  and  until  recently, 
Judge  of  the  United  States  Court  for  the  Northern 
District  of  Ohio.  Dr.  Enos  was  the  first  township 
Clerk  of  Hardy  township;  he  was  Deputy  Postmas- 
ter at  Millersburgh  from  the  time  the  office  was 
located  there  until  1838 ;  lie  was  Deputy  Recorder  of 
Holmes  County  from  182(3  until  1831.  His  energy, 
capacity  and  character  can  be  seen  in  the  fact  that 
he  rilled  several  of  these  offices  at  the  same  time. 
His  services  to  the  community  were  so  highly  ap- 
preciated by  his  fellow  citizens  that  lie  was  chosen 
Mayor  of  Millersburgh,  and  held  that  office  several 
years.  In  1850,  having  duly  prepared  himself  by  a 
thorough  course  of  legal  study,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Holmes  County.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Whig  party  from  its  formation  until  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he 
became  an  enthusiastic  member.  The  eminent  fit- 
ness of  Dr.  Enos  for  the  several  positions  to  which 
he  was  chosen,  and  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held  as  a  citizen,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  occu- 
pied all  the  offices  named  in  a  county  strongly  Demo- 
cratic and  which  was  never  anything  else  except 
during  the  "  Know-Nothing  "  excitement  in  1852. 
As  a  delegate  from  his  Congressional  District,  he  sat 
in  the  Republican  National  Convention  at  Chicago 
in  1860,  and  was  the  first  of  the  memorable  four  of 
the  Ohio  delegation,  who,  at  the  critical  moment, 
on  the  third  ballot,  changed  their  votes  from  Sal- 
mon P.  Chase  to  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  Chicago 
Tribune,  on  the  morning  after  the  nomination,  in 
May,  1800,  referred  to  this  proceeding  editorially, 
under  the  caption  of  "  The  Four  Votes"  as  follows  : 
"  During  the  progress  of  the  third  ballot  for  Presi- 
dent the  steady  increase  of  Lincoln's  vote  raised  the 
expectations  of  his  friends  to  fever  heat  that  he  was 
about  to  receive  the  nomination.  When  the  roll  call 
was  completed  a  hasty  footing  discovered  that  Lin- 
coln lacked  but  two  and  a  ban  votes  of  election,  the 
ballot  standing  for  Lincoln  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
one  and  a  half;  Seward,  one  hundred  and  eighty; 
scattering,  thirty-four  and  a  half ;  necessary  to  a 
choice,  three  hundred  and  thirty-four.  Before  the 
vote  was  announced.  Mr.  R.  M.  Corwine,  of  the 
Ohio  delegation,  who  had  voted  for  Governor  Chase 
up  to  that  time,  and  three  other  delegates,  viz :  R. 
K.  Enos,  John  A.  Gurley,  and  Isaac  Steese,  changed 
their  votes  to  Lincoln,  giving  him  a  majority  of  the 
whole  convention,  and  nominating  him.  D.  II. 
Cartter,  Chairman  of  the  delegation,  announced  the 
change  of  votes,  and  before  the  secretaries  had  time 
to  foot  up  and  announce  the  result,  the  vast  audi- 
ence burst  forth  simultaneously  into  irrepressible 
shouts.  A  deafening  roar  of  applause  arose  from 
the  immense  multitude,  such  as  has  never  been 
equalled  on  the  American  Continent,  nor  since  the 
day  that  the  walls  of  Jericho  were  blown  down." 


The  exact  facts  regarding  this  interesting  occur- 
rence were  learned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
directly  from  his  father  upon  his  return  from  the 
Convention,  and  are  distinctly  remembered  by  him. 
They  were  matter  of  common  report  and  conversa- 
tion at  Millersburgh  and  elsewhere  at  the  time,  and 
among  those  cognizant  of  them  may  be  named 
Judge  Martin  Welker,  of  the  United  States  Court  at 
Cleveland.  Ohio.  In  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the 
Cleveland  Leader,  published  in  that  journal  on  May 
9,  1885,  Mr.  II.  K.  Enos  claims  this  imperishable 
honor  for  his  father,  and  adduces  proof  in  the  ex- 
tract from  the  Chicago  Tribune,  referred  to  above, 
to  substantiate  his  claim  as  against  that  made  by 
another  claimant  to  the  honor.  In  this  letter  Mr. 
Enos  says : 

"  At  the  time  of  the  Convention  I  was  a  young 
man,  and  distinctly  remember  the  incident  "of  my 
father  attending  the  Convention  as  a  delegate,  and 
his  relating  to  me  his  connection  with  the  incident. 
At  the  critical  moment  referred  to  by  Mr.  Brings 
(at  the  time  the  vote  was  being  taken,  just  before 
the  nomination  was  made)  my  father,  as  an  expert 
chess-player  and  an  accomplished  accountant  (being 
then  in  the  banking  business),  was  well  qualitied  for 
keeping  correct  tally  of  the  votes  cast  by  the  various 
delegations  from  the  several  States.  So  correct  was 
he  that  when  the  votes  had  all  been  cast,  but  before 
they  were  announced  or  known,  he  discovered  that 
Mr.  Lincoln  lacked  but  two  and  a  half  votes  of  the 
nomination.  He  turned  to  Mr.  Corwine  and  Mr. 
Gurley  and  told  them  how  the.  votes  stood,  and 
asked  them  to  join  him,  thus  making  three  votes — a 
half  vote  more  than  necessary —and  requested  Judge 
Cartter,  the  Chairman,  to  make  the  change.  Mr.  I. 
Steese  requested  to  be  included,  thus  making  four 
votes,  which  change  was  announced,  and  thus  was 
the  nomination  of  the  immortal  Lincoln  secured. 
Dr.  Enos  felt  favorably  toward  Mr.  Lincoln  from  the 
first,  and  had  been  urged  Iry  his  friends,  Columbus 
Delano  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  Levi  Geiger  of  Ur- 
bana — both  delegates  to  the  Convention  and  suppor- 
ters of  Mr.  Lincoln  from  the  beginning — to  cast  his 
vote  with  them,  but  having  pledged  himself  to  sup- 
port Mr.  Chase,  he  felt  bound  by  his  pledge  to  sup- 
port him  as  long  as  there  was  any  hope  of  his 
nomination.  When  it  became  apparent  that  either 
Mr.  Lincoln  or  Mr.  Seward  would  be  the  nominee, 
he  felt  absolved  from  his  pledge,  and  then,  as  ever, 
quick  to  see  the  importance  of  prompt  action  and 
the  grand  opportunity,  he,  as  if  almost  inspired,  at 
the  critical  moment  cast  his  vote  and  secured  the 
votes  of  others,  and  thereby  became  directly  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  nomination  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln." 

In  the  interest  of  historical  accuracy  this  incident 
is  referred  to  at  some  length  in  this  place,  as  the  true 
facts  seem  to  have  escaped  the  notice  of  Colonel 
Hay  and  others  who  have  touched  upon  the  subject 
in  writing  of  President  Lincoln.  Dr.  Enos  was  the 
owner  of  considerable  real  estate  in  and  about  Mil- 
lersburgh, and  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare 
and  development  of  that  town.    He  was  generally 


252 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


regarded  as  the  leading  man  in  Holmes  County,  and 
his  opinion  was  sought  in  every  public  measure. 
He  had  excellent  judgment  and  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  locality  and  its  needs,  as  well  as  a  wide 
acquaintance  with  its  people  and  resources,  all  of 
which  were  constantly  and  happily  employed  for 
the  public  weal.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  urge 
the  construction  of  railroads  in  that  section  of  the 
country,  "  and  to  him  more  than  any  other  man  is 
due  the  locating  and  construction  of  the  present 
railroad  through  Millersburgh."  Prior  to  this  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  citi- 
zens having  in  view  the  construction  of  a  railroad 
between  Columbus  and  Olean.  Dr.  Enos  married, 
on  March  31,  1834,  Elizabeth  Neely,  daughter  of 
James  and  Sarah  Neeley,  leading  residents  of  Read- 
ing township,  Adams  County,  Pennsylvania,  where 
Mrs.  Enos  was  born  March  10,  1812.  He  was  one 
of  the  exemplary,  enterprising  and  influential  citi- 
zens of  Holmes  County,  and  his  death,  which  took 
place  on  September  13,  1884,  was  regarded  as  a 
great  public  loss.  His  estimable  widow,  now  in  her 
seventy-ninth  year,  still  survives  him,  and  has  the 
honor'of  being  the  oldest  housekeeper  in  the  town 
of  Millersburgh,  where  she  has  kept  house  continu- 
ously from  April,  1834.  to  the  present  time  William 
Enos,  a  brother  of  Dr.  Enos,  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Iowa.  Two  other  brothers,  Wilson 
and  James,  were  prosperous  farmers  in  Rich- 
land County,  Ohio.  Sophia,  his  only  sister,  who 
died  in  1885,  was  the  wife  of  a  physician.  The 
family  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  R.  K.  Enos  consisted 
of  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  One  of  the  sous 
died  in  infancy  :  another  son,  Richard  W7.  Enos,  en- 
gaged in  the  mining  business  on  the  Pacific  slope, 
died  recently.  One  of  the  daughters — Letitia— died 
in  infancy,  and  another — Emma — after  reaching 
adult  age.  Two  sons  and  a  daughter  are  now  liv- 
ing, viz :  Henry  K.  Enos,  of  New  York  City, 
Francis  A.  Enos,  living  in  California,  and  Helen  M. 
Enos.  The  last  named,  a  lady  of  refinement  and  cul- 
ture, makes  her  home  with  her  mother  at  Millers- 
burgh. Henry  K.  Enos,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
and  the  eldest  child  of  his  parents,  received  his  early 
education  in  the  district  schools  at  Millersburg.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  Oberlin  College, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  He  then  took  the 
commercial  course  at  Bryant  and  Stratton's  Mercan- 
tile College,  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  graduating 
there,  and  receiving  his  diploma  in  the  spring  of 
1857.  His  father  was  then  in  the  banking  business 
at  Millersburgh.  Henry  returned  home  after  clos- 
ing his  collegiate  studies,  but  he  found  life  in  a  town 
of  about  two  thousand  inhabitants  quite  unsuited  to  : 
his  ambitious  cast  of  thought.    Receivina;  from  his 


father  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars  and  a  through 
ticket,  he  made  the  journey  to  New  York  in  com- 
pany with  three  merchants  visiting  the  city  to  pur- 
chase goods,  and  upon  his  arrival  set  to  work  to 
find  a  position  in  some  business  house,  trusting  to 
his  skill  in  commercial  college  book-keeping  to 
secure  him  profitable  employment.  The  first  posi- 
tion he  obtained  was  that  of  entry  clerk,  but  a 
couple  of  hours  experience  with  the  expert  young 
men  who  were  to  be  his  associates,  entirely  disa- 
bused his  mind  of  any  vanity  it  might  have  possessed 
regarding  his  own  proficiency,  and  he  threw  up  the 
place  in  disgust.  The  influence  of  his  friends 
finally  secured  him  a  subordinate  position  as  assist- 
ant book-keeper  with  Messrs.  Ely,  Bowen  &  McCon- 
nell,  jobbers  of  dry  goods.  This  house  was  one  of 
the  first  to  feel  the  effects  of  the  great  commercial 
disturbances  of  that  disastrous  epoch,  and  its  failure 
threw  young  Enos  out  of  employment.  He  re- 
mained with  the  house  until  its  affairs  were  settled, 
and  then  paid  a  brief  visit  to  his  home  in  Ohio,  re- 
turning to  New  York  in  the  fall  of  1858.  Through 
the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Ely,  he  now  obtained  a 
situation  as  general  clerk  witli  Messrs.  DeForest, 
Armstrong  &  Co.,  jobbers  of  dry  goods,  at  80  and  82 
Chambers  Street,  and  one  of  the  most  prominent 
business  houses  in  the  city.  Here,  after  a  while, 
he  was  permitted  to  sell  goods  to  customers,  and 
his  employers,  noting  his  aptness  in  this  work, 
started  him  out  as  a  traveling  salesman.  Mr.  Enos 
entered  upon  his  new  duties  with  remarkable  zeal 
and  intelligence.  The  young  man  was  naturally  a 
shrewd  observer  and  he  noticed  that  one  of  the 
most  successful  salesmen  of  the  house  made  a  habit 
of  giving  his  customers  full  particulars  regarding 
the  goods  he  was  attempting  to  sell.  He  realized  at 
once  the  value  of  thus  interesting  buyers,  and  speed- 
ily acquired  a  stock  of  general  information  on  dry 
goods  of  all  kinds,  which  he  promptly  utilized  with 
remarkable  success,  and  thus  early  learned  the  value 
of  being  thoroughly  posted  in  any  business  he  un- 
dertook. His  success  from  the  beginning  was  ex- 
traordinary. It  was  not  long  before  he  was  dispos- 
ing of  upwards  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars' 
worth  of  goods  annually,  and  ranked  with  the  lead- 
ing salesmen  in  the  trade.  The  era  of  commercial 
depression  which  set  in  with  the  Civil  War  caused 
the  failure  of  this  house  and  of  many  others  in  the 
jobbing  trade.  Mr.  Enos  then  went  to  Washington, 
and  engaged  in  business  as  a  wholesale  merchant, 
meeting  with  success  and  remaining  there  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  At  that  time  he  had  thoughts  of 
going  to  Mexico  to  join  a  cousin  there  who  was  en- 
gaged in  mining,  but  he  gave  up  this  project  to  in- 
vest in  coal  stocks,  brought  to  his  notice  by  a  friend 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


253 


in  Baltimore,  Maryland.  Realizing  some  profits 
from  this  investment,  he  engaged  in  general  specu- 
lation, and,  returning  to  New  York,  began  trading  in 
gold.  After  a  brief  and  almost  phenomenal  success, 
he  lost  everything.  He  then  spent  several  months 
in  various  speculative  enterprises  between  New 
York,  Baltimore  and  Washington,  and  finally  settled 
down  in  New  York.  His  talent  for  finance  being 
proved,  he  naturally  drifted  into  Wall  Street  and 
engaged  in  the  brokerage  business.  By  hard  work, 
close  application  and  undeviating  fidelity  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  patrons,  aided  by  a  keen  insight  into 
business  operations,  he  became  successful  and  in  a 
•comparatively  short  time  established  a  reputation 
in  "  the  street"  second  to  that  of  no  other  in  his  line 
of  business,  and  such  as  few  possess.  For  years  he 
has  been  associated  with  men  who  are  leaders  of 
finance  in  the  United  States.  He  not  only  strives  to 
possess  the  confidence  of  his  patrons,  but  he  earns  it 
as  well  by  his  absolute  reliability  and  his  devotion 
to  their  interests.  Mr.  Enos  became  a  member  of  the 
Gold  Board  in  1868,  and  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Stock  Exchange  in  1872,  where  he  has  originated 
many  of  the  most  important  speculative  movements 
of  the  times.  His  credit  was  always  of  the  best,  as 
it  was  known  that  his  large  operations  were  for  the 
account  of  parties  or  individuals  with  almost  un- 
limited means  at  command.  Among  the  large 
operators  whose  confidence  he  possessed  and  for 
whom  he  transacted  business  at  different  times,  may 
be  named  the  late  Daniel  Drew,  the  late  Win.  H. 
Vanderbjlt,  and  Mr.  Jay  Gould.  During  the  last 
years  of  his  life  Mr.  Yauderbilt  entrusted  him  with 
the  transaction  of  the  principal  part  of  his  business, 
and  Mr.  Enos's  office  was  the  only  broker's  office  he 
ever  entered  after  he  became  conspicuously  identi- 
fied with  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  and  other 
great  financial  interests.  While  pursuing  his  regu- 
lar business  as  a  banker  and  broker,  Mr.  Enos  has 
for  many  years  given  his  attention  to  matters  out- 
side of  it  involving  important  questions  of  finance, 
commerce  and  transportation,  and  in  these,  as  well 
as  in  his  regular  occupation,  he  is  distinguished  for 
his  rare  industry,  excellent  judgment  and  ready 
business  perception.  Of  late  he  has  been  recognized 
as  one  of  the  principal  agents  in  the  reorganization 
of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Texas  Railway,  which 
is  being  conducted  by  the  Olcott  Committee  (so 
called  from  its  Chairman,  Mr.  Fred.  P.  Olcott,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Central  Trust  Company  of  New  York) 
which  is  acting  under  the  auspices  of  the  Railway 
Company.  Of  this  Company,  Mr.  Enos  has  recently 
been  elected  the  President,  and  it  was  largely  owing 
to  his  individual  efforts  and  the  controlling  influence 
which  he  and  several  of  his  friends  were  able  to  ex- 


ert, that  the  Olcott  Committee  was  formed.  It  is 
matter  of  common  report  in  financial  circles,  that 
the  ultimate  success  of  this  committee  has  been 
made  possible  in  a  large  degree  by  the  energy  and 
perseverance  of  Mr.  Enos,  who  is  given  much  credit 
for  his  ability  in  aiding  the  Olcott  Committee  ti>  set- 
tle and  harmonize  the  various  conflicting  interests. 
The  extent  of  this  labor  and  of  the  vexations  at- 
tending it,  may  be  inferred  when  it  is  known  that  the 
task  involves  the  control  of  sixteen  hundred  miles  of 
railroad,  in  a  most  complex  situation,  representing 
over  $100,000,000  of  securities.  At  this  period  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  Enos  and  his  associates  bid  fair  to 
rescue  this  great  corporation  from  its  various  entan- 
glements and  place  it  upon  a  solid  and  prosperous 
basis.  In  1870  Mr.  Enos  formed  a  partnership  with 
Mr.  Thos.  C.  Buck,  since  when  the  business  has 
been  under  the  style  of  H.  K.  Enos  &  Co.  The 
house  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  its  line  of  business  in 
New  York — probably  there  are  not  a  dozen  older — 
and  it  has  gone  successfully  through  every  panic 
since  its  foundation,  and  has  safely  carried  every 
interest  confided  to  it.  Mr.  Enos  is  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Stock  Exchange,  and  sat  in  its  Board  of 
Governors  for  two  years,  declining  re-election.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
Warmly  interested  in  his  native  State  and  her  peo- 
ple, he  took  an  active  part  in  founding  the  Ohio  So- 
ciety of  the  city  of  New  York,  was  one  of  its  origi- 
nal members,  and  still  retains  his  connection  with 
it.  He  was  married,  in  I860,  at  Baltimore,  to  Miss 
Olive  B.  Tyson,  a  native  of  that  city,  and  daughter 
of  Mr.  Charles  Burrell  Tyson.  Of  the  three  chil- 
dren born  to  this  marriage,  one,  a  boy,  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  two  living  are  daughters — Miss  Bessie 
and  Miss  Natalie. 


TAYLOR,  HON.  JAMES  BAYARD,  the  celebrated 
author,  poet,  journalist,  traveler  and  diploma- 
tist, was  born  upon  a  country  farm  at  Kennett 
Square,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  January  11, 
1825,  and  died  at  Berlin,  Prussia,  on  December  19, 
1878,  while  representing  the  United  States  as  Envoy 
I  Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the 
German  Empire.  His  parents  were  descended  from 
the  earliest  settlers  of  Pennsylvania,  and  were  per- 
sons of  note  in  the  quiet  township  where  they 
always  lived.  The  future  author  and  traveler  re- 
ceived the  usual  advantages  of  a  common  school 
education,  and,  like  so  many  other  men  of  eminence, 
obtained  his  first  impulse  to  a  literary  career  through 
his  connection  with  the  press.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
!  teen  years  he  was  regularly  apprenticed  in  a  news- 


254 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


paper  printing  office,  in  West  Chester,  and  employed 
his  leisure  in  the  study  of  Latin  and  French.  His 
first  published  compositions  were  verses,  which  he 
wrote  for  the  columns  of  the  newspaper  in  question, 
and  were  probably  "  set  up  "  by  his  own  hand.  The 
approval  of  his  friends  soon  induced  him  to  send 
specimens  of  his  poetic  skill  to  the  two  recognized 
autocrats  of  American  criticism,  Nathaniel  P.  Wil- 
lis and  Rufus  Wilmot  Griswold,  then  respectively 
conducting  the  New  York  Mirror  and  Graham's 
Magazine.  They  were  well  received  in  the  columns 
of  those  periodicals,  and  others  of  his  compositions 
were  accepted  by  metropolitan  newspapers.  In 
1844  he  collected  his  scattered  verses  into  a  small 
volume  entitled  "  Ximena,  or,  The  Battle  of  the 
Sierra  Morena,  and  Other  Poems"  (Philadelphia, 
1844,  12mo.,  pp.  84),  which  is  now  one  of  the  scarc- 
est of  modern  American  books.  One  of  his  objects 
in  this  early  appearance  as  an  author  was  to  gain  a 
sufficient  status  in  literature  to  procure  him  an  en- 
gagement as  correspondent  for  some  prominent 
journal  during  a  tour  in  Europe  which  he  was 
eagerly  planning,  although  the  expenses  had  yet  to 
be  provided.  This  bold  project  for  a  youth  of 
nineteen  succeeded  in  every  respect.  His  local 
fame  in  Chester  County  reached  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, where  his  book  had  been  printed,  and  he 
obtained  from  Mr.  Joseph  R.  Chandler,  of  the 
United  States  Gazette,  and  Mr.  Patterson,  of  the 
Saturday  Evening  Post,  an  advance  of  $100  for  let-  j 
ters  to  be  written  from  Europe.  This  sum,  with  the  1 
addition  of  $40  received  from  Graham's  Magazine, 
for  some  accepted  poems,  was  enough  to  pay  his  I 
passage  and  his  expenses  for  a  few  weeks  abroad, 
and  he  was  encouraged  by  Horace  Greeley,  who 
promised  to  pay  for  such  letters  as  should  prove 
readable.  He  took  a  steerage  passage  for  England, 
traveled  on  foot  through  England,  Scotland,  Ger- 
many, Switzerland,  Italy  and  France,  for  nearly  two 
years,  at  an  expense  of  only  $500,  a  portion  of 
which  was  sent  by  his  parents,  but  the  larger  part 
was  earned  by  his  fresh  and  vivacious  newspaper 
correspondence.  On  his  return  to  America  he  had 
little  trouble  in  arranging  his  materials  into  a  vol- 
ume, which  was  published  in  December,  1846,  at 
New  York,  under  the  title  "  Views-a-foot,  or  Europe 
Seen  with  Knapsack  and  Staff ;  with  a  Preface  by 
N.  P.  Willis."  The  volume  had  an  immediate  suc- 
cess, receiving  the  heartiest  praise  not  only  from  R. 
W.  Griswold,  but  from  that  sterner  censor,  the  Lon- 
don Athenmum.  It  passed  through  a  dozen  editions. 
For  a  year  after  his  return  Mr.  Taylor  edited  and 
published  a  country  paper  at  Pha?nixville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, with  an  unsatisfactory  pecuniary  result.  In 
1847  he  came  to  New  York  to  seek  his  fortune  by 


literature,  and  a  number  of  his  sketches  and  poems 
were  accepted  by  the  Literary  World,  which,  under 
the  management  of  the  late  Evert  A.  Duyckiuck, 
was  then  the  leading  critical  journal  of  the  metropo- 
lis. Hisambitiou  was  still  chiefly  direc  ted  to  poetic 
fame,  and  at  the  Christmas  season  of  1847  he  issued 
(with  the  date  of  1848)  a  new  volume  of  "Rhymes 
of  Travel,  Ballads  and  other  Poems,"  which  did  not 
meet  the  commendation  of  the  Literary  World,  but 
was  warmly  praised  by  Edgar  Allen  Poe.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1848,  Mr. Taylor  secured  employment  upon  the 
New  York  Tribune,  with  which  paper  he  continued, 
until  his  death,  connected  in  some  capacity.  Early 
in  1849  he  became  owner  of  one  share  of  the  Tribune 
stock,  and  was  advanced  in  rank  upou  its  editorial 
staff'.  Just  at  that  time,  however,  the  Eastern 
States  were  agog  with  the  California  excitement, 
and  thither  young  Taylor  proceeded  by  wa}'  of 
Panama,  returning  a  few  months  later  through 
Mexico.  His  letters  to  the  Tribune,  collected  under 
the  title  "  El  Dorado;  or  Adventures  in  the  Path  of 
Empire"  (2  vols.,  1850),  had  within  a  few  weeks  a 
circulation  of  ten  thousand  copies,  and  of  the  Eng- 
lish reprint  thirty  thousand  were  sold.  More  than 
twenty  editions  have  since  been  issued  of  this,  the 
most  profitable  of  all  Mr.  Taylor's  works.  The 
chief  incentive  to  his  longest  series  of  journeys — 
those  begun  in  1851 — was  the  death,  from  consump- 
tion, of  a  beautiful  and  amiable  young  lady  to 
whom  he  was  long  engaged,  and  who  had  inspired 
many  pathetic  lyrics  in  his  earlier  verse.  The  mar- 
riage ceremony  was  performed  almost  on  her  death- 
bed, and  after  her  burial  he  felt  the  need  of  pro- 
tracted change  of  scene.  In  the  summer  of  1851 
Mr.  Taylor  set  out  for  a  long  tour  in  Eastern  lands, 
leaving  in  the  hands  of  his  publisher  a  third  volume 
of  poems,  "A  Book  of  Romances,  Lyrics  and 
Songs,"  (Boston,  1851),  which  included  "The  Amer- 
ican Legend,"  a  poem  delivered  the  previous  year 
before  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, and  separately  printed.  Mr.  Taylor's  jour- 
ney conducted  him  by  way  of  England,  the  Rhine, 
Vienna,  Trieste  and  Smyrna  to  Egypt,  reaching 
Cairo  early  in  November.  He  spent  the  whole  win- 
ter in  a  voyage  up  the  Nile,  penetrating  through 
Nubia  and  the  Soudan  to  the  Kingdom  of  the  Shil- 
look  negroes,  on  the  White  Nile,  and  when  he 
reached  Cairo  in  April,  1852,  he  had  traveled  four 
thousand  miles  in  Central  Africa.  He  then  made  the 
usual  Oriental  tour  of  Palestine  and  Syria,  visited 
Antioch  and  Aleppo,  and  crossed  Asia  Minor  diagon- 
ally from  Tarsus,  through  the  passes  of  the  Taurus 
range,  the  forests  of  ancient  Phrygia  and  the  Bi- 
thynian  Olympus  to  Constantinople,  visiting  also  the 
Troad.    He  then  spent  several  months  in  Southern 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


255 


Europe,  especially  Malta  and  Sicily,  where  he  wit- 
nessed the  eruption  of  Etna,  and  returned  to  Eng- 
land by  way  of  the  Tyrol  and  Germany.  After  a 
brief  sojourn  in  England,  he  took  a  new  departure 
for  the  extreme  East  in  October,  1852 ;  tarried  a 
month  in  Southern  Spain,  proceeded  to  Bombay  by 
the  "overland"  route,  and  made  a  journey  of  two 
thousand  two  hundred  miles,  chiefly  on  horseback, 
in  Central  India,  reaching  Calcutta  February  22, 
1853.  He  soon  proceeded  to  Hong  Kong,  by  way  of 
Peuang  and  Singapore ;  resided  some  time  at  Shang- 
hai as  an  attache-  of  the  American  Legation,  then  in 
charge  of  Colonel  Marshall,  and,  on  May  17,  em- 
barked for  Japan  on  board  the  squadron  of  Commo- 
dore Perry.  He  was  thus  a  witness  of  one  of  the 
most  memorable  events  of  modern  times — the  open- 
ing of  Japan  to  intercourse  with  civilized  countries 
— but  his  diary  was  not  allowed  to  be  separately 
published,  it  being  used  in  preparing  the  official 
narrative  of  the  expedition.  Returning  to  Canton 
in  August,  Mr.  Taylor  sailed  in  September  for  New 
York  and  reached  this  port  December  20, 1853,  after 
an  absence  of  two  years  and  four  mouths,  during 
which  he  had  traveled  about  fifty  thousand  miles. 
His  letters  to  the  Tribune  furnished  the  materials  of 
several  volumes — "A  Journey  to  Central  Africa; 
or,  Life  and  Landscape  from  Egypt  to  the  Negro 
Kingdoms  of  the  White  Nile"  (New  Yrork,  1854): 
"The  Lands  of  the  Saracen;  or,  Pictures  of  Pales- 
tine, Asia  Minor,  Sicily  and  Spain"  (1854);  and  "A 
Visit  to  India,  China  and  Japan  in  the  Year  1853  " 
(1855)— all  of  which  were  widely  popular  both  in 
America  and  England  and  ran  through  numerous 
editions.  Mr.  Taylor  had  scarcely  rested  from  is- 
suing these  volumes  of  travels,  when  he  returned  to 
his  first  love  with  three  volumes  of  verse,  "  Poems 
of  the  Orient"  (Boston,  1854);  "  Poems  and  Ballads  " 
(New  York,  1854);  and  "Poems  of  Home  and 
Travel"  (New  York,  1855)  the  latter  work  compris- 
ing a  selection  from  his  earlier  lyrics.  In  July,  1856, 
he  undertook  a  fourth  tour  through  Northern  and 
Eastern  Europe  and  Iceland,  resulting  in  three  more 
volumes — "  Northern  Travel ;  Summer  and  Winter 
Pictures ;  Sweden,  Denmark  and  Lapland  "  (1857)  ; 
"  Travels  in  Greece  and  Russia,  with  an  Excursion 
to  Crete"  (1859);  and  "At  Home  and  Abroad;  a 
Sketch  Book  of  Life,  Scenery  and  Men"  (1859),  of 
which  work  a  second  series  was  issued  in  1862. 
Mr.  Taylor  settled  down  to  quiet  journalistic  work 
for  a  few  years,  but  the  passion  for  novelty  was  still 
strong  within  him,  and  in  1862  he  accepted  the  post 
of  Secretary  of  Legation  at  St.  Petersburg,  where  he 
resided  nearly  two  years,  acting  for  a  short  time  in 
1863  as  Charge  d'  Affaires  ad  interim.  At  this  time 
he  pursued  with  earnestness  his  studies  of  German 


literature,  commenced  many  years  before,  and  mar- 
ried Miss  Marie  Hansen,  a  German  lady  of  distin- 
guished family,  who  is  herself  a  linguist  and  author 
of  rare  talents.  During  his  residence  in  Russia  Mr. 
Taylor  published"  The  Poets'  Journal"  (Boston, 
1863)  which  has  been  called  a  poetical  domestic  au- 
tobiography, and  "Hannah  Thurston,  a  Storj  of 
American  Life  "  (1863)  his  first  venture  in  fiction— 
a  work  which  achieved  considerable  success  and 
was  translated  by  Mrs.  Taylor  into  German.  Soon 
after  his  return  to  America  he  issued  a  second  novel 
—"John  Godfrey's  Fortunes,  Related  by  Himself" 
(1864)— and  two  years  later  a  third— "The  Story  of 
Kennett ;  a  Tale  of  American  Life  "  (1866)— dealing 
with  historical  incidents  which  occurred  near  his 
birthplace  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania.  A 
poem,  "The  Picture  of  St.  John"  (1866)  and  two 
new  volumes  of  travel,  "Colorado;  a  Summer 
Trip  "  (1867)  and  "  Byways  of  Europe  "  (1869)  gave 
evidence  of  continued  literary  activity,  as  also  of 
Frithiof's  "  Saga:"  (1867)  and  of  Auerbach's  "Villa 
on  the  Rhine"  (1869)  which  he  edited,  with  a  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  the  latter  author.  During  the 
winter  of  1869-70  he  delivered  a  course  of  lectures 
on  "  German  Literature"  at  Cornell  University.  He 
was  well  beloved  by  all  the  students  at  Ithaca.  His 
chief  occupation  for  several  years  consisted  in  lec- 
turing, and  his  recreation  in  translating  Goethe's 
"Faust,"  two  volumes  (1870-'71).  He  traversed  in 
1871  the  entire  route  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
way, making  a  by-visit  to  the  British  province  of 
Manitoba,  and  in  1874  revisited  Egypt  and  Iceland, 
publishing  his  letters  thereupon  in  a  single  volume. 
Among  his  later  publications  were  "  The  Ballad  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  "  (1869)  delivered  at  the  inaugura- 
tion of  a  monument  at  Gettysburg,  July  4,  1869; 
another  novel,  "Joseph  and  His  Friend"  (1870); 
"The  Masque  of  the  Gods"  (1872);  "Lars,  a  Pas- 
toral of  Norway"  (1873);  and  "  Home  Pastorals,  Bal- 
lads and  Lyrics  "  (1875).  He  edited  four  volumes, 
comprising  an  "Illustrated  Library  of  Travel,  Ex- 
ploration and  Adventure  "  (1872-'74)  and  was  long 
engaged  upon  a  biography  of  Goethe,  which  he  in- 
tended to  make  the  great  work  of  his  life.  A  com- 
plete account  of  his  literary  activity  would  comprise 
scores  of  uncollected  contributions  to  miscellaneous 
publications,  many  unpublished  lectures,  and  a  vast 
number  of  literary  reviews  and  general  articles 
which  were  published  in  the  columns  of  the  New 
York  Tribune.  One  of  his  frequent  tours  de  farce 
was  in  preparing  for  the  Tribune,  some  years  ago, 
within  forty-eight  hours  a  complete  account  of  two 
new  volumes  of  poems  by  Victor  Hugo.  This  was 
done  from  advance  sheets,  by  working  day  and  night, 
and  the  account,  which  filled  several  columns,  was 


256 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


largely  composed  of  metrical  translations  from 
Hugo.  Mr.  Taylor  was  not  an  ardent  politician,  but 
he  sympathized  heartily  with  the  Union  cause  during 
the  Civil  War  and  was  always  identified  with  the 
fortunes  of  the  Republican  party.  Though  his 
literary  headquarters  were  in  New  York,  he  was  a 
resident  and  citizen  of  Pennsylvania,  having  a 
beautiful  home  near  the  spot  of  his  birth.  When  it 
fell  to  the  lot  of  President  Hayes  to  fill  the  post  of 
Minister  to  the  German  Empire,  it  was  generally 
felt  that  it  would  be  not  merely  a  welcome  tribute 
to  literature  and  to  journalistic  success,  but  a  fitting 
satisfaction  of.  the  joint  interests  of  two  great  States, 
could  the  position  be  tendered  to  Mr.  Taylor.  The 
press  of  the  country  with  great  unanimity  approved 
in  advance  the  nomination,  which  he  received  with- 
out solicitation  on  his  own  part.  The  complimen- 
tary receptions  which  were  given  to  Mr.  Taylor  at 
Philadelphia  and  in  New  York  City,  are  well  re- 
membered by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  participat- 
ing" in  them.  The  most  distinguished  men  of  letters 
in  both  cities  took  pleasure  in  bidding  God-speed  to 
a  gentleman  of  such  eminence  in  many  distinct 
lines,  and  the  congratulations  of  the  German  resi- 
dents were  not  less  hearty.  The  press  in  German}- 
and  England  were  highly  complimentary,  and  long 
biographical  sketches  of  Mr.  Taylor  appeared  in  the 
Berlin  papers.  He  arrived  in  Germany  late  in  April, 
1878.  and  his  short  diplomatic  career  was  marked 
by  more  than  one  notable  event.  The  two  attempts 
upon  the  life  of  the  German  Emperor  and  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Peace  Congress  at  Berlin  will  suffice  to 
show  the  character  of  the  period  in  which  it  was  his 
lot  to  represent  his  country  at  so  important  a  Capital. 
It  is  highly  probable  that  his  zeal  to  perform  his 
duties  of  courtesy  to  the  venerable  German  Emperor, 
by  tendering  him  the  congratulations  of  our  Gov- 
ernment, ma}' have  accelerated  his  death:  but  the 
immediate  cause  was  a  surgical  operation  to  which 
he  had  submitted  several  weeks  before.  The  tid- 
ings of  his  sudden  death  aroused  universal  grief  and 
sorrow  at  the  German  Court,  because  the  deceased 
gentleman,  although  only  accredited  a  short  time, 
was  a  universal  favorite.  The  Emperor  William, 
the  Crown  Prince  and  Prince  Bismarck  greatly 
esteemed  Mr.  Taylor,  whose  appointment  as  Minis- 
ter to  that  Court  was  extremely  welcome  to  them. 
Mrs.  Taylor  and  her  daughter  devotedly  nursed  the 
deceased  during  his  long  illness.  The  fatal  symp- 
toms came  on  suddenly.  Mr.  Taylor  had  been  out 
of  bed  and  was  transacting  business  with  the  offi- 
cials of  the  American  Legation  the  day  before.  His 
death  was  peaceful  and  painless:  he  passed  away 
from  life  as  though  sinking  into  restfid  sleep.  No 
account  of  Mr.  Taylor's  later  literary  labors  would 


be  complete  without  reference  to  the  fine  poem 
which  he  delivered  at  the  Centenary  Celebration  of 
American  Independence,  at  Philadelphia,  July  4, 
18TG, — an  occasion,  which  in  many  respects,  was  the 
crowning  moment  of  Ins  life.  In  the  same  year  he 
printed  an  unpretending  little  volume,  " The  Echo 
Club  and  Other  Literary  Diversions."  One  of  his 
greatest  works,  perhaps  his  poetic  masterpiece,  was 
published  only  a  few  days  before  his  decease, 
"Prince  Deukalion,"  a  philosophical  poem,  which 
has  been  passed  upon  by  the  majority  of  our  organs 
of  literary  criticism  and  has  elicited  the  most 
diverse  opinions.  The  untimely  death  of  its  author, 
which  made  "Prince  Deukalion"  his  last  literary 
bequest  to  his  countrymen,  gave  it  an  extensive  cir- 
culation, and  the  author's  object,  which  v,as  to 
popularize  his  views  about  the  religion  of  the  future, 
was  thus  attained.  Like  the  majority  of  modern 
poets  Mr.  Taylor  held  philosophical  views  consider- 
ably at  variance  with  the  prevalent  theological  or- 
thodoxy, but  he  never  sought  to  give  distinct 
expression  to  those  views,  and  the  multitude  of 
readers  who  are  groping  for  a  creed  will  doubtless 
find  at  least  a  consistent  and  coherent  system  in 
Mr.  Taylor's  poem.  In  his  heart  it  was  always 
poetic  fame  that  he  coveted — poetry  was  his  first 
love  and  his  last.  The  final  verdict  of  criticism, 
however,  will  probably  award  a  greater  value  to 
other  of  his  works.  He  long  enjoyed  the  honor 
of  having  both  his  prose  and  poetic  works  collected 
into  uniform  series,  the  travels,  which  now  com- 
prise some  ten  volumes,  having  for  many  years 
stood  as  standard  books  on  the  catalogues  of  well 
known  publishers. 

 »  

CLARKSON,  COLONEL  FLOYD,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  February  27,  1831.  His  father 
was  Samuel  Floyd  Clarkson,  a  practicing  coun- 
sel in  chancery,  law  and  equity  proceedings,  and 
his  mother  was  Amelia  A.  Baker,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam F.  Baker — a  lumber  merchant  of  New  York 
City — and  Elizabeth  Sperry.  His  grandfather  was 
William  Clarkson,  a  physician  of  Philadelphia,  and 
afterwards  a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  was  set- 
tled at  Bridgton,  New  Jersey  ;  Schenectady,  New 
York:  Savannah,  Georgia  ;  and  John's  Island,  South 
Carolina  ;  and  who  was  the  son  of  Gerardus  Clark- 
son, one  of  the  most  distinguished  physicians  of 
Philadelphia,  and  the  grandson  of  Matthew  Clark- 
son, who  was  Secretary  of  the  Colony  of  New  York, 
under  appointment  of  William  and  Mary,  in  1G88. 
His  grandmother  was  Catharine  Floyd,  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  Floyd,  who  was  a  delegate  to  the 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


257 


Continental  Congress  from  this  State,  and  a  signer 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  was 
Colonel  of  the  Suffolk  County  Militia,  and  as  such 
was  active  in  the  protection  of  that  portion  of  Long 
Island  from  British  raids,  and  was  afterwards  ap- 
pointed a  Brigadier-General.  Floyd  Clarkson  was 
educated  at  King  &  Feek's,  afterwards  Lyon's 
School,  in  New  York  City,  and  was  prepared  for 
entry  into  the  New  York  University  in  1845,  but 
persuaded  his  father  to  let  him  engage  in  mercantile 
life,  entering  the  hardware  store  of  Tracy,  Allen  & 
Co.,  in  April,  184(5,  with  whom  he  continued  until 
their  retirement  from  business,  which  was  trans- 
ferred to  Cornell,  Willis  and  Co.,  in  Cortlandt 
Street.  Floyd  Clarkson  remained  in  their  employ 
until  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  at  14 
Cortlandt  Street,  January  1,  1859.  For  two  years 
he  did  a  large  and  successful  business,  until  the 
troubles  of  1861  began,  when  by  reason  of  about 
one-half  of  his  trade  being  with  the  seceding  States, 
he  was  forced  to  retire  from  business.  On  October 
27,  1857,  he  married  (the  Rev.  William  Adams, 
D.D.,  performing  the  ceremony)  Harriet  A.  Van 
Boskerck,  the  daughter  of  John  Van  Boskerck,  one 
of  the  old  Hollandish  business  men  of  New  York  city, 
who  had  retired  many  years  before  witb  what  was 
in  those  days  an  ample  fortune.  They  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  two  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  a  third,  Floyd,  Jr.,  when  nineteen  years 
of  age.  Seven  still  survive,  two  being  daughters: 
John  V.  B.,  Ashton  C,  George  T.,  Grace,  Bessie, 
Frank  J.,  and  Jay  H.  On  the  call  for  troops  by 
President  Lincoln  in  April,  1861,  Floyd  Clarkson 
went  with  his  company,  Company  Six  (since  known 
as  Company  F)  Seventh  Regiment,  National  Guard, 
State  of  New  York,  in  the  famous  march  down 
Broadway,  thence  to  Annapolis,  Maryland,  and 
Washington,  D.C., — his  company  and  the  Second 
forming  a  division  under  Captain  Nevers,  of  Com- 
pany Six,  being  the  advance  guard  to  Annapolis 
Junction.  Floyd  Clarkson  joined  the  Seventh  Reg- 
iment, March  18,  1856,  and  continued  as  a  private 
until  his  discharge,  March  5,  1869,  doing  duty  in 
his  company,  as  a  private,  after  his  return  from  the 
war  in  1865.  He  remained  with  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment until  it  returned  to  New  York,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  June  3,  1861.  He  was  one  of  those  who 
built  Fort  Runyon  at  the  westerly  end  of  Long 
Bridge,  Virginia.  On  his  return  to  New  York,  he 
at  once  began  recruiting  for  the  cavalry  service, 
being  authorized  so  to  do  by  Colonel  Othniel  De 
Forest,  who  had  a  commission  from  the  War  De- 
partment to  recruit  three  regiments  of  cavalry, 
numbered  afterwards  as  the  Fifth,  Sixth  and 
Twelfth.    One  company  raised  by  Floyd  Clarkson 


was  placed  in  the  Fifth  as  M,  under  Captain  Foster. 
Another  went  into  the  Sixth  as  M,  under  Captain 
George  M.  Van  Buren.  On  the  11th  of  November, 
1861,  Floyd  Clarkson  was  mustered  as  Major  of  the 
Sixth  New  York  Cavalry,  and,  on  Thanksgiving 
Day  of  1861,  the  regiment  left  Staten  Island  for 
York,  Pennsylvania,  where  it  stayed  during  that 
winter,  and  in  March  was  ordered  to  Perryville, 
Maryland,  to  relieve  the  Eleventh  Regulars,  Infan- 
try, who  were  ordered  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
During  the  winter  of  1861-'2,  Major  Clarkson  had  a 
weekly  school  of  instruction  for  the  officers  of  his 
battalion,  laying  the  ground  work  for  that  excel- 
lence which  made  the  officers  of  that  battalion 
those  who  received  the  highest  promotions  in  the 
regiment;  and  when  the  regiment  left  York,  Major 
Clarkson  was  sent  with  his  battalion  as  the  first 
detachment.  In  March,  1862,  Colonel  Thomas  C. 
Devin,  commanding  the  regiment,  was  directed  to 
send  all  of  his  mounted  men  to  report  to  Major- 
Genera]  Sumner,  at  Warrenton  Junction,  Virginia. 
Only  one  company  (K)  had  horses,  they  having 
brought  them  from  St.  Lawrence  County.  Colonel 
Devin  sent  Major  Clarkson  with  three  companies, 
D,  H  and  K,  directing  him  to  procure  saddles  and 
horses  at  Washington.  On  arriving  at  Washington, 
Major  Clarkson  found  that  the  corps  commanded 
by  General  Sumner  had  left  for  the  Peninsula ;  on 
reporting  to  the  General  he  was  directed  to  obtain 
transportation,  and  take  his  three  companies  to 
Fortress  Monroe.  Just  as  he  arrived  at  the  anchor- 
age off  the  Fort  on  April  11,  1862,  and  while  one 
schooner  with  D  troop  had  just  tied  up  at  the  dock, 
the  "Merrimac"  appeared,  convoying  the  two 
steamers  that  cut  out  some  vessels  at  Newport 
News.  The  "Monitor"  was  at  anchor  but  a  short 
distance  from  where  the  brig  lay,  on  which  was 
Major  Clarkson  with  another  troop,  and  on  the 
moving  of  the  "Monitor"  towards  the  "Merrimac," 
the  captain  of  the  brig  raised  anchor,  and  ran  out 
into  the  bay,  remaining  there  until  the  next  day, 
when  he  returned  and  all  were  safely  disembarked. 
Saddles  and  pistols  had  to  be  distributed,  and 
horses  assigned  and  mounted.  Drill  at  once  began 
and  continued  unceasingly  until  the  army  moved 
beyond  Yorktown.  Orders  had  been  sent  to  have 
the  battalion  report  to  Colonel  Farns worth,  of  the 
Eighth  Illinois  Cavalry,  but  they  failed  to  reach 
Major  Clarkson.  Finding  that  every  other  com- 
mand had  left  its  camp,  he,  with  Lieutenant  Aitken 
and  an  orderly,  went  in  search  of  Major-General 
Sumner  to  obtain  orders.  In  looking  for  him  they 
went  up  on  the  left  where  General  Hooker's  divi- 
sion was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Williamsburg, 
and,  in  endeavoring  to  pass  *o  the  right,  they  were 


258 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


under  fire  for  the  first  time.  Finding ,  that  the 
ground  was  too  swampy  to  allow  their  horses  to  get 
through,  they  returned  to  the  fork  of  the  road,  and 
there  found  that  General  Sumner  had  returned  to 
Yorktown.  Finding  the  General,  Major  Clarksou 
was  ordered  to  report  to  Brigadier-General  Van 
Allen,  who  was  commanding  at  Yorktown.  The 
battalion  remained  there  a  month,  a  fourth  com- 
pany, F,  reporting  to  the  battalion.  Soon  after, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Duncan  McYicar  of  the  regi- 
ment arrived  and  took  command.  The  battalion 
was  ordered  to  Major-General  Sumner  at  the  front, 
where  they  remained,  doing  orderly  and  escort 
duty,  and  scouting  towards  West  Point  for  the 
protection  of  the  railroad,  until  the  battle  of  Me- 
ehanicsville  and  the  retreat  of  the  army.  At  the 
battle  of  Peach  Orchard  or  Allen's  Farm,  that  por- 
tion of  the  battalion  (about  a  squadron)  with  the 
field  officers,  was  ordered  to  cover  the  right  of  the 
Second  Corps,  and  to  communicate  witli  the  troops 
on  the  right  across  the  Chickahomiuy.  At  the  fight 
at  Savage  Station,  the  same  position  was  assigned 
to  the  squadron.  They  were  the  last  troops  that 
passed  over  the  bridge  at  White  Oak  Swamp,  Haz- 
ard's Battery  passing  them  and  going  over  on  a 
gallop,  Major-General  Richardson  at  once  ordering 
the  bridge  to  be  blown  up.  The  squadron  bivou- 
acked in  the  woods  immediately  behind  Mott's  Bat- 
tery, and  when  the  heavy  cannonade  opening  the 
battle  of  White  Oak  Swamp  began,  the  shells  blew 
up  one  of  the  caissons  of  Mott's  Battery,  and  other- 
wise damaged  that  battery.  They  also  fell  so  thick 
where  Major  Clarkson's  squadron  was  resting  that 
they  immediately  led  their  horses  to  the  rear,  not 
waiting  to  mount.  They  were  then  placed  as  a 
provost  guard  behind  Richardson's  Division.  The 
succeeding  night  the  army  retreated  to  Malvern 
Hill,  where  the  squadron,  composed  of  troops 
D  and  K,  covered  the  right  flank  of  the  Second 
Corps  to  the  Chickahomiuy.  The  other  squadron, 
F  and  H,  also  scouted  towards  the  right.  Return- 
ing, they  were  ordered  by  General  McClellan  himself 
to  feed  and  proceed  at  once  to  Harrison's  Landing. 
Upon  the  arrival  of  the  army  at  Harrison's  Landing, 
Major  Clarkson,  with  the  squadron,  consisting  of  F 
and  H,  was  ordered  to  report  to  Major-General  E. 
D.  Keyes,  commanding  the  Fourth  Corps,  and  re- 
mained with  the  headquarters  of  that  corps  at 
Yorktown,  when  the  army  embarked  for  Alexan- 
dria. In  September,  owing  to  pressing  private 
business  in  New  York,  and  it  being  impossible  to 
procure  a  leave  of  absence  for  ten  days,  Major 
Clarkson  resigned  and  returned  to  New  York  City. 
In  December,  1862,  Governor  Morgan  appointed 
Major  Clarkson  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Four- 


teenth New  York  Cavalry,  but  after  visiting  the 
regiment,  he  concluded  not  to  be  mustered,  and  in 
March,  18G3,  United  States  Senator  Harris  had  him 
appointed  a  Major  in  the  Twelfth  New  York  Cav- 
alry, and  he  was  mustered  April  2,  1863.  During 
that  mouth  the  ten  companies  were  consolidated 
into  six  companies  by  command  of  Major-General 
Wool;  Major  Clarksou,  though  the  junior  Major, 
was  retained  as  Major,  to  which  a  battalion  of  six 
companies  was  by  law  entitled,  and  in  May,  1863, 
he  left  Staten  Island  with  the  six  companies  for 
New  Berne,  North  Carolina.  Lieutenant-Colonel  P. 
G.  Yought  followed  in  a  few  weeks.  After  amontli's 
drill,  and  the  men  not  being  able  to  ride  or  handle 
their  weapons,  the  various  companies  were  sent  to 
different  stations,  held  by  the  Union  troops  in 
North  Carolina,  to  relieve  the  Third  New  York 
Cavalry,  that  was  concentrated  at  New  Berne, 
North  Carolina,  for  a  raid  to  Kienansville  and  War- 
saw, the  latter  a  town  on  the  WTeldon  and  Wilming- 
ton Railroad.  The  raid,  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  G.  W.  Lewis,  of  the  Third  New 
York  Cavalry,  left  New  Berne,  July  3,  1863,  and 
Major  Clarkson  accompanied  him  as  au  aid.  The 
railroad  was  torn  up  for  several  miles  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Warsaw,  and  culverts  aud  bridges  were 
destroj-ed.  A  detachment  of  Rebel  cavalry  was 
surprised  and  badly  whipped  at  Kienansville,  a 
sword  and  bayonet  factory  burnt,  also  depots  of 
army  supplies.  Duriug  the  march,  going  and  re- 
turning, large  amounts  of  cotton  and  naval  sup- 
plies, such  as  tar  and  rosin,  were  burned.  In  July, 
1863,  another  raid  was  planned  by  Major-General 
Foster,  the  command  to  consist  of  the  Third  New 
York  Cavalry,  three  companies,  A,  B  and  F,  of  the 
Twelfth  New  York  Cavalry  ;  two  companies  of  the 
Twenty-third  New  York  Cavalry,  and  one  troop  of 
the  First  North  Carolina  Loyal  Cavalry — white — in 
all  about  nine  hundred  and  fifty  men ;  the  whole 
under  the  command  of  Brigadier-General  E.  E. 
Potter.  This  cavalry  force  passed  through  Green- 
ville, thence  to  Sparta,  where  the  battalion  of  six 
companies  of  the  Third  Cavalry,  under  Major  Ferris 
Jacobs,  Jr.,  was  sent  to  Rocky  Mount,  and  the  rest 
of  the  column  proceeded  to  Tarboro.  The  destruc- 
tion at  Rocky  Mount  of  the  very  high  and  long 
trestle  over  the  Tar  River,  was  a  serious  injury  to 
the  Rebel  army.  A  cracker  bakery  and  a  factory 
for  the  manufacture  of  army  cloths,  besides  large 
supplies  of  commissary  stores,  were  burned.  At 
Tarboro,  Major  Clarkson  led  the  charge  into  the 
town  and  drove  out  the  Rebel  pickets.  He  there 
superintended  the  destruction  of  two  steamboats 
and  a  ram.  that  were  on  the  ways  by  the  banks  of 
the  Tar  River.    Several  buildings  filled  with  medi- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


259 


cal,  commissary  and  quartermaster  supplies  were 
also  burned.  This  being  a  very  fertile  section  of 
North  Carolina,  the  Rebel  army  of  Northern  Yir. 
ginia  drew  a  vast  amount  of  supplies  from  Tarboro 
and  the  surrounding  country.  A  force  for  the  pro- 
tection of  this  depot  being  reported  as  advancing, 
Major  Clarkson,  with  one  hundred  men  of  the 
Twelfth  New  York  Cavalry  and  a  mountain  howit- 
zer, manned  by  the  Third  New  York  Artillery,  were 
sent  out  to  the  northward  to  reconnoiter.  A  few 
miles  from  Tarboro,  the  advance  of  the  enemy  was 
met,  and  in  a  fight  that  ensued,  Major  Clarkson 
lost  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing  about  thirty 
men ;  some  of  those  who  were  captured  lost  con- 
trol of  their  horses  in  a  charge  that  was  made  and 
were  taken  beyond  any  help  from  their  party.  This 
was  the  first  time  any  of  the  party,  except  Major 
Clarkson,  had  been  under  fire,  and  to  steady  them 
it  became  necessary  for  him  to  expose  himself. 
When  the  Rebel  videttes  were  seen,  they  were  fol- 
lowed as  they  fell  back  upon  the  main  body,  and  as 
the  head  of  the  Union  column  approached,  they 
opened  at  about  three  hundred  yards,  sending  the 
troops  on  the  right  into  the  woods.  Major  Clark- 
son ordered  up  the  howitzer  and  directed  them  to 
throw  some  spherical  case  down  the  road,  and  into 
the  woods  to  the  left.  The  bullets  of  the  enemy 
sent  the  gunners  from  the  gun,  and  it  became 
necessary  to  do  something  to  steady  the  men.  Ma- 
jor Clarkson  at  once  put  his  horse,  an  iron  gray, 
across  the  road  just  by  the  gun,  and  a  couple  of  vol- 
leys were  fired  at  him,  as  he  discharged  his  pistol 
at  the  Confederates.  One  bullet  went  through  his 
horse's  neck  and  another  struck  his  saber  scabbard. 
He  thus  brought  the  men  to  the  gun,  and  when  he 
ordered  a  charge  with  pistols,  the  cavalry  responded 
at  once.  A  company  of  the  Third  New  York  Cav- 
alry was  sent  to  his  assistance,  and  they,  having 
carbines,  were  able  to  delay  the  enemy,  so  that 
every  desired  object  of  the  stay  in  Tarboro  was 
obtained.  In  beginning  the  retreat,  the  battalion 
under  Major  Clarkson  was  ordered  to  take  the  ad- 
vance. As  they  approached  a  branch  of  the  Tar 
River,  the  bridge  across  it  was  found  guarded  by  an 
infantry  brigade  with  some  artillery.  The  skir- 
mishers were  in  a  piece  of  scrub  pines,  and  as  no 
carbines  were  in  the  battalion,  a  request  was  sent 
back  to  Colonel  Lewis,  of  the  Third  New  York  Cav- 
alry, for  a  company  of  carbineers,  and  until  they 
reported  the  best  defense  was  made  with  pistols — 
the  Rebel  sharpshooters  firing  at  the  officers.  One 
fired  three  times  at  Major  Clarkson,  the  first  bullet 
dropping  just  in  front  of  his  horse's  front  feet, 
twelve  inches  by  measurement,  the  third  brushing 
up  the  horse's  mane  just  above  the  pommel  of  the 


saddle.  As  soon  as  Tyson's  Creek  was  reached, 
the  bridge  was  found  to  be  destroyed.  Major 
Cole's  battalion  was  then  ordered  to  take  the  ad- 
vance, General  Potter  accompanying  it,  and  follow- 
ing down  the  stream,  General  Potter,  through  infor- 
mation obtained  from  an  old  negro,  found  a  ford 
and  the  creek  was  crossed,  guides  being  stationed 
at  different  points  to  indicate  the  line  of  the  ford. 
After  crossing,  a  gallop  was  taken  and  kept  up  all 
night— the  enemy  continued  firing  their  artillery  in 
various  directions,  hoping  to  strike  the  column,  one 
shot  striking  in  the  road,  immediately  in  front  of  the 
right  of  Major  Clarkson's  battalion,  which  was 
halted,  the  men  being  occupied  in  filling  some, 
ditches  with  rails,  so  that  the  artillery  and  wagons 
containing  the  wounded  could  pass  over.  Most  of 
the  night's  ride  was  through  the  woods,  so  thick 
that  in  the  morning  one-third  of  the  men  had  lost 
their  hats.  Greenville  was  approached  from  the 
north  side  of  the  Tar  River  the  next  night,  and  as 
the  Union  forces  came  by  one  road,  a  section  of 
Rebel  artillery  and  a  small  support  of  cavalry  left  by 
another.  The  planks  of  the  bridge  were  found  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river,  as  the  enemy  expected 
them  to  come  from  the  other  way.  The  night  was 
so  dark  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  find  the 
videttes  sent  out  to  picket  the  road,  while  the 
bridge  was  being  put  in  order  for  the  Union  troops 
to  cross.  Major  Clarkson,  in  visiting  some  of  them, 
was  suddenly  halted  by  a  voice  in  the  darkness, 
challenging  him  with,  "Halt,  who  goes  there?" 
No  picket  had  been  placed  there  by  his  direc- 
tions, and  he  supposed  he  was  halted  by  a  Rebel 
vidette.  Hastily  drawing  and  cocking  his  pistol,  he 
replied,  "A  friend,  who  are  you?"  The  reply 
came,  "Advance,  friend,  with  the  countersign." 
Slowly  moving  his  horse  forward,  so  that  whoever 
it  was  might  hear  the  foot-fall  of  the  horse,  and  so 
would  not  shoot,  he  peered  through  the  darkness, 
striving  to  get  a  view  of  his  challenger,  and  replied, 
"Who  are  you?  I  am  Major  Clarkson,  of  the 
Twelfth  New  York  Cavalry."  The  reply  came,  "  I 
am  the  Twenty-third  New  York  Cavalry  1  "—from 
his  own  battalion.  He  found  that  a  detail  had  been 
taken  from  that  squadron  and  placed  on  that  road. 
Calling  for  the  sergeant  in  charge,  he  ordered  those 
videttes  to  be  collected  to  rejoin  their  command, 
and  by  that  time  the  column  had  begun  to  cross 
the  bridge,  and  the  officer  of  the  guard  was  directed 
to  call  in  all  the  pickets  and  get  into  the  column. 
Some  could  not  be  found  in  the  darkness  and  were 
left.  Near  daylight  they  found  that  they  were 
alone,  and  by  rapid  riding  caught  up  with  the  coL 
umn.  During  that  night,  after  crossing  the  bridge, 
while  Lieutenant-Colonel  Lewis  of  the  Third  New 


26o 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


York  Cavalry  was  riding  with  Major  Clarkson  and 
the  signal  officers,  who  were  on  the  right  of  the 
second  or  middle  battalion,  and  immediately  behind 
a  section  of  the  Third  New  York  Artillery,  which 
belonged  to  the  first  battalion  under  Major  Cole, 
the  column  turned  into  a  road  and  was  soon 
brought  to  a  halt.  As  the  halt  was  longer  than 
seemed  proper,  Colonel  Lewis  and  Major  Clarkson 
rode  to  the  right  of  the  section,  and  found  that  it 
had  turned  into  a  wood-road  and  had  come  to  the 
end  of  it.  They  at  once  rode  to  the  rear  of  the 
battalion,  and  just  then  Major  Jacobs  came  up  with 
his  battalion  from  Rocky  Mount,  having  followed 
them.  Colonel  Lewis  stopped  to  join  Major  Jacobs, 
and  Major  Clarkson  rode  on  alone,  endeavoring  to 
find  the  place  where  the  turn  was  made  from  the 
direct  road.  He  had  no  idea  where  he  was,  except 
that  he  was  in  North  Carolina,  and  had  some  time 
before  passed  through  Greenville,  and  was  trying 
to  get  back  to  New  Berne.  He  rode  on,  and  com- 
ing to  another  road,  he  turned  on  to  that,  and  rode 
on  seeking  for  something  to  indicate  whether  it  was 
the  road  over  which  the  first  battalion  had  passed, 
when  a  long  distance  ahead,  he  could  distinguish 
against  the  horizon,  the  form  of  a  man  on  horse- 
back; one  side  of  the  road  was  a  wood,  and  on  the 
other  open  fields.  Major  Clarkson's  horse  was  on  a 
gallop,  and  as  he  approached  the  man  he  came  to 
a  walk  and  with  cocked  pistol  called  out,  "Halt, 
who  goes  there?  "  The  reply  came,  "  Can  you  tell 
me  where  Major  Clarkson  is?"  The  reply  was, 
"  Who  are  you,  what  do  you  want  of  Major  Clark- 
son ?  "  The  man  said,  "  I  am  a  guide  sent  by  Gen- 
eral Potter  to  show  Major  Clarkson  the  way."  Ma- 
jor Clarkson  said,  "  I  am  Major  Clarkson,  can  you 
take  me  to  General  Potter?"  He  replied,  "Yes,  I 
can."  "  Advance,"  was  the  reply,  and  the  Major 
kept  him  covered  with  his  pistol  until  he  could 
make  out  that  at  least  he  was  dressed  in  the  uni- 
form of  the  Union  cavalryman — his  speech  indi- 
cated that  he  was  not  a  Southerner.  They  joined 
company  and  rode  back,  until  Colonel  Lewis  was 
found,  when  Major  Clarkson  said  to  him,  "  Here  is 
a  guide  sent  back  by  General  Potter."  Colonel 
Lewis  and  Major  Jacobs  at  once  followed  the  guide, 
while  Major  Clarkson  sought  his  battalion.  Turn- 
ing up  a  road  he  found  no  soldiers,  and  fearing  he 
was  off  the  road,  he  called  out,  "Twelfth  New 
York  Cavalry  ? "  No  reply.  He  turned  back  and 
rode  on  to  the  next  turn,  and  up  that  he  went  and 
found  his  battalion,  almost  everyone  fast  asleep. 
Awaking  them  he  ordered  the  artillery  to  counter- 
march, and  coming  out  upon  the  road,  whereon  he 
found  the  guide,  he  turned  in  that  direction,  when 
the  signal  officers  said,  "  Where  are  you  going, 


Major :  that  is  not  the  way."  He  had  narrated  the 
incidents  of  the  night  to  them  as  they  rode,  and  as- 
sured them  lie  was  turning  in  the  correct  way. 
Manjr  doubted  it  and  said  he  was  taking  them  to 
Libby.  He  replied,  that  he  was  sure  that  he  was 
on  the  right  road,  that  his  battalion  was  going  that 
wayr,  they  could  take  any  road  they  pleased.  They 
did  not  part  company,  and  as  daylight  appeared, 
they  could  see  the  prints  of  horses'  shoes  in  the 
sand,  headed  the  same  way  they  were  traveling. 
By  eight  o'clock  the  battalion  of  Major  Jacobs  was 
overtaken,  and  just  then  the  company  of  Loyal  North 
Carolinians,  who  had  the  rear,  reported  that  they 
had  been  fired  upon.  An  orderly  was  sent  to  Colonel 
Lewis  for  a  company  of  carbineers,  and  soon  after 
the}T  galloped  past  to  the  rear,  and  the  quick  firing 
indicated  that  they  had  reached  there  none  too  soon. 
Reaching  the  neighborhood  of  Swift's  Creek,  Gen- 
eral Potter  found  that  the  way  back  was  blocked 
up  by  fallen  trees,  with  infantry  and  artillery.  Coun- 
termarching, he  sought  the  north  bank  of  the  Neuse 
River,  some  distance  up  at  Street's  Ferry.  A  Lieu- 
tenant of  the  Third  New  York  Cavalry  essayed  to 
get  in  past  the  rebels  at  Swift  Creek,  but  he  was 
captured.  On  arriving  on  the  banks  of  the  Neuse  a 
detail  was  made  to  fell  the  trees  and  make  a  breast- 
work with  an  abattis.  Major  Clarkson  was  ap- 
pointed officer  of  the  day,  and  directed  to  keep  a 
squadron  ready  to  charge  on  a  moment's  notice.  A 
Lieutenant  of  the  Third  New  York  Cavalry  was  put 
in  a  dug-out  with  his  saddle,  and  guiding  his  horse 
by  the  bridle,  he  paddled  across  the  river,  his  horse 
swimming,  and  reaching  the  opposite  bank,  set  out 
for  New  Berne,  to  notify  General  Foster  of  the  needs 
of  the  raiding  party.  Not  long  after  their  arrival  on 
the  banks  of  the  Neuse,  the  Union  pickets  were 
driven  in,  and  a  sharp  skirmish  ensued.  Dismount- 
ing their  men,  and  with  the  four  mountain  howitzers 
of  the  Third  New  York  Artillery,  they  held  their 
line  until  nightfall.  During  the  night  they  could 
hear  the  lumbering  of  the  rebel  artillery,  and 
thought  they  were  getting  into  position,  so  as  to 
compel  a  surrender  in  the  early  morning  if  help  did 
not  come  from  New  Berne  through  the  Navy.  Be- 
fore daylight  they  found  that  the  rebels  had  intelli- 
gence of  what  was  going  on  sooner  than  they  did, 
for  the  gunboats  appeared  with  a  large  number  of 
pontoon  boats,  and  without  delay  a  pontoon  bridge 
was  laid  across  the  river,  over  which  the  column 
passed,  until  the  last  gun  and  soldier  were  in  the 
boats,  when  the  ropes  were  cut,  and  the  line  of 
boats  swung  into  the  river,  and  with  the  soldiers 
that  were  in  the  boats  were  towed  to  New  Berne, 
and  that  portion  which  had  crossed  moved  rapidly 
and  safely  to  New  Berne,  reaching  there  on  the  24th, 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


26l 


thus  completing  one  of  the  most  successful  raids 
made  by  the  Union  cavalry  during  the  war,  march- 
ing over  two  hundred  miles  in  six  days,  the  only 
sleep  being  that  obtained  upon  the  horses  while  they 
walked,  the  loss  being  about  fifty,  two-thirds  of 
which  occurred  in  the  charge  made  by  Major  Clark- 
son  near  Tarboro.  In  August,  '63,  the  six  companies 
(all  then  in  the  field)  were  ordered  into  a  camp  of 
instruction,  owing  to  the  bad  discipline  of  some  of 
the  captains,  and  early  in  September  they  returned 
to  headquarters,  near  New  Berne.  While  in  this 
camp,  where  the  command  was  drilled  for  three 
months,  five  additional  companies  reported.  Ma- 
jor Clarkson  was  the  only  field  officer  present,  and, 
in  addition  to  daily  drills  and  schools  of  instruction 
for  the  officers,  supplies  of  arms  and  accoutrements 
had  to  be  procured,  and  incompetent  officers  sent  be- 
fore the  Board  of  Examination.  A  section  of  horse 
artillery,  with  twelve-pound  mountain  howitzers  on 
wheels,  was  organized  and  drilled,  and  proved  a 
valuable  addition  to  the  regiment.  In  November 
the  camp  of  instruction  was  broken  up.  Six  com- 
panies were  sent  to  Plymouth,  Washington  and 
Newport  Barracks,  and  with  five  companies  Major 
Clarkson  was  sent  to  the  outposts  of  New  Berne. 
In  December,  18G3,  the  Twelfth  Company  joined  the 
command,  and  with  it  came  the  Colonel  and  other 
first  officers  and  the  regimental  staff.  On  February 
1,  1864,  New  Berne  was  attacked  in  force,  and  all 
of  the  Union  troops  were  compelled  to  retire  within 
the  fortifications.  Major  Clarkson  was  on  leave  at 
that  time.  On  June  14,  1864,  by  Special  Order  No. 
50,  Headquarters  Sub-District  of  New  Berne,  he 
was  appointed  Assistant  Inspector-General  on  the 
staff  of  Brigadier-General  Edward  llarland,  com- 
manding the  Sub-District  of  New  Berne  :  and  he 
occasionally  acted  as  Inspector-General  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  North  Carolina,  Brigadier-General  lunis  N. 
Palmer  commanding.  The  duties  of  Assistant  In- 
spector-General were  very  arduous.  New  Berne 
was  protected  by  nine  forts,  one  of  seventeen  guns, 
and  a  careful  inspection  of  these  forts  with  their 
garrisons  occupied  many  days ;  on  some  days  the 
riding  was  thirty  miles,  and  not  more  than  twelve 
or  fifteen  companies  inspected.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year,  September,  the  fearful  plague  of  yellow  fever 
appeared  in  the  town  of  New  Berne,  and  raged  with 
great  fatality  for  quite  three  months,  and  until  the 
freezing  weather  set  in.  Major  Clarkson  was 
stricken  with  it  in  October.  So  severe  was  the  sick- 
ness that  at  one  time  the  headquarters  had  to  be  re- 
moved to  a  different  part  of  the  town,  and  General 
Harland  was  seen  doing  the  work  of  the  office  him- 
self. Every  staff  officer  was  sick  with  the  fever. 
During  the  year  1864  the  regiment  was  actively  em- 


ployed, and  was  very  successful  in  breaking  up  the 
camps  of  the  enemy.  More  than  three  hundred 
prisoners  were  brought  in.  In  February,  1865,  the 
force  at  New  Berne  was  reinforced  in  anticipation 
of  the  movementto  meet  General  Sherman  at  Golds- 
boro.  The  Twenty-third  Corps,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Major-General  Cox,  arrived,  and  Major- 
General  John  M.  Schofield  also  reached  New  Berne 
to  take  command  of  the  District  and  of  the  force 
that  moved  towards  Goldsboro.  Major  Clarkson, 
on  the  21st  of  February,  1865,  resigned  his  commis- 
sion as  Major  of  the  Twelfth  New  York  Volunteer 
Cavalry,  to  take  effect  March  15,  1865,  or  after  the 
pending  operations  were  completed,  in  order  to 
avail  himself  of  a  business  opportunity  offered  him 
in  New  York  City.  The  resignation  was  approved 
by  the  Colonel  of  the  regiment,  and  by  Brigadier- 
General  Edward  Harland,  but  Brigadier-General 
Innis  N.  Palmer,  commanding  the  District  of  North 
Carolina,  placed  upon  it  the  following  endorsement: 
"This  cannot  be  approved  at  this  time;  Major 
Clarkson  is  too  valuable  an  officer  to  be  spared 
now."  General  Palmer  was  a  graduate  of  West 
Point,  and  in  the  regular  army  was  a  cavalry  officer. 
The  resignation  was  returned  from  the  headquar- 
ters, "  Army  of  the  Ohio,"  disapproved.  When  the 
orders  came  for  the  advance  upon  Kingston,  Major 
Clarkson  resigned  his  staff  appointment,  asking 
that  he  might  do  duty  with  his  regiment.  General 
Harland  acceded  to  this  request,  and  the  Twelfth 
New  York  Cavalry  was  directed  by  General  Scho- 
field to  advance  on  the  Trent  River  road,  on  March 
3, 1865,  while  the  infantry  column  advanced  on  the 
Neuse  River  road,  having  as  their  advance  the  troop 
of  Loyal  North  Carolinians  under  Captain  Graham. 
Major  Clarkson  took  command  of  the  advance  of 
the  Twelfth  Cavalry,  and  reached  Wise's  Forks 
with  Troop  G  just  after  the  other  column  had  ar- 
rived. On  March  7,  General  Palmer  ordered  him  to 
take  a  troop  of  his  cavalry,  and  with  four  compa- 
nies of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second  New 
York  Volunteers,  and  one  gun  of  the  Third  New 
York.  Artillery,  develop  the  force  that  was  ha  mis- 
sing the  command.  Major  Clarkson  pushed  the 
enemy  so  severely  that  with  very  slight  loss  he  had 
his  skirmishers  commanding  the  bridge  across 
North  West  Creek,  the  only  force  opposing  him 
being  some  dismounted  cavalry,  really  infantry, 
who  had  horses  merely  as  a  means  of  locomotion. 
Just  as  he  was  withdrawing  his  skirmishers,  so  as 
to  return  and  report  his  operations,  an  orderly  rode 
up,  asking  for  information.  A  reply  was  sent,  and 
very  quickly  the  orderly  returned,  his  horse  in  a 
lather,  with  orders  to  replace  the  skirmishers  and 
hold  the  ground  until  relieved  by  a  brigade.  Colo- 


262 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


nel  Upham,  commanding  a  brigade,  consisting  of 
the  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts,  Fifteenth  Con- 
necticut and  a  battalion  of  recruits,  convalescents 
and  others,  going  to  join  their  regiments  in  Sher- 
man's army,  soon  after  relieved  Major  Clarkson's 
command.  This  brigade  was  a  mile  and  more  to 
the  front  of  the  main  line  of  battle,  which  was  pro- 
tected by  a  log  breastwork,  with  the  ditch  out- 
side, and  an  abattis.  During  the  night  the  left  was 
picketed  by  Major  Clarkson's  battalion,  and  a  pa- 
trol under  Captain  Hock,  of  F  troop,  was  kept 
scouting.  Early  in  the  morning  a  battalion  of  rebel 
infantry  presented  themselves  at  a  ford  to  the  left 
and  front  of  Upham's  brigade,  and  Major  Clarkson 
dismounted  a  squadron  to  check  their  crossing  the 
ford.  A  severe  skirmish  ensued,  but  the  enemy  did 
not  cross.  From  prisoners  captured  it  was  learned 
that  it  was  the  Sixty-first  North  Carolina  of  Hoke's 
Division.  Major  Clarkson  reported  a  column  mov- 
ing beyond  his  left  to  the  rear.  Colouel  Savage  sent 
out  Major  West,  with  four  companies  of  the  Twelfth 
New  York  Cavalry,  to  make  a  reconnoisance  be- 
yond the  line  of  pickets.  They  had  not  proceeded 
far  when  they  discovered  signs  of  a  movement  in 
large  force  towards  New  Berne,  beyond  their  left. 
They  returned  and  one  of  the  Captains  notifying 
Major  Clarkson  of  what  they  had  discovered,  he  at 
once  informed  Colonel  Batcheler,  commanding  the 
Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and  sug- 
gested that  he  change  front  to  the  rear,  and  then 
ordered  up  his  two  mountain  howitzers  under  Lieu- 
tenant Fish  and  placed  them  in  front  of  the  Twenty- 
seventh  Massachusetts.  A  short  time  elapsed  be- 
fore the  cavalry  videttes  reported,  "Johnnies  passing 
past  the  rear,"  and  these  reports  were  soon  followed 
by  shots  and  a  volley.  One  battalion  of  the  Fif- 
teenth Connecticut  came  up  on  the  left  of  the  Twen- 
ty-seventh Massachusetts,  and  for  a  short  time  the 
contest  was  severe.  At  the  first  volley  the  led  horses 
galloped  past  the  line  of  infantry  and  took  the  road 
to  the  main  line  of  battle,  and  thus  escaped.  Major 
Clarkson  sent  his  bugler  for  the  mounted  cavalry  to 
report  to  him  behind  the  line  of  battle  formed  by 
the  infantry,  so  as  to  charge  up  the  road  and  get 
out.  Captain  Home  took  the  mounted  men  past 
the  rear  and  around  the  left ;  Lieutenant  Fish  re- 
ported that  he  had  used  up  all  his  cannister  and 
grape,  thirty  pounds  to  a  gun.  Major  Clarkson  di- 
rected him  to  cut  his  spherical  case  fuses  as  short 
ae  possible,  and  "  give  it  to  them."  The  horses  had 
been  shot  down  and  the  cannoniers  were  being 
badly  cut  up,  and  there  was  no  chance  to  save  the 
guns.  A  rebel  column  was  crossing  the  Northwest 
creek,  behind  their  position,  only  opposed  by  a  bat- 
talion of  the  Fifteenth  Connecticut  and  recruits  of 


the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  it  was  only  a 
question  of  a  short  time  when  the  rebel  division 
would  have  the  brigade  as  prisoners.  Major  Clark- 
son's horse  had  been  shot  in  the  neck,  his  windpipe 
cut.  So  he  concluded  it  best  to  follow  his  cavalry. 
Calling  his  orderly,  he  went  to  the  rear  and  around 
the  left,  coming  out  upon  an  open  field,  and  as  he 
galloped  on  to  that,  in  the  direction  of  the  balance 
of  the  army,  he  saw  that  there  was  stretched  across 
the  field  three  lines  of  rebel  skirmishers.  With  pis- 
tol in  hand,  he  galloped  through  them,  firing  as  he 
went,  as  did  also  his  orderly.  His  horse  saw  a  ditch 
that  ran  across  the  field,  gathered  for  it  and  cleared 
it.  The  question  then  was,  where  to  go.  The  field 
was  bounded  by  timber,  which,  to  Major  Clarkson's 
eye,  indicated  water  j  and  not  a  blue  coat  was  in 
sight.  Just  then  two  riderless  horses  came  out  of 
the  timber  and  they  had  on  Yankee  saddles.  Ma- 
jor Clarkson  headed  for  that  place,  and  entering 
the  woods,  he  soon  found  the  left  of  the  cavalry, 
which  was  making  its  way  through  a  swampy  piece 
of  woods.  Crossing  that,  they  saw  the  line  of  Yan- 
kee earth  works,  which  proved  to  be  the  extreme 
right  of  their  main  line  of  battle,  commanded  by 
Brigadier-General  I.  N.  Palmer.  Finding  some  loyal 
North  Carolina  cavalry  there,  he  had  their  veterina- 
rian cut  out  the  bullet  from  his  horse's  neck,  which 
lay  just  under  the  skin.  After  capturing  Colonel 
Upham's  brigade  the  rebels  faced  about  and  at- 
tacked the  main  line,  and  were  only  finally  repulsed 
when  Ruger's  division  of  the  Twenty-third  Corps 
came  up  on  the  double  quick  and  occupied  the 
center,  filling  out  and  making  a  continuous  line  of 
battle.  A  few  days  after,  the  army,  under  Major- 
General  Schofield,  entered  Kinston  on  a  pontoon 
bridge,  where  they  rested  some  days  until  the  rail- 
road was  fully  completed  to  that  place,  and  meas- 
ures were  taken  to  be  able  to  build  beyond  as  soon 
as  the  army  advanced.  One  battalion  of  the  Twelfth 
New  York  Cavalry  was  placed  on  each  of  the  three 
roads  entering  Kinston.  Major  Clarkson  was  on 
the  left.  While  there  a  black  boy  was  brought  in, 
from  whom  by  severe  pressure  Major  Clarkson  as- 
certained the  location  of  the  camp  of  the  Second 
North  Carolina  rebel  cavalry — about  ninety  men — 
with  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  in  command,  who  was. 
said  to  be  a  desperate  fighter.  Major  Clarkson  rode 
over  to  Colonel  Savage's  headquarters  and  arranged 
that  he,  with  some  of  the  other  troops  of  the  regi- 
ment, and  with  such  part  of  Major  Clarkson's  bat- 
talion as  could  be  spared,  in  all  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men,  would  attempt  to  surprise  the 
Second  North  Carolinians,  taking  the  negro  as  a 
guide.  The  next  day,  March  17,  Colonel  Savage 
came  with  the  detail  from  the  two  other  battalions,. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK 


263 


and  placing  Major  Clarkson  with  his  men  in  the  ad- 
vance, set  out  for  the  camp  of  the  Second  North 
Carolinians,  at  New  Hope  Chapel.  The  guide  took 
them  a  long  distance  around,  and  as  the  road  went 
over  a  hill,  said  to  Major  Clarkson,  that  the  rebel 
videttes  were  across  a  stream  of  water  which  ran  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill  on  the  further  side.  Major  Clark- 
son halted,  and  the  men  dismounted,  and  arranged 
the  saddle  blankets  and  tightened  the  girths,  and 
the  column  started  well  closed  up,  Major  Clarkson 
with  the  advance,  which  he  ordered  to  charge  on 
seeing  the  rebel  videttes,  and  endeavor  to  capture 
them  before  they  could  reach  the  camp,  the  Colonel 
to  bring  forward  the  balance  of  the  column  as  rap- 
idly as  possible.  Just  as  the  Yankees  crossed  the 
summit  of  the  hill  the  videttes  (six)  were  seen  lead- 
ing out  their  horses,  and  the  charge  was  begun ; 
into  the  water  up  to  the  horses'  bellies  the  platoon 
dashed,  across  it  and  after  them,  capturing  three. 
The  camp  was  expected  to  be  found  on  the  left,  the 
Union  troops  coming  in  between  the  country  and 
the  camp,  but  in  the  many  paths  through  the  woods 
made  for  getting  out  the  tar  and  lumber,  they  got 
wrong  and  just  as  they  were  about  ceasing  the 
run  to  assume  a  skirmish  form,  they  saw  the  Second 
North  Carolinians  on  their  right,  just  having  re- 
ceived the  alarm.  The  charge  was  shouted,  and 
with  a  huzza  and  with  pistols  the  platoon  of  twenty- 
five  men  dashed  into  the  enemy,  shooting  and  cap- 
turing. No  resistance  to  speak  of  was  met,  and 
after  a  run  of  a  mile,  and  only  two  or  three  men  with 
Major  Clarkson  being  left  together,  a  halt  was  called 
and  the- prisoners  were  being  got  together  (as  a 
counter  charge  was  feared)  when  the  column  under 
Colonel  Savage  appeared  on  the  road  behind  them. 
Waving  them  forward  they  dashed  past  and  brought 
out  the  surgeon  and  some  more  prisoners.  They 
captured  thirty  prisoners  and  no  one  hurt  on  their 
side.  The  surgeon  notified  them  that  they  would 
not  get  back  to  Kinston  with  them,  as  there  would 
be  a  rescue.  Putting  the  prisoners  under  the  care 
of  a  Lieutenant  with  a  platoon,  they  were  sent  to 
the  head  of  the  column,  while  a  strong  rearguard 
was  formed,  and  dispositions  made  to  meet  any  at- 
tack. They  got  back  without  a  shot  being  fired. 
The  next  day  the  Union  forces  moved  forward 
towards  Goldsboro,  and  found  that  the  First  South 
Carolina  Cavalry  had  relieved  the  Second  North 
Carolinians,  and  no  more  was  heard  of  that  regi- 
ment. A  few  days  after  the  army  occupied  Golds- 
boro, the  Twelfth  New  York  Cavalry,  covering  the 
right  flank  of  the  army  as  it  moved  in  column, 
had  a  slight  skirmish  with  the  First  South  Carolina 
Cavalry,  that  regiment  being  the  only  troops  left 
there.     General  Sherman's  army  in  a  few  days 


reached  Goldsboro,  where  they  remained  for  some 
time.  Various  expeditions  were  sent  out  to  break 
up  the  camps  of  guerillas.  General  Schofield  also 
sent  Colonel  Savage  an  order  "  to  take  his  regiment 
(Twelfth  New  York  Cavalry)  out,  find  the  First 
South  Carolina  Cavalry  and  whip  them."  Only 
about  eight  companies  were  at  headquarters,  and 
the  battery  under  Fish  was  lost,  but  with  these 
Colonel  Savage  followed  the  First  South  Carolina 
Cavalry  until  approaching  Raleigh,  when  evidences 
of  Wheeler's  Cavalry  were  getting  too  frequent  to 
make  it  wise  for  so  small  a  command  to  penetrate 
farther.  He  therefore  ordered  a  return  of  the  regi- 
ment to  Goldsboro.  The  regiment  was  then  ordered 
to  picket  the  railroad  from  Goldsboro  to  Kinston, 
about  twenty-six  miles.  The  headquarters  were  at 
Moseley  Hall,  and  companies  were  distributed  at 
various  points,  protecting  the  railroad,  while  sup- 
plies were  going  forward  to  clothe  and  feed  Sher- 
man's army,  and  fill  their  ammunition  trains.  Dur- 
ing this  service  scarcely  a  night  passed  that  the 
pickets  were  not  driven  in,  or  some  of  them  cap- 
tured by  Wheeler's  Cavalry.  Johnston,  having  on 
the  13th  of  April,  1865,  indicated  his  desire  to  sur- 
render to  General  Sherman,  Major  Clarkson,  about 
the  21st  day  of  April,  1865,  resigned  his  commission 
as  Major,  the  acceptance  of  which  was  received 
April  30,  1865,  and  he  immediately  left  Goldsboro 
for  New  Berne,  thence  to  New  York,  reaching  there 
on  the  8th  of  May.  Major  Clarkson  was  breveted 
Lieutenant-Colonel  on  the  22d  of  April,  1866,  "  for 
faithful  and  meritorious  services."  He  at  once 
entered  the  flour  commission  house  of  George  W. 
Van  Boskerck  &  Company  as  cashier,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  capacity  until  their  assignment  in 
February,  1869.  The  Equitable  Savings  Bank  be- 
ing organized  on  the  26th  of  June,  1869,  he  was 
offered  the  Secretaryship,  which  he  accepted  and 
retained  until  April,  1874,  when  he  resigned,  and  in 
December  of  the  same  year  he  became  the  Secretary 
and  Agent,  of  Woodbury  G.  Langdon,  Esq.  In  the 
fall  of  '73  he  opened  a  real  estate  office  in  No.  60 
Wall  Street,  moved  to  No.  71  Broadway  the  follow- 
ing May,  and  in  November,  1881,  to  No.  39  Broad- 
way, where  he  still  carries  on  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness, having  on  May  1,  1884,  associated  with  him 
his  son,  John  V.  B.  Clarkson,  under  the  firm  of 
Floyd  Clarkson  &  Son.  On  the  17th  of  November, 
1886,  he  was  elected  Trustee  of  the  Union  Dime 
Savings  Bank  of  the  city  of  New  York.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1886,  the  Riverside  Bank  of  New  York  was  or- 
ganized, and  Colonel  Floyd  Clarkson  was  elected 
President,  opening  for  business  on  the  11th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1887.  Colonel  Clarkson  has  always  been  an 
earnest  Freemason.    He  was  initiated  in  Montauk 


264 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Lodge,  No.  286,  of  Brooklyn,  on  February  5,  1856: 
passed  April  8,  and  raised  December  3,  1856;  on  the 
13th  of  April,  1856,  he  dimitted,  and  on  the  26th  of 
the  same  month,  1850,  he  affiliated  with  Kane  Lodge, 
454,  then  under  dispensation.  He  was  appointed 
Marshal  December  27,  1856,  and  again  on  December 
13,  1866;  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  Kane  Lodge 
on  December  16, 1873,  re-elected  December  15, 1874, 
again  December  18,  1877  and  re-elected  December  ! 
17,  1878.  He  was  elected  Senior  'Warden  December 
21,  1880,  and  Master  December  20,  1881,  and  re- 
elected December  19,  1882.  He  was  appointed  Dis- 
trict Deputy  Grand  Master  of  the  Sixth  Masonic 
District,  June  21,  1883,  by  M.  W.  Grand  Master  J.  ! 
Edward  Simmons,  and  in  the  following  year,  June  i 
4,  1884,  was  elected  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Masonic  Hall  and  Asylum  Fuud  to  serve  for  three 
years,  and  was  elected  by  the  Trustees  President  of 
the  Board  in  each  of  the  years  in  which  he  was  a 
Trustee.  When  he  assumed  the  care  and  responsi-  j 
bility  of  that  Fund,  the  fifth  story  of  the  Masonic 
Hall  was  in  a  ruinous  condition,  from  the  effects  of 
the  fire  of  December,  1883.  Scarcely  anything  had 
been  done  towards  the  restoration  of  the  building  ; 
and  in  eight  months  1$  153,500  seven  per  cent,  income 
bonds  were  to  mature.  Colonel  Clarkson,  with  his 
colleagues,  restored  the  temple,  paid  $75,000  of  the 
bond  at  maturity,  and  renewed  #78,500  at  five  per  j 
cent,  for  one  and  two  years;  and  so  placed  the 
finances  of  that  Fund  that  at  the  expiration  of  his  [ 
term  of  service,  in  June,  1887,  the  following  resolu- 
tions were  unanimously  passed  by  the  Grand  Lodge, 
at  the  annual  communication  of  that  year;  on  the 
motion  of  R.  W.  George  W.  Robertson,  of  Peekskill : 

"Resolved,  That  the  presentation,  by  our  Brother 
R.  W.  Floyd  Clarkson,  of  his  intimation,  that  in- 
creasing pressure  of  business  engagements  prevented 
his  continuance  in  the  office  of  Trustee  of  the  Hall 
and  Asylum  Fund.  It  is  our  desire  to  express  to 
Brother  Clarkson  the  very  high  regard  in  which  he 
is  held  by  the  fraternity  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
for  the  faithful,  careful  and  judicious  course  pur- 
sued by  him  as  Trustee  during  the  years  in  which 
he  has  served  this  Grand  Lodge,  and  for  which  we 
will  ever  hold  him  in  grateful  esteem. 

At  the  same  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  the  Com- 
mittee on  Hall  and  Asylum,  of  which  Past  Grand 
Master  William  A.  Brodie,  of  Genesee,  New  York, 
was  Chairman,  among  their  various  recommenda- 
tions, presented  the  following,  which  was  unani- 
mously adopted  : 

"Resolved,  That  this  Grand  Lodge,  with  regret, 
contemplates  the  retirement  of  R.  W.  Floyd  Clark- 
son from  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Hall  and 
Asylum  Fund,  recognizing  that  to  him,  more  than 
to  any  other  individual,  we  are  indebted  for  bring- 
ing business  order  out  of  chaos,  and  for  the  adop- 


tion of  business  methods  in  the  management  of  this 
building  and  the  Hall  and  Asylum  Fund. 

11  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  fraternity  in 
this  Grand  Jurisdiction  are  due,  and  are  hereby  ten- 
dered to  R.  W.  Floyd  Clarkson,  for  his  most  valua- 
ble services  in  this  great  work. 

Freemasonry  was  the  subject  of  an  earnest  debate 
in  the  General  Synod  of  the  "  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  in  America."  held  in  June,  1880,  in  the  First 
Reformed  Church  of  Brooklyn,  Long  Island.  Colo- 
nel Clarkson  was  a  delegate  to  that  Synod  from  the 
Classis  of  New  York,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
debate.  Some  Hollandish  delegates,  from  the 
Classes  of  Holland,  Grand  River,  Wisconsin  and 
Illinois,  urged  that  no  Freemason  should  be  allowed 
to  become  a  member  of  that  communion,  and  intro- 
duced the  following  resolutions : 

"Resolved,  That  this  Synod  earnestly  warns  the 
church  against  membership  in  this  and  similar  asso- 
ciations, as  inconsistent  with  Christianity,  and  en- 
joins upon  the  ministers  and  elders  of  our  church 
patiently  to  instruct  such  as  err  in  this  matter,  and 
to  preserve,  if  need  be,  by  discipline,  the  purity  of 
the  Christian  profession." 

These  were  voted  down,  and  resolutions,  as  re- 
ported by  the  committee,  were  adopted,  maintaining 
the  sacredness  of  individual  liberty  of  thought, 
speech  and  action,  limited  only  by  loyalty  to  Christ 
and  His  Church.  Colonel  Clarkson  united  with  the 
First  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  Brooklyn,  on  the 
22d  of  January,  1850,  and  was  a  teacher  in  the  Sab- 
bath-school until  his  father's  family  removed  to 
New  York  City,  when  he  transferred  his  member- 
ship to  the  Collegiate  North  Church,  corner  of  Ful- 
ton aud  William  Streets.  After  his  marriage  he,  in 
April,  1858,  took  his  certificate  to  the  North  West 
Reformed  Church,  in  West  Twenty-third  Street, 
Rev.  H.  D.  Ganse,  pastor,  now  the  Madison  Avenue 
Reformed  Church,  corner  Fifty-seventh  Street  and 
Madison  Avenue.  In  1867  he  was  elected  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Sabbath-school,  which  office  he  re- 
signed on  his  removal  to  East  Orange,  May  1,  1869. 
During  the  summer  he  was  presented  with  a  series 
of  beautifully  engrossed  resolutions,  adopted  by  the 
teachers  May  11,  1869.  On  his  return  to  New 
York,  in  April,  1871,  and  resuming  his  attendance 
at  the  church,  then  removed  to  the  new  location, 
corner  Madison  Avenue  and  Fifty-seventh  Street,  he 
was  elected  Superintendent,  which  office  he  retained 
until  February,  1873,  when  he  declined  a  re-election. 
He  was  elected  a  Deacon  February  12,  1872,  and  an 
Elder  February  14,  1877,  and  continued  in  active- 
service  as  Elder  during  most  of  the  time,  until 
June,  1888,  when  he  resigned.  Colonel  Clarkson 
was  elected  a  Companion  of  the  Military  Order  of 
the  Loyal  Legion,  in  the  New  York  Commandery, 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


on  the  2d  of  April,  1879,  and  has  been  an  active 
member  since  that  time.  He  was  elected  the  Chan- 
cellor of  the  New  York  Commandery  on  the  2d  of 
May,  1883,  and  was  re-elected  four  times,  when  he 
declined  further  re-nomination.  He  was  also  one  of 
the  six  Companions  of  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion  who  were  detailed,  on  the  death  of 
General  U.  S.  Grant,  to  proceed  to  Mount  McGregor 
and  act,  in  behalf  of  that  Order,  as  the  escort  of  the 
remains  of  the  great  General  to  their  final  resting- 
place  at  Riverside.  This  he  did,  and  in  his  turn 
stood  guard  over  the  precious  dust  of  his  immortal 
chieftain  in  the  railroad  train,  in  the  Capitol  at 
Albany,  in  the  City  Hall  of  New  York,  and  followed 
the  body  to  the  tomb  at  Riverside.  In  the  Grand 
Army  he  was  a  Charter  Member  of  Lafayette  Post, 
140,  Department  of  New  York,  and  was  its  first 
Junior  Vice-Commander;  and  the  following  year 
was  elected  Senior  Vice-Commander.  Duties  in 
other  societies  prevented  his  continuing  an  active 
member,  but  in  December,  1887,  he  was  elected 
Commander  and  re-elected  the  following  year. 
During  his  service  as  Commander  he  received  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  Comrade  John  P.  Rae,  on 
January  20,  1888 ;  Commander-in-Chief.  William 
Warner,  on  November  30,  1888:  and  Commander- 
in-Chief,  Russell  A.  Alger,  October  16,  1889;  on  be- 
half of  Lafayette  Post  he  received  a  National  flag 
and  Post  flag,  presented  to  that  Post  on  behalf  of 
the  ladies,  by  Past  Commander  W.  F.  Brown ;  as 
Commander  of  that  Post,  he  presented  to  the  Col- 
lege of  the  City  of  New  York,  in  the  Academy  of 
Music,  on  the  8th  of  June,  1888,  a  National  flag,  the 
President  of  that  College,  Major-General  Alexander 
S.  Webb,  receiving  the  same.  This  was  the  inaugu- 
ration of  the  presenting,  to  the  public  schools  of  our 
country,  of  National  flags  by  the  veterans  of  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion.  At  the  Twenty-third  Annual  En- 
campment of  the  Department  of  New  York,  G  A.R., 
held  in  Binghamton,  New  York,  on  the  20th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1889,  Colonel  Floyd  Clarkson  was  nominated 
for  Commander  of  the  Department.  There  were 
five  others  nominated,  and  on  the  first  ballot  Floyd 
Clarkson  received  three  hundred  and  eleven,  Harri- 
son Clark  two  hundred  and  six,  and  the  others  re- 
spectively one  hundred  and  forty-six,  ninety-four, 
fifty  and  forty — total,  eight  hundred  and  forty-seven. 
The  four  who  received  the  lowest  number  of  votes 
withdrew  their  names,  and  on  a  second  ballot  Floyd 
Clarkson  received  three  hundred  and  seventy-three ; 
Harrison  Clark  three  hundred  and  eighty-one ;  I 
scattering  six.  Total,  seven  hundred  and  sixty. 
On  May  30,  Memorial  Day,  1889,  Colonel  Clarkson 
commanded  Lafayette  Post  on  its  visit  to  Philadel- 
phia, as  the  guests  of  Geo.  G.  Meade  Post,  No.  1, 


Department  of  Pennsylvania,  to  decorate  the  grave 
of  that  great  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac—Major-General George  G.  Meade.  Colonel 
Clarkson  is  also  a  member  of  the  "Veterans  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment,"  N.G  S.N. Y.,  and  of  the  Society 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  of  the  Society  of 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  is  President  of 
the  Society  of  the  War  Veterans  of  the  Seventh 
Regiment.  He  is  also  a  life  member  of  the  New 
York  Historical  Society,  and  a  life  member  of  the 
St.  Nicholas  Society,  and  a  member  of  the  Metro- 
politan Museum  of  Art;  and  the  New  York  Genea- 
logical and  Biographical  Society.  He  is  also 
Vice-President  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the 
Revolution.  He  has  been  an  active  and  earnest 
Republican  for  more  than  a  score  of  years.  In  his 
younger  days  he  was  a  Whig,  serving  as  Chairman 
of  the  Assembly  Convention  in  the  Seventh  Ward 
soon  after  attaining  his  majority.  He  voted  in  1860 
for  the  Hon.  John  Bell  for  President.  Not  approv- 
ing of  the  reconstruction  measures,  or  of  the  tenden- 
cy of  Congress  to  shorten  or  control  the  powers  of 
the  Presidency,  and  to  give  an  undue  power  to  Con- 
gress, he  voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  But  when 
General  Grant  became  the  nominee  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  he  voted  with  that  party,  aoid  has  with 
each  succeeding  election  become  more  satisfied  that 
the  interests  of  the  Nation  and  of  every  individual 
in  it  would  be  best  advanced  by  the  dominance  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  To  that  end 
he  has  earnestly  labored.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Republican  Club,  and  of  the  Down  Town  Republi- 
can Club,  and  of  the  District  Committee  and  of  the 
County  Committee;  being  for  two  years,  1887  and 
1888,  the  executive  member  from  the  Twenty-first 
Assembly  District.  Upon  the  appointment  of  the 
Citizen's  Committee  for  the  Centennial  Celebration 
of  the  inauguration  of  General  George  Washington 
as  the  first  President  of  the  United  States,  Colonel 
Clarkson  was  appointed  one  of  that  Committee,  and 
was  placed  upon  the  Committee  on  States.  He  was 
active  in  performing  all  the  duties  that  devolved 
upon  the  members  of  that  important  Committee,  and 
with  his  colleagues  endeavored  to  make  the  celebra- 
tion as  broadly  National  as  possible.  He  was 
selected  by  the  Committee  on  States  as  Marshal  of 
the  President's  escort  on  his  arrival  in  the  city, 
which  selection  was  confirmed  by  the  Committee  on 
Plan  and  Scope.  Upon  the  President's  lauding, 
Monday,  April  29,  at  the  foot  of  Wall  Street,  he  was 
received  by  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
States,  William  G.  Hamilton,  Esq.,  and  as  he  ap- 
peared in  his  carriage  at  the  foot  of  Wall  Street,  in 
front  of  the  escort,  he  was  welcomed  with  the 
National  salute,  and  escorted  by  the  column  under 


266 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


the  command  of  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  Floyd 
Clarkson  to  the  Equitable  Building,  thence  to  the 
City  Hall,  and  then  to  the  house  of  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Hon.  Levi  P.  Morton,  at  the  corner  of  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Sixteenth  Street.  The  escort  consisted 
of  a  battalion  of  three  companies  of  the  Fifth  United 
States  Artillery,  under  the  command  of  Major  Tully 
McCrea;  a  representation  of  the  New  York  Com- 
mandery,  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Wm.  C.  Church  ;  the  Com- 
manders of  the  Posts  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public of  the  counties  of  New  York,  Kings,  Queens, 
Richmond  and  Westchester,  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  W.  P.  Walton  and  Captain  Henry  W. 
Knight:  the  uniformed  Battalion  of  the  Veterans  of 
the  Seventh  Regiment,  N.G.S.N.Y.,  under  General 
Henry  E.  Tremain,  and  a  uniformed  Battalion  of 
National  Guard  Veterans  (Fifth,  Ninth,  Eleventh, 
Thirteenth,  Twenty-third,  Sixty-ninth  and  Seventy- 
first  Regiments)  under  the  command  of  General 
Theodore  B.  Gates ;  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the 
Revolution,  under  the  command  of  Major  Jno.  J. 
Riker.  The  New  York  Troop  of  Horse,  under  Cap- 
tain Charles  F.  Roe,  and  the  Cleveland  Troop  of 
Horse,  under  Captain  George  Garrettson,  joined  the 
escort  at  the  City  Hall  Park.  Colonel  Clarkson  had 
the  assistance  of  the  following  veterans  as  Aids : — 
Major  L.  Curtis  Brackett,  Assistant-Adjutant  Gen- 
eral ;  Colonel  O.  W.  Leonard,  U.  S.  Volunteers ; 
Major  George  M.  VanHoesen,  U.  S.  Volunteers; 
Captain  James  D.  Bell,  U.  S.  Volunteers ;  Engineer 
Aaron  Vanderbilt,  U.  S.  Navy  ;  Captain  Joseph  H. 
DeCastro,  U.  S.  Volunteers.  Colonel  Clarkson  was 
also  appointed  an  Aid  on  the  staff  of  Major-General 
John  M.  Schofield,  and  also  an  Aid  on  the  staff  of 
Major-General  Daniel  Butterfield,  for  the  parade  of 
April  30  and  May  1,  respectively.  Under  the  date 
of  May  9,  1889,  the  following  letter  was  received  by 
him  : 

Colonel  Floyd  Clakkson, 

My  dear  Sir:— At  the  request  of  Elbridge  T. 
Gerry,  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  I  take 
pleasure  in  writing  to  you  to  express  the  warmest 
and  heartiest  thanks  of  the  Committee  for  the  ser- 
vices rendered  by  you  during  the  celebration.  The 
Committee  appreciates  most  heartily  what  you  have 
done,  and  we  feel  that  the  success  of  the  celebra- 
tion is  due,  to  a  large  degree,  to  the  part  performed 
by  yourself .  I  have  the  honor  to  remain, 
Very  truly  yours, 

Clarence  W.  Bowen, 
Secretary. 

At  the  request  of  many  active  and  prominent 
comrades  of  the  Grand  Army,  Colonel  Clarkson  be- 
came a  candidate  for  Department  Commander, 
State  of  New  York,  at  the  Twenty-fourth  Annual 
Encampment  of  the  G.A.R.,  State  of  New  York, 


held  at  Syracuse,  February  26  and  27,  1890.  His 
ticket  was  defeated,  but  his  own  personal  popularity 
carried  his  name  so  far  ahead  of  his  ticket  as  to 
elect  him  triumphantly  on  the  first  ballot,  the  vote 
being  :  Floyd  Clarkson  four  hundred  and  seventy- 
three;  Joseph  AY.  Kay,  two  hundred  and  sixty-one; 
J.  Wesley  Smith,  fifty:  Martin  T.  McMahon,  twenty- 
eight— total,  eight  hundred  and  twelve.  He  was 
duly  installed  as  Department  Commander  by  Past 
Commander  James  S.  Fraser,  February  26, 1890. 


WILCOX,  COLONEL  VINCENT  MEIGS,  of  New 
York  City,  President  of  the  corporation  E.  & 
H.  T.  Anthony  it  Co. — the  largest  photographic 
supply  house  in  the  world — and  late  commander  of 
the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second  Regiment  of 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  was  born  at  Madison, 
New  Haven  County,  Connecticut,  on  October  17, 
1828.  On  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  side  and 
through  the  intermarriage  of  ancestors  he  is  de- 
scended from  and  connected  with  several  of  the  old- 
est and  most  honored  families  of  New  England. 
The  genealogy  of  the  Wilcox  family  states  that  it 
was  seated  at  Bury  Saint  Edmunds  in  the  county  of 
Suffolk,  England,  before  the  advent  of  William  the 
Conqueror.  Sir  John  Wilcox,  of  this  family,  was 
intrusted  during  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  with 
several  important  commands  against  the  French, 
and  was  the  leader  of  the  cross-bowmen  of  the  Eng- 
lish army.  One  of  the  descendants  of  this  doughty 
knight,  named  William  Wilcox,  was  born  at  St. 
Albans,  Hertfordshire,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
seventeenth  century  and  came  to  America  in  the 
ship  "  Planter,"  bearing  with  him  a  certificate  from 
the  minister  of  his  native  place.  The  records  show 
that  he  settled  at  Stratford,  Connecticut,  in  what 
was  the  New  Haven  Colony,  in  1639,  and  that  in 
1647  he  was  a  Representative  in  the  "General 
Court"  at  Hartford.  His  son  Obadiah  was  the  first 
of  the  family  to  settle  at  East  Guilford,  now  Madi- 
son, Connecticut,  and  from  him  Colonel  Wilcox  de- 
scends in  the  fifth  generation.  On  the  maternal  side 
Colonel  Wilcox  descends  from  Vincent  Meigs,  an- 
other early  settler  of  Guilford,  Connecticut,  who 
came  from  England  in  1638.  Among  the  descend- 
ants of  this  ancestor  were  Colonel  Return  Jonathan 
Meigs,  of  Revolutionary  fame;  Josiah  Meigs,  a  dis- 
tinguished scholar,  at  one  time  a  professor  in  Yale 
College,  and  afterwards  President  of  the  University 
of  Georgia ;  Hon.  Return  J.  Meigs,  who  filled  the 
high  office  of  Postmaster-General  of  the  United 
States  and  was  Governor  of  Ohio:  Charles  D.  Meigs, 
M.D.,  an  American  physician  and  author  of  wide 


Atlantic  Fut/tishmo  StEngrairirig  CttNY. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


267 


repute,  who  was  for  many  years  a  professor  in  Jef- 
ferson Medical  College,  and  Quartermaster-General 
Montgomery  Meigs  of  the  United  States  Army. 
Through  his  paternal  grandmother,  Mrs.  Olive 
Dowd  Wilcox,  Colonel  Wilcox  descends  from  Henry 
Doude,  who  came  from  Surrey  or  Kent,  England, 
"probably  Guilford,  of  Surrey  County,  seventeen 
miles  southwest  of  -London,"  in  1630,  with  a  colony 
under  the  leadership  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Whitfield, 
and  settled  in  Guilford,  Connecticut.  His  maternal 
grandmother  was  Mrs.  Mary  Field  Meigs,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  Timothy  Field,  a  distinguished  officer 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  sister  of  the  Rev. 
David  Dudley  Field,  D.D.,  the  father  of  Cyrus  W. 
Field,  who  laid  the  first  Atlantic  cable,  of  the  Hon. 
David  Dudley  Field,  the  eminent  lawyer,  of  the 
Hon.  Stephen  J.  Field,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  and  of  the  Rev.  Henry  M.  Field,  D.D., 
editor  of  the  New  York  EmngelM.  His  parents 
were  Zenas  and  Lovisa  (Meigs)  Wilcox.  The  for- 
mer, born  at  Madison,  Connecticut,  in  1794,  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  and  a  man  of  integrity  and  influ- 
ence in  the  community  in  which  he  resided.  For 
manj-  years  preceding  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1873,  he  held  the  office  of  Deacon  in  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  at  Madison.  His  wife  died  in  1878. 
They  left  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  Vincent 
Meigs,  the  eldest  son  and  subject  of  this  sketch, 
grew  up  upon  the  parental  farm.  He  received  a 
good  education,  which  was  finished  at  Lee's  Academy 
in  his  native  place,  and  in  early  manhood  taught 
school  for  three  years.  Subsequently  he  became  a 
merchant  in  Madison,  and  acquired  considerable 
prominence  in  local  affairs.  He  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Education  for  two  years  and  at 
later  periods  held  the  offices  of  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
Treasurer  of  the  School  Fund  and  Town  Treasurer. 
He  also  became  connected,  as  Lieutenant,  with  the 
Madison  Light  Guard,  a  company  of  the  Second 
Regiment  of  Connecticut  Militia,  commanded  from 
1856  to  1860  by  Colonel  Alfred  H.  Terry,  who  be- 
came distinguished  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  and 
rose  to  the  rank  of  Major-Geueral  in  the  United 
States  Army.  While  connected  with  this  military 
organization  he  had  the  advantage  of  a  thorough 
course  of  tactical  instruction  under  General  Hardee, 
the  accomplished  author  of  Hardee's  Tactics  (after- 
wards a  General  in  the  "  Confederate  "  service)  who 
had  been  employed  by  the  Slate  authorities  of  Con- 
necticut to  drill  the  officers  of  the  militia,  with  a 
view  to  raising  its  standard  of  efficiency.  In  1860 
Mr.  Wilcox  removed  to  Scranton,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  conducting  a  flourishing  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  that  city  when  the  Civil  War  opened.  Join- 
ing a  company  of  young  men,  hastily  organized  in 


Scranton  to  prepare  for  service  in  the  army,  his  mili- 
tary knowledge  was  soon  discovered  and  he  was  in- 
duced to  instruct  his  associates  in  the  art  of  war. 
This  task  he  gladly  assumed  ;  and  so  successful  was 
he  in  imparting  his  skill  and  enthusiasm  to  his  pupils 
that  forty-eight  out  of  the  seventy-five  members  of 
the  company  became  officers  in  the  Union  Army,  and 
a  number  of  them  served  with  prominence  and  dis- 
tinction on  many  a  hard  fought  battle-field.  On 
May  13,  1862,  Lieut.  Wilcox  was  appointed  on  the 
staff  of  Brigadier-General  A.  N.  Meylert,  as  Brigade 
Judge-Advocate,  with  the  rank  of  Major.  Opon  the 
formation  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Colonel  R.  A. 
Oakford  was  placed  in  command,  Major  Wilcox 
was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Charles  Al- 
bright, Major.  On  the  19th  of  August,  1862.  the 
regiment  moved  to  the  front,  passing  through  Wash- 
ington, crossing  the  Potomac  and  encamping  at 
Fort  Corcoran,  opposite  the  capital  "  where  instruc- 
tions and  drill  were  immediately  commenced  and 
practiced  under  the  inspiring  music  of  the  guns  of 
Bull  Run  and  Chantilly."  The  following  particulars 
regarding  Colonel  Wilcox's  military  career  have 
been  gathered  from  the  historical  works  entitled 
"Martial  Deeds  of  Penns)dvania,"  "The  National 
Memorial  to  the  Soldiers  in  our  Civil  War,"  and 
other  valuable  publications  relating  to  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion.  On  the  evening  of  September  2, 
1862,  the  "One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second"  made 
a  march  of  twenty-two  miles  to  Rockville,  Mary- 
laud,  and  was  assigned  to  Kimball's  Brigade  of 
French's  Division,  Sumner's  Corps.  On  the  13th  of 
September  it  made  a  forced  march  of  thirty-three 
miles,  reaching  the  battlefield  of  South  Mountain 
just  as  the  fighting  for  the  day  had  closed.  It  par- 
ticipated in  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy  across  Antie- 
tam  Creek,  and  sustained  a  severe  though  harmless 
shell  fire  on  the  afternoon  of  the  16th.  At  nine 
o'clock  on  the  memorable  17th  of  September,  at  the 
battle  of  Antietam,  the  regiment  met  the  enemy  at 
close  quarters  and  was  for  the  first  time  under 
direct  fire.  Occupying  a  position  on  the  left  of 
Kimball's  Brigade,  it  dashed  forward  with  enthusi- 
asm with  the  other  regiments  of  this  gallant  com- 
mand, which  was  ordered  to  lengthen  the  Union  line 
to  the  south  and  resist  the  terrible  pressure  of  the 
"Confederates"  upon  French's  Division.  This 
brigade  became  engaged  along  the  whole  front  in  a 
contest  of  the  utmost  fierceness.  The  Union  line 
had  been  broken  in  other  parts,  but  if  this  section  of 
it  could  be  held  there  was  a  chance  of  regaining  the 
portion  lost.  It  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
hold  it,  as  it  was  the  key  to  the  Union  position. 
While  the  line  of  battle  was  being  formed  Colonel 


268 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Oakford,  who  led  the  regiment,  fell,  .  mortally 
wounded,  and  the  command  devolved  upon  Lieu- 
teuant-Colonel  Wilcox.  For  four  hours  the  regi- 
ment maintained  its  position  without  wavering.  In 
the  crisis  of  the  battle  Colonel  Wilcox  received  or- 
ders from  General  Kimball  to  hold  the  ground  to 
the  last  extremity.  When  this  order  arrived,  the 
ammunition  had  all  been  exhausted.  Colonel  Wil- 
cox bethought  him  of  using  that  in  the  cartridge 
boxes  of  the  dead  and  wounded,  and  bravely  kept 
up  the  right.  When  the  last  shot  had  been  fired  he 
reported  the  fact  to  General  Kimball,  but  instead  of 
being  relieved  he  was  directed  to  charge  the  enemy. 
Ordering  his  men  to  fix  bayonets,  he  gallantly  led 
them  in  the  charge,  which  was  made  with  such 
fierceness  that  the  "Confederates  "  were  driven  from 
their  position,  capturing  a  Colonel  and  several  men 
as  prisoners.  During  this  long  and  terrible  battle- 
one  of  the  most  blood3r  recorded  in  history — Colonel 
Wilcox  exercised  his  responsible  duties  with  skill 
and  fidelity,  and  although  his  men  were  not  inured 
to  lighting,  they  stuck  to  their  task  like  veterans 
and  held  their  position  against  repeated  attacks  of 
an  experienced  foe.  For  four  hours  the  regiment 
maintained  a  hard  tight  without  wavering,  and  at 
length,  with  ammunition  exhausted  and  ranks  shat- 
tered, was  relieved  by  the  Irish  Brigade  under  Gen- 
eral Meagher  and  retired  in  good  order.  Its  loss 
was  thirty  killed,  one  hundred  and  fourteen  wound- 
ed, and  eight  missing.  In  his  official  report  General 
Kimball  said:  "Every  man  of  my  command  be- 
haved in  the  most  exemplary  manner  and  as  men 
who  had  determined  to  save  their  country  or  die." 
An  eye  witness,  speaking  of  the  Confederate  losses 
at  this  point,  said :  "A  glance  at  the  position  of  the 
rebels  tells  how  terrible  was  the  punishment  inflicted 
on  them.  The  corn  fields  on  the  front  are  strewn 
with  their  dead  and  wounded,  and  in  the  ditch  first 
occupied  by  them,  the  bodies  are  so  numerous  that 
they  seem  to  have  fallen  in  line  of  battle."  At  the 
close  of  the  battle  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wilcox  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Colonel,  to  date  from  the 
day  of  this  memorable  battle,  as  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  his  bravery  and  merit.  From  Antietani  the 
Union  army  crossed  to  Bolivar  Heights,  and  Colo- 
nel Wilcox  was  on  court-martial  duty  for  about  a 
month.  In  October  following,  the  "One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-second,"  as  a  part  of  Kimball's  Brigade, 
participated  in  the  reconnoissance  to  Leesburg, 
twenty-five  miles  distant.  The  fatigue  of  a  forced 
march  at  that  season  of  the  year  resulted  in  Colonel 
Wilcox  being  prostrated  by  severe  illness.  He 
was  placed  in  a  farm  house  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Potomac,  where  he  received  the  best  of  treat- 
ment.   In  the  meantime  the  Union  pickets  were 


driven  in,  and  Colonel  Wilcox  was  left  within  the 
enemy's  lines.  For  a  time  the  danger  of  cap- 
ture was  imminent,  and  was  provided  against,  as 
far  as  possible,  by  the  secretion  of  his  uniform ;  but 
the  re-establishing  of  the  Union  line  soon  afterwards, 
by  order  of  General  French,  the  division  comman- 
der, somewhat  lessened  this  danger.  On  the  31st  of 
October  the  army  moved  toward  the  Rappahannock, 
and  Colonel  Wilcox  was  soon  after  taken  to  the 
Officers'  Seminary  Hospital  near  Washington.  When 
able  to  make  the  journey  North,  he  was  granted  a 
short  leave  of  absence,  at  the  expiration  of  which 
he  promptly  returned  to  Washington  and  reported 
for  duty.  But  disease  and  suffering  had  done  their 
work  and  the  examining  surgeon  refused  to  peruut 
him  to  go  to  the  front.  This  was  a  great  disap- 
pointment not  only  to  Colonel  Wilcox,  but  also 
to  the  officers  and  men  of  his  command.  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Albright,  writing  from  camp  at 
Belle  Flains,  Yirginia,  November  28,  1802,  said: 
"  I  should  like  to  see  you  here,  as  I  know  all  the 
boys  would,  but  believe  me,  I  am  afraid  to  have 
you  come  on  account  of  your  health.   *    *    *  You 

i  afe  known  to  be  a  brave,  capable  and  efficient  offi- 
cer and  beloved  by  all,  and  you  can  do  nothing  that 
will  make  you  more  so."  In  January,  1863,  being 
unable  to  rejoin  his  command,  Colonel  Wilcox  ten- 
dered his  resignation,  and  returned  home.  Chap- 
lain A.  H.  Schoonmaker,  of  his  old  regiment,  writ- 
ing to  him  from  the  same  camp,  November  25,  18C2, 
alluding  to  the  active  preparations  then  making  in 
the  Union  army  for  the  great  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg, in  which  battle  the  "One  hundred  and 
Thirty-second "  participated  with  extreme  gal- 
lantry, said  :  "  It  may  be  the  decisive  battle  of  the 
war.  I  very  much  regret  that  you  are  not  with  us, 
enjoying  as  good  health  as  you  did  at  Antietani.  I 
have  no  doubt  our  present  officers  will  do  well, 
but  I  think  there  is  no  man  living  under  whom  this 
regiment  would  fight  with  as  much  confidence  as 
yourself."  The  same  gentleman,  writing  from  Fal- 
mouth, Yirginia,  January  14, 1863,  said  :  "  I  am  sorry 
to  learn  that  continued  ill-health  has  rendered  it 
necessary  for  you  to  resign  the  command  of  this 
regiment.  I  feel  as  much  as  yourself,  disappointed 
that  your  relations,  all  of  which  have  been  so  pleas- 

j  ant,  should  be  broken  up  with  the  regiment  during 
an  active  campaign ;  but  we  must  all  bow  in  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of  Him  who  is  too  wise  to  err 
and  too  good  to  be  unkind ;  and  I  have  frequently 
heard  Colonel  Albright  express  his  earnest  wish  for 
3'our  return."  "  His  service,"  says  Samuel  B. 
Bates,  in  the  "Martial  Deeds  of  Pennsylvania," 

j  "  though  brief,  was  marked  by  a  full  measure  of 
devotion  and  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  fortu- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


269 


nate  result  of  the  campaign."  His  brother,  Cap- 
tain Charles  M.  Wilcox,  of  New  York  City  and 
Passaic,  New  Jersey,  also  served  in  the  Union  army. 
He  commanded  Company  I  of  the  Twenty-seventh 
Connecticut  Volunteers.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at 
the  battle  of  Chaucellorsville  and  confined  in  Libby 
prison  but  was  finally  released  on  parole.  After- 
wards he  was  for  several  months  Provost  Marshal 
at  Hartford,  Connecticut.  After  a  brief  sojourn  in 
his  native  place,  Colonel  Wilcox  removed  to  New 
York  and  accepted  a  responsible  position  with 
Messrs.  Edward  and  Henry  T.  Anthony,  extensive 
manufacturers  of  and  dealers  in  photographic  sup- 
plies, then  doing  business  at  501  Broadway.  This 
business,  founded  by  Mr.  Edward  Anthony  soon 
after  the  discovery  of  Daguerre,  had  been  pushed 
with  true  American  zeal,  and  at  the  time  Colonel 
Wilcox  became  connected  with  it  was  already  of 
large  proportions.  Originally  established  at  308 
Broadway,  its  removal  to  501  in  the  same  thorough- 
fare was  rendered  necessary  by  its  large  increase. 
In  1865  Mr.  William  H.  Badeau,  a  trusted  employee 
of  the  firm,  was  admitted  to  partnership.  He  retired 
in  1875.  In  1870  Colonel  Wilcox  was  admitted  to 
the  firm  and  seven  years  later,  when  it  was  first 
incorporated,  he  became  Secretary  of  the  company, 
Mr.  Edward  Anthony  taking  the  Presidency  and  \ 
Mr.  H.  T.  Anthony,  the  Vice-Presidency.  In  1884, 
on  the  death  of  Mr.  H.  T.  Anthony,  Colonel  Wilcox  I 
became  Vice-President,  and  Richard  A.  Anthony, 
son  of  Edward  Anthony,  became  Secretary.  In 
1888  Mr.  Edward  Anthony,  the  able  and  honored 
founder  of  the  house,  died.  Colonel  Wilcox  now 
became  President  and  Treasurer;  Mr.  R.  A.  An- 
thony, Vice-President,  and  Mr.  Frederick  A.  An- 
thony, nephew  of  the  founder,  Secretary.  Within 
ten  years  after  the  first  experiments  in  the  new  art, 
Mr.  Edward  Anthony's  business  as  manufacturer 
and  importer  of  photographic  materials  had  become 
the  largest  in  the  world,  and  this  distinguished 
position  his  successors  still  hold.  At  the  present 
location,  No.  591  Broadway,  New  York,  four  stories 
of  the  great  building  running  completely  through 
the  block  to  Mercer  Street,  are  used  for  nothing  but 
the  business  of  the  company.  The  manufacture  of 
apparatus  and  chemicals  is  conducted  in  factories 
located  in  Brooklyn,  Jersey  City,  Hoboken  and  in 
King  Street,  near  Greenwich  Street,  New  York. 
From  the  very  beginning  of  the  business  it  has 
always  been  the  endeavor  of  those  conducting  it  to 
educate  photographers  and  to  stimulate  them  in 
experiment  and  research.  In  very  early  times  Mr. 
Edward  Anthony  offered  prizes  for  excellence  of 
results  in  photography  and  to-day  those  conducting 
the  great  house  that  he  founded  still  believe  in  the 


same  methods,  realizing  that  their  advancement 
depends  upon  the  progress  of  those  whom  thej 
serve.  During  his  early  years  Mr.  Edward  Anthonj 
kept  photographers  informed  of  improvements  in 
the  art,  by  publishing  a  little  pamphlet  containing 
new  and  useful  information.  This  small  effort 
grew  into  Anthony's  Photographic  Bulletin,  which 
started  in  1870  under  the  editorship  of  Mr.  Henry 
T.  Anthony,  The  good  work  done  by  this  publica- 
tion can  scarcely  be  realized,  and  it  is  only  when  the 
veterans  in  the  art  look  back  over  the  departed 
years  that  they  become  cognizant  of  the  value  of 
this  journal  as  a  helpmate  in  their  daily  professional 
life.  The  efforts  of  Mr.  H.  T.  Anthony  advanced 
the  Bulletin  to  the  rank  of  the  first  American  au- 
thority 011  photographic  subjects,  and  to-day  it  cir- 
culates  .ill  over  the  world,  its  articles  being  freely 
copied  into  all  the  European  journals  devoted  to 
photography  and  cognate  arts.  Since  the  death  of 
Mr.  II.  T.  Anthony  the  Bulletin  has  been  edited  by 
Professor  C.  F.  Chandler  and  Doctor  Arthur  H. 
Elliot.  From  the  earliest  period  in  its  history  the 
generous  and  honorable  spirit,  of  the  house  of  An- 
thony has  had  its  reward,  and  its  name  is  held  in 
highest  esteem  by  every  photographer  in  America 
and  large  numbers  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  As 
rewards  for  its  progress  in  manufacturing  it  holds 
medals  obtained  in  Berlin  and  Vienna,  and  also 
those  of  the  Franklin  and  American  Institutes. 
One  of  its  latest  honors  was  the  medal  of  the  Pho- 
tographers' Association  of  America  for  the  best 
improvement  in  photographic  apparatus  in  the  year 
1887.  By  sterling  merit  Colonel  Wilcox  has  risen 
to  be  the  head  of  this  long  established,  widely- 
known  and  pre-eminent  house.  He  has  pursued 
with  undeviating  firmness,  the  liberal  and  honora- 
ble policy  of  its  distinguished  founders,  being  ably 
seconded  in  his  endeavors  not  only  by  his  partners, 
but  as  well  by  all  connected  with  the  house,  who, 
with  him,  feel  the  responsibility  of  holding  its  fair 
fame  untarnished.  For  a  number  of  years  preced- 
ing its  dissolution  Colonel  Wilcox  was  long  an 
active  and  prominent  member  of  the  National  Pho- 
tographic Association  of  America,  and  served  with 
efficiency  upon  its  Executive  Committee.  He  took 
a  deep  interest,  in  the  labors  of  this  organization 
and  was  a  regular  attendant  at  and  frequently  partic- 
ipated in  its  annual  conventions.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  held  the  responsible  position  of  Chairman 
of  the  Arbitrating  Committee  of  the  Photographic 
Stock  Dealers'  Association  of  America.  In  connec- 
tion with  the  demands  of  his  business  Colonel  Wil- 
cox has  visited  nearly  every  State  and  Territory, 
including  those  on  the  Pacific  slope.  His  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances  is  almost  as  broad  as  the 


270 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Union  itself  and  is  constantly  enlarging.  He  is  a 
man  of  robust  physique  and  soldierly  bearing,  with 
a  refined  and  intellectual  countenance  and  a  nature 
kindly  even  to  the  stranger  and  genial  to  all  his 
friends.  Warmly  interested  in  everything  pertain- 
ing to  the  veterans  of  the  war,  Colonel  Wilcox  has 
become  affiliated  with  the  New  York  Commaudery 
of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States,  and  also 
with  Lafayette  Post  No.  140,  Department  of  New 
York,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  attended  the 
first  and  second  annual  reunions  of  his  old  regiment, 
held  at  Danville,  Pennsylvania,  September  17,  1888, 
and  at  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  September  17, 
1889,  and  on  each  occasion  delivered  an  eloquent 
address.  These  addresses  have  been  published  in 
book  form.  As  a  speaker  his  style  is  spirited,  for- 
cible, patriotic  and  full  of  color.  In  politics  Colonel 
Wilcox  has  always  been  an  earnest  Republican. 
He  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  faith,  an  elder  in 
the  Phillips  Presbyterian  Church,  Madison  Avenue, 
New  York  City,  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Union.  His  home  is  charmingly  situated  on  Lex- 
ington Avenue,  in  one  of  the  best  resident  sections 
of  the  city,  and  is  rendered  doubly  attractive  by  the 
refined  and  cultivated  tastes  of  its  inmates.  Colonel 
Wilcox  was  married  in  1855,  to  Miss  Catherine  Mil- 
licent  Webb,  daughter  of  Doctor  Reynold  and  Deb- 
orah Hopson  (Meigs)  Webb.  By  this  lady,  who 
died  in  18G0,  he  had  two  children:  Reynold  W'ebb 
Wilcox,  born  in  1856  (B.A.,  Yale,  1878;  M.A.,  Ho- 
bart,  1881;  M.D.,  Harvard  University,  1881;)  and 
Kate  Elizabeth  Wilcox,  who  died  in  infancy.  By 
his  second  marriage,  with  Miss  Martha  F.  Dowd, 
who  died  in  1873,  he  had  no  children.  In  1875  he 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Bogert  Wells,  his  present 
wife.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  is  one  son,  Francis 
Wells  Wilcox,  born  in  1882. 

 »  

WILCOX,  REYNOLD  WEBB,  M.A.,  M.D.,  Pro- 
fessor of  Clinical  Medicine  in  the  New 
York  Post-Graduate  Medical  School,  and  one 
of  the  most  prominent  of  the  younger  generation  of 
medical  meu  in  the  metropolis,  is  the  eldest  son  of 
the  foregoing,  and  was  born  at  Madison,  New  Haven 
County,  Connecticut,  March  29,  1856.  His  mater- 
nal ancestry  is  derived  from  Richard  Webb,  who 
came  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  1632.  Among 
Richard  Webb's  descendants  were  Colonel  Samuel 
Blatchley  Wrebb,  of  the  Third  Connecticut  Line,  and 
Aide-de-Camp  to  General  Washington ;  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Webb,  one  of  the  founders  of  Yale  College ; 
General  Alexander  S.  Webb,  President  of  the  Col- 
lege of  the  City  of  New  York  ;  and  Reynold  Webb, 


a  soldier  in  the  Sixth  Connecticut  Line  (Colonel 
William  Douglas),  the  great-grandfather  of  Dr.  Wil- 
cox. He  was  prepared  for  college  at  Lee's  Acad- 
emy, in  Madison,  the  Bartlett  High  School,  New 
London,  and  under  the  private  instruction  of  the 
Rev.  H.  L.  Everest.  In  September,  1873,  he  passed 
the  examinations  for  admission  to  Yale  College, 
but  did  not  enter  that  institution  until  the  following 
year.  In  1875  he  received  the  second  mathemati- 
cal prize  of  his  class,  and  in  June,  1878,  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  the 
rank  of  "  Oration."  Born  with  scholarly  tastes,  he 
did  not  confine  himself  while  at  college  to  the  re- 
quired work  of  the  academic  department,  but  pur- 
sued special  studies  in  comparative  anatomy,  bot- 
any and  geology,  at  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School. 
After  graduation  he  continued  his  studies  in 
metaphysics,  political  science  and  early  English 
history,  and  in  recognition  of  his  proficiency  in 
these  departments  was  honored  with  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  by  Hobart  College,  Geneva,  New 
York,  in  June,  1881.  Under  the  tutelage  of  his 
uncle,  Daniel  M.  Webb,  A.M.,  M.D.,  a  graduate  of 
Yale  College  of  the  class  of  1849  and  the  sou  of  the 
late  Reynold  Webb,  M.D.,  of  the  class  of  1819  in 
the  same  college,  he  began  his  medical  studies,  and 
in  September,  1878,  entered  the  Medical  School  of 
Harvard  University.  In  the  early  part  of  1880  he 
served  as  Medical  Assistant  at  the  House  of  the 
Good  Samaritan,  Boston  ;  from  May,  1880,  to  Jul}', 
1881,  as  House  Officer  at  the  Children's  Hospital  in 
the  same  city,  and  for  short  periods  previous  to 
graduation  as  Surgical  Assistant  at  the  Surgical 
Division  of  the  Boston  Dispensary,  at  the  Out- 
Patient  Department  of  the  Massachusetts  General 
Hospital,  and  at  the  Massachusetts  Charitable  Eye 
and  Ear  Infirmary.  In  June,  1881,  he  received  the 
degree  and  diploma  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from 
Harvard  University,  graduating  among  the  highest 
in  his  class.  The  ensuing  fifteen  months  were  de- 
voted to  study  in  the  hospitals  of  Paris,  Vienna,  Hei- 
delberg and  Edinburgh,  and  to  extensive  travel  in 
Europe.  Upon  his  return  home,  Dr.  Wrilcox  se- 
cured an  appointment,  after  competitive  examina- 
tion, upon  the  resident  staff  of  the  Woman's  Hospi- 
tal in  New  York  City,  and  in  February,  1884,  hav- 
ing completed  his  term  of  service,  was  graduated  as 
House  Surgeon.  Following  this,  he  spent  a  few 
months  in  travel  in  the  West  and  South ;  and  in 
May,  1884,  established  himself  in  practice  in  New 
York  City.  In  June,  1884,  he  was  appointed  As- 
sistant to  the  Chair  of  Gynaecology  at  the  New 
York  Post-Graduate  Medical  School,  and  retained 
this  position  until  the  close  of  1885.  He  served  as 
Physician  to  the  Northeastern  Dispensary  for  nearly 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


271 


two  years.  In  January,  1885,  he  was  appointed 
Physician  to  the  Demilt  Dispensary,  and  still  holds 
this  position.  In  the  spring  of  1886  he  was  made 
Instructor  in  Clinical  Medicine  in  the  New  York 
Post-Graduate  Medical  School,  and  in  March,  1800, 
was  appointed  Professor  of  Clinical  Medicine  in 
that  institution.  He  has  been  connected  with 
nearly  all  the  leading  medical  societies  of  the  city 
and  State,  and  is  a  Fellow  of  the  New  York  Acad- 
emy of  Medicine,  and  a  member  of  the  Clinical 
Society  of  the  Post-Graduate  School,  and  also  of  the 
Alumni  Association  of  the  Woman's  Hospital.  For 
a  number  of  years  he  has  been  an  active  writer, 
more  particularly  in  the  field  of  medicine.  Many 
of  his  articles  on  medical  subjects  have  had  a  wide 
circulation  in  the  St.  Louix  Medical  and  Surgical 
Journal,  and  in  the  JYeic  York  Medical  Journal,  and 
have  attracted  considerable  attention  and  have  been 
extensively  quoted.  Through  his  experiments  and 
writings,  four  drugs,  apomorphia,  napthalin,  hy- 
drastis  and  eocillafia,  have  been  introduced  to  the 
medical  profession.  His  papers,  detailing  his  ex- 
periences with  and  views  upon  these  drugs,  have 
been  translated  into  all  the  modem  languages. 
For  some  years  he  has  been  interested  in  photogra- 
phy, and  a  number  of  contributions  from  his  pen  on 
that  subject  have  appeared  in  The  Photographic 
Bulletin.  He  is  a  member  (Second  Class)  of  the 
Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United 
States,  Commandery  of  the  State  of  New  York  ;  of 
Lafayette  Camp,  No.  140,  Sons  of  Veterans ;  of  the 
Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  and  also  of 
the  New-  York,  Athletic,  and  Manhattan  Clubs. 


fHITE,  STANFORD,  the  son  of  the  eminent 
Shakespearian  scholar,  Richard  Grant  White, 
and  himself  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of 
living  architects,  was  born  on  the  9th  of  November, 
1853,  in  New  York  City.  Such  information  as  may 
be  obtained  regarding  the  earlier  stages  of  his  life  is 
unimportant.  We  know  that  he  first  attended  one 
of  the  city  schools  and  that  later  his  studies  were 
pursued  under  private  direction.  Beyond  these, 
any  salient  facts  to  be  noted  are  connected  with  his 
professional  career.  It  is  as  an  architect  that  he  will 
be  considered  in  this  brief  notice.  Mr.  White  began 
his  artistic  apprenticeship  soon  after  his  education 
had  been  completed.  At  that  time,  about  fifteen 
years  ago,  Mr.  H.  H.  Richardson  was  laying  the 
foundation  of  his  now  wide  reputation.  With  Mr. 
Charles  D.  Gambrill  he  carried  on  an  office  at  57 
Broadway,  New  York  City,  and  here  Mr.  White 
was  received  in  the  capacity  of  student.    We  may  I 


believe  that  he  made  rapid  progress,  for  by  the  time 
Trinity  Church  in  Boston  was  to  be  built,  he  bad 
achieved  sufficient  distinction  to  be  entrusted  with 
much  of  the  superintendence  of  that  great  work. 
Mr.  White  was,  in  fact,  next  in  command  to  Mr. 
Richardson.  The  experience  gained  at  this  period 
has  proven  of  much  value  to  Mr.  White,  but  per- 
haps  no  better  illustration  of  his  individuality  could 
be  cited  than  his  freedom  from  Mr.  Richardson's  in- 
fluence. The  lines  upon  which  Mr.  Richardson 
worked  when  he  designed  the  Brattle  Square 
Church,  lines  more  Italian  than  French,  have  at- 
tracted Mr.  White,  we  believe,  at  various  times,  but 
the  massive  Romanesque  which  the  author  of  Trin- 
ity Church  evolved  out  of  his  studies  in  Spain  and 
France  seems  to  have  inspired  no  emulation  in  Mr. 
White  whatever  From  its  position  as  well  as  from 
its  comparative  youth,  America,  that  is  civilized 
America,  the  America  dating  from  the  Dutch  occu- 
pation, lias  never  had  a  generic  architectural  style. 
Whatever  buildings  we  have  are  adaptations  of 
foreign  types.  It  has  been  admitted  that  American 
architecture,  if  it  reaches  a  full  growth,  will  be  a 
sort  of  composite  of  all  that  is  good  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Atlantic.  It  has  thus  become  customary 
to  denote  an  American  architect's  style  by  a  refer- 
ence to  the  affinity  it  shows  for  a  recognized  Euro- 
pean style.  Mr.  Richardson  is  known  by  his  feeling 
for  the  Romanesque  and  Mr.  Upjohn  is  identified 
with  Gothic  traditions.  Without  implying  any  in- 
vidious comparisons  we  may  say  that  Mr.  White 
typifies  the  most  advanced  artistic  culture  in  Amer- 
ica because  he  has  always  been  susceptible  to  the 
finer  examples  of  every  style.  Culture  in  any  field, 
literary  or  artistic,  may  be  defined  as  a  receptivity 
to  the  best  ideas — tiie  most  cultured  men  are  essen- 
tially eclectic,  for  they  are  gifted  with  a  largeness  of 
view  that  ignores  mere  geographical  boundaries. 
When  an  artist  is  disposed  therefore  to  "examine 
all  things  and  hold  fast  to  that  which  is  good  "  and 
is  imbued  further  with  a  firm  sense  of  proportion, 
of  fitness,  his  work  is  sure  to  possess  a  distinct 
charm  and  value.  Such  an  artist  is  Mr.  White. 
With  his  partners,  Mr.  C.  F.  McKim  and  Mr.  W.  R. 
Mead,  he  has  designed  a  score  or  more  of  buildings 
from  which  half  a  dozen,  embodying  as  many  dif- 
ferent ideas,  or,  in  a  certain  sense,  styles,  might  be 
selected.  Such  a  selection  could  only  be  made, 
however,  with  the  understanding  that  the  two  gen- 
tlemen mentioned  above  are  equally  responsible  for 
the  works.  It  would  be  difficult  to  say  just  where 
Mr.  White's  touch  is  most  discernible,  and  just 
wh«re  that  of  Mr.  McKim  or  Mr.  Mead  might  be 
discovered.  Still,  a  few  instances  may  be  given, 
for  so  sympathetic  is  the  collaboration  of  the  three 


272 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


architects  that  as  a  firm  they  may  be  said  to  exem- 
plify the  eclecticism  to  which  we  have  referred.  In 
the  little  private  office  building  erected  for  the  Goe- 
let  estate  at  No.  9  West  Seventeenth  Street,  in  New 
York  City,  we  have  a  facade  with  round  arches  and 
simple  columns  on  the  first  floor,  and  a  dormer 
window  with  stepped  gable  at  the  roof.  The  last 
mentioned  detail  is  suggestive  of  the  Dutch  style, 
but  though  the  lower  portion  of  the  facade  has  not 
the  same  decided  character,  the  effect  of  the  whole 
is  very  harmonious.  Not  far  from  this,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Broadway  and  Twentieth  Street,  there  is  an- 
other building  designed  for  the  Goelets,  this  time  a 
large  store  structure.  The  entrance  is  well  known 
for  its  uniqueness,  three  arches  turned  on  a  concen- 
tric curve,  a  most  un-Greek  arrangement.  Yet  in 
the  frieze  of  this  building  there  is  Greek  ornamen- 
tation. The  Columbia  Bank  Building,  at  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Forty-second  Street,  is  interesting  both 
as  a  specimen  of  Italian  Renaissance  and  as  a  solu- 
tion of  the  problem  offered  in  a  long,  narrow  site. 
In  the  famous  Villard  houses  that  fill  the  east  side 
of  Madison  Avenue  from  Fiftieth  to  Fifty-first 
Street,  the  Renaissance  style  is  again  felt,  but  tem- 
pered by  a  classic  note,  and  marked  by  great  sim- 
plicity. The  Tiffany  mansion  at  Madison  Avenue 
and  Seventy-second  Street  has  been  compared  to  a 
Swiss  chateau.  It  is  large,  bold  and  unconven- 
tional, not  as  grand  in  its  lines  as  the  Villard  block, 
but  very  strong  nevertheless.  In  some  more  recent 
buildings,  such  as  the  hotel  at  Broadway  and  Thir- 
ty-second Street,  the  profusion  of  ornamentation  in- 
dicates a  leaning  towards  the  most  luxuriant  forms 
of  Renaissance  art.  The  Madison  Square  Garden 
has  many  details  which  recall  the  elegance  and 
lightness  of  some  Spanish  architecture.  Other 
buildings  that  owe  considerable  to  Mr.  White's 
genius,  are  the  homes  of  the  Century  and  Freund- 
schaft  clubs,  and  also  a  number  of  small  dwelling 
houses  like  Mr.  Phoenix's  on  Thirty-third  Street, 
Mr.  Drayton's  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Thirty-fifth 
Street,  or  Mr.  Cutting's  at  724  Fifth  Avenue.  In 
the  designing  of  country  houses  Mr.  White  has  uti- 
lized English  and  French  motives.  The  old  farm 
buildings  of  Normandy  have  especially  guided  him, 
as  witness  the  Osborn  house  at  Mamaroneck.  Al- 
ways a  versatile  man,  Mr.  White  has  been  no  less 
happy  in  his  interior  and  decorative  work  than  in 
his  designs  for  exteriors.  The  rooms  at  the  Players' 
Club,  the  halls  of  the  Villard  house  (now  Mr. 
Whitelaw  Reid's),  the  altars  at  the  Church  of  the 
Paulist  Fathers  and  the  Church  of  the  Ascension, 
afford  some  idea  of  his  wide  range  as  a  wTorker  in 
marble,  woodwork  and  color.  No  record  of  Mr. 
White's  career  would  be  complete  without  some 


mention  of  the  monumental  work  in  which  he  has 
engaged  with  Mr.  Augustus  St.  Gaudens,  the  sculp- 
tor. To  him  is  due  the  pedestal  of  the  Farragut, 
that  of  the  Lincoln  at  Chicago,  and  that  of  the 
Chapin  at  Springfield.  He  also  designed  the  rim 
for  the  Lincoln  fountain,  as  well  as  several  smaller 
constructions  of  the  same  class  at  other  places. 
Another  phase  of  Mr.  White's  activity  includes  the 
book  covers  he  has  prepared  for  "  She  Stoops  to 
Conquer,"  "  The  Quiet  Life,"  "  Old  Songs,"  "The 
Book  of  the  Tile  Club,"  "  The  Century  Dictionary" 
and  "  Scribner's  Magazine."  When  we  add  that  Mr. 
White  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  chief  artistic 
organizations  of  this  city,  the  importance  of  his  po- 
sition will  be  appreciated.  At  every  point  he  is  a 
brilliant  force  in  the  art  life  of  America.  No  archi- 
tect of  to-day  exerts  a  more  salutary  influence  upon 
the  younger  men  of  the  profession.  The  selection 
of  Mr.  White  as  the  architect  of  the  Washington 
Memorial  Arch  is  a  tribute  to  his  artistic  pre-emi- 
nence which  has  been  universally  approved. 

 +-  

DICKERSON,  EDWARD  N.,  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  New  York  bar,  and  one  of  the 
most  eminent  patent  lawyers  in  the  United 
States,  was  born  at  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  on  Febru- 
ary 11, 1824,  and  died  at  his  country  home,  Far  Rocka- 
way,  Long  Island,  on  December  12,  1889.  Mr.  Dick- 
erson  was  not  only  a  lawyer  of  commanding 
ability,  and  doubtless  the  leader  of  the  American 
bar  in  his  specialty,  but  also  an  inventor,  explorer, 
builder,  engineer,  scientist  and  philosopher.  He 
came  of  a  brilliant  family,  noted  for  generations  by 
reason  of  the  distinguished  patriotism,  statesman- 
ship and  inventive  genius  of  its  members.  The 
founder  of  this  family  in  America  was  Philemon 
:  Dickerson,  one  of  the  early  Puritan  settlers  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, who  left  England  in  the  first  half  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  records  of  Salem,  Massa- 
chusetts, show  that  he  was  a  freeholder  as  early  as 
1638.  In  1G46  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  on 
the  northern  shore  of  Long  Island,  which  he  culti- 
vated until  his  death,  when  his  property  descended 
to  his  two  sons,  Thomas  and  Peter,  both  of  whom, 
like  their  father,  were  men  of  means,  character  and 
considerable  local  influence.  Peter,  a  son  of  the 
Thomas  named  above,  went  to  Morris  County,  New 
Jersey,  in  1741,  and  made  a  profitable  investment 
there  in  property  afterward  known  as  the  Dickerson 
Iron  Mines.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Colony  of  New  Jersey,  became  Speaker  of  the 
Continental  Congress  of  that  State,  and  at  his  own 
expense  equipped  two  companies  of  soldiers  for  ser- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


vice  against  the  British,  took  the  field  with  them, 
and  died  fighting  for  liberty.  It  was  a  son  of  this 
ardent  patriot,  Jonathan  Dickerson  by  name,  who 
first  showed  the  remarkable  mechanical  and  scien- 
tific talents  which  have  since  marked  his  descend- 
ants. During  the  administration  of  Washington 
he  secured  two  patents.  The  original  of  one  of 
these,  the  eleventh  to  be  recorded  in  the  Patent  Of- 
fice, is  still  a  prized  possession  and  heirloom  in  the 
family.  Jonathan  Dickerson  was  a  man  of  great  in- 
fluence in  his  State,  and  represented  it  with  ability 
in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  The  eldest  of 
his  two  sons,  Mahlon  Dickerson,  was  educated  at 
Princeton  College,  adopted  the  profession  of  law, 
and  removing  to  Philadelphia,  rose  to  prominence 
at  the  bar  of  that  city.  He  became  Recorder  of 
Philadelphia,  and  subsequently  Quartermaster-Gen- 
eral of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  Returning  to 
New  Jersey  to  reside,  later  in  life,  he  was  chosen  to 
the  Legislature  of  that  State,  and  was  elected 
Governor.  In  this  exalted  office  he  served  until  the 
close  of  his  term,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  in  which  he  sat  with  honor  and  dis- 
tinction sixteen  years.  He  resigned  the  Senator- 
ship  to  accept  the  Secretaryship  of  the  Navy 
in  the  cabinet  of  President  Jackson  during  the  lat- 
ter's  second  term,  and  he  retained  this  portfolio,  by 
urgent  request  of  Jackson's  successor,  President 
Van  Bureu,  until  the  close  of  his  administration. 
He  took  a  deep  interest  in  scientific  research,  was 
President  of  the  American  Institute  for  a  time,  and 
died  at  the  family  seat,  Morristown,  New  Jersey, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two.  Philemon 
Dickerson,  the  younger  son  of  Jonathan,  and  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  also  graduated  at 
Princeton,  and  adopted  the  profession  of  law,  set- 
tling in  practice  at  Paterson  in  the  year  in  which 
his  brother  was  elected  Governor  of  the  State.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  Captain  John  Stotesbury, 
who  was  an  able  and  active  participant  in  many  im- 
portant battles  and  severely  wounded  at  Brandy- 
wine.  This  lady's  maternal  grandfather  was  Gen- 
eral Hugh  Hughes,  Assistant  Quartermaster-General 
of  the  eastern  and  western  armies,  during  the  Revo- 
.ution.  He  was  one  of  the  purest  patriots  of  his 
time,  gave  liberally  of  his  private  wealth  for  the 
support  of  the  half-famished  and  poorly-clad  army, 
and  during  and  after  the  battle  of  Long  Island  was 
so  conspicuous  for  his  decisive  action  and  intrepid 
gallantry  that  he  was  thanked  by  a  personal  letter 
from  Washington.  Philemon  Dickerson  was  elected 
to  Congress  from  his  native  State,  New  Jersey,  in 
1833.  His  record  in  the  National  Legislature  was  a 
brilliant  one  and  made  him  widely  known.  In  1836 
he  was  elected  Governor  of  New  Jersey  and  Chan- 


cellor of  the  State.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he  was 
re-elected  to  Congress.  After  leaving  this  body  he 
was  appointed  United  States  Judge  of  the  District 
Court  for  New  Jersey,  an  office  he  filled  with 
distinction  until  his  death.  Edward  N.  Dicker- 
son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  son  of 
this  able  and  worthy  man.  He  inherited  many 
positive  traits  of  character  from  both  his  pa- 
ternal and  maternal  ancestry,  and  from  a  very  early 
period  in  his  life  gave  indications  of  unusual  mental 
activity  and  brain  power.  Following  what  had 
come  to  be  a  well-established  precedent  in  his 
family,  he  was  educated  at  Princeton  College,  and 
while  a  student  in  that  institution  made  the  ac- 
quaintance and  won  the  friendship  of  the  learned 
Professor  Joseph  Henry,  head  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  with  whom  he  began  the  scientific 
studies  that  afterward  made  him  the  leading  patent 
lawyer  in  the  country.  He  was  but  twenty-one 
years  of  age  when  admitted  to  the  bar  and  he  ap- 
plied himself  so  diligently  and  intelligently  to  his 
professional  work  that  in  a  very  few  years  he  began 
to  attract  the  attention  of  his  associates.  He  first 
won  fame  by  his  conduct  of  the  case,  in  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court,  of  How  against  Law,  under 
the  California  mail  contract.  Pitted  against  such 
an  eminent  advocate  as  Rufus  Choate  in  the  Colt 
patent  suit,  tried  shortly  afterward,  he  gained  new 
and  most  enviable  laurels  by  his  defeat  of  this  dis- 
tinguished son  of  Massachusetts.  But  his  name  be- 
came still  more  widely  known  through  his  conduct 
of  the  case  of  Sickles  against  Burden,  and  thence- 
forth his  place  among  the  leaders  of  the  American 
bar  was  fixed.  Notwithstanding  these  and  other 
brilliant  legal  successes,  the  genius  of  science  which 
burned  within  the  young  lawyer  prompted  him  to 
forego — at  least  temporarily — the  honors  awaiting 
him  at  the  bar,  in  order  that  he  might  place  himself 
on  a  more  intimate  footing  with  the  marvels  of 
modern  invention,  and  acquire  by  study  and  travel 
a  more  thorough  knowledge  than  he  then  possessed 
of  contemporaneous  improvements,  both  scientific 
and  mechanical.  In  giving  rein  to  this  bent  of  his 
mind  he  abandoned  his  practice  and  traveled  exten- 
sively in  Europe  and  Central  and  South  America, 
where  he  came  in  direct  contact  with  many  distin- 
guished persons,  by  whom  he  was  treated  with  great 
cordiality,  and  honored  for  his  really  remarkable 
attainments.  His  close  attention  to  scientific  studies 
brought  forth  satisfactory  results  in  the  shape  of 
valuable  inventions,  a  number  of  which  found  im- 
portant application  in  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  steam  engines.  "  When  Gideon 
Welles  was  Secretary  of  the  Navy"— says  the 
writer  of  an  extended  obituary  notice  of  Mr.  Dick-. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


erson,  published  iu  the  New  York  Tribune,.  Decem- 
ber 13,  1889 — "  there  came  a  revolution  agaiust  the 
Watts  theory  of  steam  expansion.  Contracts  for 
new  engines  were  given  out  involving  an  immense 
expenditure  of  money.  Mr.  Dickerson  fought  the 
fallacies  adopted  by  the  Government,  tooth  and 
nail,  in  open  letters,  in  correspondence  with  the 
Secretary,  in  discussion  and  in  warnings  to  Con- 
gress. He  brought  all  the  power  of  his  brilliant 
mind,  his  learning  and  the  authorities  of  the  great- 
est mechanical  workers  to  overcome  this  '  rash  pol- 
icy.' But  it  was  not  until  the  money  had  been 
spent,  the  engines  had  been  tested  and  found  to  be 
practically  useless,  that  his  claim  to  a  superior 
knowledge  of  the  subject  of  steam  power  was  fully 
acknowledged."  About  the  year  1873,  having  by 
this  time  quite  satisfied  his  innate  desire  for  the 
broadest  enlightenment  on  the  scientific  status  of 
invention  in  the  most  progressive  countries  of  the 
world,  Mr.  Dickerson  turned  his  energies  back  into 
the  channel  of  legal  work,  in  which  he  labored  with 
untiring  zeal  and  devotion,  and  with  brilliant  suc- 
cess down  almost  to  the  last  days  of  his  busy  and 
most  useful  life.  It  is  probably  true  that  no  lawyer 
iu  the  United  States  in  that  time  had  a  larger  num- 
ber of  notable  cases  entrusted  to  his  care.  Armed 
with  scientific  knowledge  of  a  high  order,  strength- 
ened by  his  brilliant  mind  and  versatile  accomplish- 
ments, and  impregnably  entrenched  behind  his 
thorough  acquaintance  with  patent  law,  he  was  en- 
abled to  cope  successfully  with  the  master  intellects 
in  the  legal  arena,  with  nearly  all  of  whom  he  had  at 
one  time  or  another  a  bout,  from  which  he  seldom 
failed  to  emerge  the  victor.  Among  the  cases  with 
which  he  has  been  identified  are  those  of  the  Ameri- 
can Bell  Telephone  Company  and  the  National  Im- 
provement Telegraph  Company  ;  the  Bell  against 
the  People's  Company ;  the  Pan-Electric  and  other 
cases  involving  the  best  known  patents  on  the  tele- 
phone, the  telegraph,  reaping-machine,  explosives, 
railways,  refrigerators,  ventilation,  nickel-plating, 
planing  machinery  and  guns.  The  record  of  his 
conduct  in  the  Bell-People's  suit  is  contained  in 
fourteen  volumes.  Among  his  clients  have  been 
the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  the  Gold 
and  Stock  Telegraph  Company,  the  Standard  Oil 
Company,  the  McCormick  Mower  and  Reaper  Com- 
pany, the  Bell  Telephone  Company,  and  the  Edison 
Electric  Company.  Among  the  legal  giants  with 
whom  he  has  waged  forensic  battle  were  Rufus 
Choate,  Edmunds,  Conkling  and  Thurston  ;  and  it 
is  probable  that  he  has  met  and  fought  every  noted 
patent  lawyer  iu  the  United  States.  He  was  a  de- 
termined and  untiring  fighter  and  a  hard-hitter. 
Even  as  a  young  man  he  was  boldly  aggressive  in 


the  interests  of  right  and  justice.  During  the  early 
years  of  his  practice  in  New  York  City  he  resided 
in  New  Jersey.  At  that  time  the  evening  suburban 
trains  were  run  iu  a  decidedly  haphazard  manner. 
Sometimes  the  young  lawyer  was  set  down  at  his 
own  town  and  sometimes  he  was  left  some  distance 
from  it,  and  obliged  to  walk  the  remainder  of  the 
way.  But  he  was  not  an  uncomplaining  victim,  by 
any  means.  Whenever  he  was  treated  in  this  un- 
ceremonious way  he  began  a  suit  against  the  rail- 
road company.  Tired  of  his  repeated  attacks  the 
company  at  length  mended  its  ways,  and  thence- 
forth Mr.  Dickerson's  ticket  carried  him  through  to 
his  destination.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  many 
other  passengers  were  benefited  by  the  young  law- 
yer's course.  His  manner  in  conducting  a  case  was 
always  natural,  and  it  was  most  easy  to  follow  him 
in  intricate  and  technical  explanations.  He  never 
left  a  juror  or  witness  in  doubt  about  his  meaning. 
He  was  frank  and  straightforward  in  his  style, 
and  while  aggressive,  was  never  given  to  brow- 
beating, invariably  relying  on  the  gentler  but  often 
much  more  effective  weapon  of  sarcasm  to  accom- 
plish what  others  sought  to  achieve  by  ruder 
methods.  But  even  in  the  use  of  this  rhetorical 
weapon  he  was  refined,  and,  to  use  an  effective 
simile,  his  delicate  sarcasm  often  "  cut  like  the 
tapering  lash  of  a  silken  whip."  It  is  related  of  him 
that  in  one  of  the  above-mentioned  suits  against  the 
railroad  company  which  caused  him  so  much  an- 
noyance, he  found  pitted  against  him  a  veteran 
lawyer.  This  gentleman  rose  in  court  during  the 
progress  of  the  case,  and  remarked  crisply,  refer- 
ring to  Mr.  Dickerson,  who  represented  himself, 
"  it  is  a  well  known  legal  axiom  that  when  a  man  is 
his  own  lawyer  he  has  a  fool  for  a  client."  Like  a 
flash  Mr.  Dickerson  retorted  :  "  But  he  is  better  off 
by  far  than  the  client  who  has  a  fool  for  a  counsel," 
|  and  he  bowed  gravely  to  his  opponent.  One  secret 
of  Mr.  Dickerson's  great  success  was  thoroughness. 
He  labored  indefatigably  over  a  task  and  never  left 
it  until  every  detail  had  been  mastered.  He  was  so 
conscious  of  the  power  thus  obtained  that  he  never 
relinquished  the  habit.  Few  men  more  keenly  ap- 
preciated the  value  of  time.  He  was  never  idle. 
When  not  engaged  on  some  case  which  required 
days — perhaps  weeks — of  closest  attention,  he  ap- 
plied himself  to  one  of  his  favorite  studies.  The 
range  of  his  acquirements  was  marvellously  broad, 
and,  notwithstaudiug  the  invaluable  aid  he  derived 
from  his  naturally  fine  and  well-trained  memory 
and  quick  apprehension,  it  must  have  taken  years 
of  incessant  and  painstaking  application  to  gather 
his  wonderful  store  of  valuable  and  brilliant  knowl- 
edge.     Scarcely  less  remarkable  than  the  range 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


275 


and  quality  of  his  knowledge  was  his  facility  in  ap- 
plying it.  An  eminent  lawyer  who  had  been  asso- 
ciated with  him  as  partner  for  many  years  has  said  : 
"  I  don't  think  Dickerson's  knowledge  was  greater 
than  that  of  any  man  I  ever  knew,  but  I  do  say  that 
he  could  make  more  use  of  his  knowledge  than  any 
one  I  ever  met  "  Although  devoted  to  work  and 
nearly  always  weighted  with  as  much  of  it  as  he 
could  possibly  carry,  he  had  time  for  a  pleasant 
word  to  every  one.  His  pure  good  nature  frequent- 
ly led  him  to  go  out  of  his  way  to  serve  another. 
It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion  a  reporter  went  to 
him  for  enlightenment  on  a  doubtful  point.  The 
busy  lawyer  had  no  personal  interest  in  the  question 
and  had  never  seen  the  reporter  before.  But  he  ex- 
plained the  subject  carefully  and  clearly,  and  even 
went  so  far  as  to  make  a  further  examination,  write 
out  the  result  of  his  investigation  and  send  it,  to- 
gether with  an  interesting  opinion  of  his  own,  to 
the  reporter.  Such  warm  good-fellowship  naturally 
made  many  friends.  Mr.  Dickerson  took  a  deep  in- 
terest in  every  subject  bearing  upon  the  public  wel- 
fare. The  danger  to  life  from  the  electric  wires  was 
one  of  the  subjects  which,  shortly  before  his  death, 
drew  Ids  attention  and  invited  his  comment.  At 
this  time  the  condition  of  his  health  was  such  that 
he  could  do  little,  but  beyond  a  doubt,  had  he  not 
been  ill,  his  investigations  would  have  produced  re- 
sults of  practical  benefit  to  the  community.  On  the 
subject  of  sanitary  plumbing,  ventilation,  lighting 
and  heating  he  was  an  expert,  and  in  his  handsome 
home  in  ThirtjT-fourth  Street,  near  Fiftli  Avenue,  in 
New  York  City,  he  gave  his  scientific  and  advanced 
views  practical  expression  with  admirable  results. 
He  was  passionately  devoted  to  astronomical  re- 
search. One  of  his  ambitions  was  to  make  the 
country  a  gift  of  a  telescope  far  exceeding  in  di- 
mensions and  power  any  as  yet  made,  and  he  gen- 
erously proposed  to  donate  the  immense  sum  of 
money  required  to  procure  the  construction  of  such 
an  instrument.  On  the  roof  of  his  residence  he 
built  an  observatory  which  he  equipped  with  the 
most  approved  and  recent  inventions  and  instru- 
ments for  pursuing  this  fascinating  study,  and  here 
he  spent  a  great  deal  of  the  time  he  allotted  to  scien- 
tific research.  As  an  author,  Mr.  Dickerson  might 
have  made  a  National  reputation  had  his  great  prac- 
tice given  him  the  leisure  to  write.  Ample  evidence 
in  proof  of  this  assertion  is  found  in  several  of  his 
published  papers.  One  of  these,  on  "Joseph  Henry 
and  the  Magnetic  Telegraph,"  read  at  Princeton 
College  on  June  16,  1885,  is  an  eloquent  and  mas- 
terful tribute  to  that  great  scientist  and  the  myste- 
rious force  in  nature  to  master  which  he  had  de- 
voted so  many  years  of  his  life.    In  politics  Mr. 


Dickerson  adhered  to  the  views  of  his  ancestors, 
being  what  he  styled  an  "  out-and-out  Democrat," 
and  took  great  pride  in  his  allegiance  to  this  party. 
Nevertheless  he  was  opposed  to  "free  trade,"  and 
when,  in  1888,  it  was  made  a  prominent  party  issue 
he  opposed  it  with  resolution,  and  worked  and  voted 
against  its  supporters,  from  President  Cleveland 
down.  During  this  campaign  his  name  was  printed 
at  the  bottom  of  a  circular  calling  for  the  format  ion 
of  a  free  trade  political  organization.  When  he  re- 
covered from  his  astonishment  and  found  that  it 
was  not  a  mistake  but  a  political  trick,  he  sat  down 
and  wrote  a  letter  in  rebuttal  of  the  circular,  which, 
when  published,  proved  one  of  the  most  forcible 
and  effective  contributions  to  the  literature  of  the 
opposition  in  that  stirring  campaign.  Mr.  Dicker- 
son  was  a  strikingly  handsome  man.  Six  feet  four 
inches  in  height,  he  was  a  giant  physically  as  he  was 
intellectually.  His  frame  was  rugged  and  massive, 
and  was  carried  with  a  firm,  vigorous  step,  even  in 
his  latest  years.  His  face  was  finely  molded,  the 
eye  keen,  the  nose  straight  and  the  mouth  strong, 
yet  kindly;  altogether  manly  and  attractive,  and 
an  engaging  study  when  animated  by  argument  or 
conversation.  His  manner  was  quiet  and  impres- 
sive, kindly  and  encouraging,  yet  always  dignified. 
He  was  courteous  and  polished  at  all  times,  and  no 
one  ever  entered  his  presence  without  feeling  that 
he  stood  before  one  of  Nature's  noblemen.  His  hos- 
pitality has  been  described  by  his  friends  as 
"princely."  In  his  collection  of  souvenirs,  which 
was  quite  extensive,  were  a  number  of  valuable 
ones  received  from  distinguished  persons  whom  he 
had  met  in  his  travels,  or  in  the  course  of  his  pro- 
fessional career.  A  specially  treasured  souvenir 
was  a  magnificent  ring  set  with  the  initials  of  "  the 
Czar  of  all  the  Russias,"  in  diamonds,  presented  to 
Mr.  Dickerson  as  a  token  of  personal  friendship 
and  esteem  by  the  late  Emperor  Nicholas,  whom  he 
met  while  iu  Russia  and  by  whom  he  was  signally 
honored.  Mr.  Dickerson  suffered  for  some  months 
previous  to  his  death  from  nervous  prostration. 
In  May,  1889,  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  law 
practice,  and  was  unable  thereafter  even  to  visit 
his  office  in  Temple  Court.  His  death  was  unlooked 
for  and  was  a  painful  surprise  to  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  and  the  occasion  of  most  siucere  and  un- 
qualified sorrow  to  his  colleagues  at  the  New  York 
bar.  The  announcement  of  his  death  at  the  Federal 
Building  in  New  York  City  awakened  many  expres- 
sions of  sincere  regret.  He  was  well  known  to  all 
the  court  officers  and  had  won  many  friends  by  his 
ability,  his  personal  attractions  and  his  magnetism. 
Both  branches  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court, 
presided  over  respectively  by  Judge  Wallace  and 


276 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Judge  Lacombe,  were  adjourned  out  of  respect  for 
the  dead  lawyer.  Not  for  a  long  time,  if  ever,  has 
there  been  a  meeting  of  the  New  York  bar  to  honor 
the  memory  of  a  deceased  member  at  which  the  ex- 
ercises were  more  heartfelt  and  less  conveutioual 
than  those  held  at  the  United  States  Circuit  Court- 
room in  the  Post  Office  Building,  December  14, 
1889,  in  honor  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Judge 
William  J.  Wallace,  of  the  United  States  Circuit 
Court,  presided,  and  Walter  D.  Edmunds,  Esq.,  was 
Secretary.  Among  the  distinguished  gentlemen  pres- 
ent were  John  F.  Dillon,  Clarence  A.  Seward,  C. 
C.  Beaman,  George  Ticknor  Curtis,  Everett  P. 
Wheeler,  Orlando  B.  Potter,  Stephen  A.  Walker,  A. 
Q.  Keasby  and  Judge  Brown.  Mr.  Samuel  A. 
Duncan  presented  the  resolutions,  Mr.  Curtis,  the 
first  to  second  them,  said  that  he  stood  there  "to 
speak  of  a  remarkable  man,  with  whom  his  rela- 
tions had  been  intimate  for  forty  years."  In  his 
eulogy  of  his  departed  friend,  he  said  :  "  I  have 
never  known  a  man  in  any  profession  whose  range 
of  knowledge  was  so  extensive  and  accurate.  He 
not  only  knew  many  things  and  knew  them  well, 
but  there  were  few  specialists  in  an}-  branch  whom 
he  could  not  instruct."  Mr.  Beaman,  visibly  af- 
fected, next  extolled  the  virtues  of  his  late  friend 
and  former  partner,  closing  his  remarks  by  saying  : 
"  He  was  child-hearted  in  his  friendships  and 
enjoyments ;  woman-hearted  in  his  sympathies, 
and  man-hearted  in  his  struggles  and  contests. 
A  man  of  man}-  man-power  in  body,  in  mind 
and  in  heart."  Judge  Wallace,  Edmund  Wetmore 
and  B.  F.  Lee  all  paid  feeling  tributes  to  Mr.  Dick- 
erson's  memory,  after  which  the  resolutions  were 
adopted.    These  were  as  follows  : 

"  That  in  the  highest  and  best  sense  our  departed 
brother  deserves  commemoration  as  a  man  of  lofty 
character,  of  irreproachable  life,  and  of  qualities 
that  won  and  held  the  esteem  of  friends  and  the 
confidence  of  the  public.  As  a  citizen,  he  was  pa- 
triotic, courageous  in  the  expression  of  his  convic- 
tions on  all  political  questions,  and  ever  guarded  by 
a  strong  attachment  to  the  Union  of  the  States. 

"As  a  member  of  the  legal  profession,  Mr.  Dicker- 
son  was  eminentl}-  fitted  by-  nature  and  training  to 
be  serviceable  to  his  fellow-men.  In  the  special 
field  in  which  he  became  distinguished  he  was 
noted  for  his  mastery  of  the  principles  of  law  that 
regulate  the  rights  of  "those  whose  labors  have  done 
so  much  to  advance  the  material  prosperity  of  our 
country  ;  for  his  accurate  practical  acquaintance 
with  every  branch  of  science  and  of  mechanics  in- 
volved in  the  useful  arts ;  as  also,  for  his  capacity 
to  promote,  protect  and  defend  the  interests  of  in- 
ventors. He  was  thus  able  to  instruct  and  edify 
everyT  tribunal  before  which  he  appeared,  and  he 
deserved  and  received  the  full  attention  and  respect 
of  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  decide  the  controver- 
sies in  which  he  took  part.  Earnest  in  his  convic- 
tions, with  a  great  faculty  of  lucid  statement,  and 


persuasive  of  speech,  he  enforced  his  views  with  an 
eloquence  and  a  power  that  won  him  many  victo- 
ries. By  these  qualities  he  fulfilled,  with  singular 
completeness,  the  proper  function  of  an  advocate. 

"  Concerned  in  many  of  the  most  important  patent 
litigations  of  his  day,  Mr.  Dickerson  has  left  his 
mark  upon  that  branch  of  our  jurisprudence.  He 
has  left  it  also  upon  the  mechanic  arts,  in  some  of 
which  he  had  made  highly  useful  inventions  of  his 
own.  He  has  left  it,  too,  upon  many  of  the  sciences 
which  are  concerned  with  the  material  progress  of 
the  age.  His  proficiency  in  scientific  knowledge 
made  him  always  a  welcome  guest  among  its 
special  professors  :  for,  while  not  himself  a  special- 
ist, his  studies  and  acquirements  embraced  the 
whole  field  of  applied  science,  and  thus  he  was  en- 
abled to  impart  to  others  more  than  he  received 
from  them. 

"  By  his  many  brilliant  qualities  and  hislargeDess 
of  heart,  Mr.  Dickerson  gained  a  host  of  friends, 
both  among  the  members  of  the  bar  and  in  other 
walks  of  life.  As  his  most  intimate  associates,  we 
desire  to  embalm  his  memory  in  our  kindest  recol- 
lections, and  to  point  to  his  example  of  industry 
and  achievement  as  one  to  inspire  his  younger 
brethren." 

Mr.  Dickersou's  funeral  took  place  on  Saturday, 
December  14,  1889.  The  religious  services  were 
conducted  at  Trinity  Chapel,  New  York  City.  The 
pall-bearers  were  Judge  Wallace  of  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court,  Justice  Brady  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  George  Ticknor  Curtis,  C.C.  Beaman,  Henry 
Steers,  George  Sheldon,  Loyal  Farragut  and  W. 
Yulee.  The  interment  was  at  Greenwood  Cemetery'. 
Mr.  Dickerson  leaves  a  wife  and  one  son,  Ed- 
ward N.  Dickerson,  his  partner  in  the  law  firm  of 
Dickerson  &  Dickerson.  His  only  other  child,  a 
daughter,  Mrs.  Charles  W.  Gould,  died  in  1884. 


EWING,  GENERAL  THOMAS,  was  born  on  the 
7th  of  August,  1829,  at  the  residence  of  his 
father,  the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  in  Lancaster, 
Ohio.  He  was  the  third  son  of  that  great  lawyer 
and  statesman.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  descended 
from  Findley  Ewing,  of  Londonderry,  Ireland,  a 
native  of  Lower  Loch  Lomond  in  Scotland,  who 
distinguished  himself  in  the  War  of  1688  under 
William  of  Orange,  and  had  presented  to  him  a 
sword  by  his  sovereign  for  gallant  conduct  at  the 
siege  of  Londonderry.  General  Ewing's  paternal 
grandfather,  George  Ewing,  was  an  ensign  and 
afterwards  a  lieutenant  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
enlisting  in  the  Second  Jersey  Regiment  in  1775,  in 
an  expedition  to  reinforce  our  army  then  besieging 
Quebec,  and  serving  with  the  Jersey  troops  until 
the  end  of  the  War  for  Independence.  On  his 
mother's  side  he  is  descended  from  Neil  Gillespie, 
who  emigrated  from  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  to 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


277 


western  Pennsylvania,  and  who  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  both  himself  and  James  G.  Blaine  ; — 
a  man  of  great  mark  on  theMonongahela,  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  last  century.  His  mother's  father  was 
Hugh  Boyle,  for  forty  years  Clerk  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Ohio  for  Fairfield  County,  who  when  a 
youth,  having  taken  an  active  part  in  the  Emmet 
Rebellion,  was  driven  from  Ireland  to  America. 
He  was  a  native  of  Donegal  and  was  full  of  the 
manhood  and  fire  which  distinguish  the  Irish  race. 
At  nineteen  General  Ewing  was  Secretary  of  the 
Commission  to  settle  the  still  vexed  question  as  to 
whether  the  boundary  between  Virginia  and  Ohio 
is  the  high  water  mark  or  the  low  water  mark  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Ohio  River.  A  year  later, 
when  but  nineteen  years  old,  he  became  one  of  the 
private  secretaries  of  President  Taylor.  After  the 
death  of  the  President,  he  entered  Brown  Univer- 
sity at  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  then  under  the 
Presidency  of  the  illustrious  Francis  Waylaud,  and 
graduated  in  1854 — though  receiving  his  degree 
with  the  class  of  1856.  He  was  popular  at  college 
with  both  faculty  and  students  ;  witli  the  former 
because  of  his  manly  deportment  and  good  standing 
in  his  studies,  with  the  latter  because  of  his  genial 
temper,  which  rendered  him  always  a  delightful 
companion.  The  writer  of  this  sketch  recalls  with 
pleasure  the  Tom  Ewing  of  thirty-five  years  ago, 
with  his  splendid  physique,  his  intellectual,  frank, 
transparent  countenance  ;  his  chivalrous  regard  for 
the  feelings  of  others ;  his  strong  anti-slavery  feel- 
ing ;  his  keen  sympathy  with  the  poor  and  op- 
pressed, and  hatred  of  injustice  in  every  form — and 
recalling  this  pleasant  picture  feels  a  peculiar  de- 
light in  witnessing  the  ample  fulfillment  of  the 
promise  of  his  early  manhood.  In  1855  Ewing 
graduated  at  the  Cincinnati  Law  School,  and  in 
1856  removed  to  Kansas  and  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  law  at  Leavenworth.  His  law  firm — Sher- 
man, Ewing  and  McCook — included  General  Dan 
McCook,  who  afterwards  fell  at  Kenesaw,  and 
Geueral  William  T.  Sherman,  then  merely  an  ex- 
captain  of  the  regular  army,  soon  to  become  world 
renowned  for  his  splendid  military  career.  General 
Ewing  achieved  success  from  the  outset,  and  soon 
was  at  the  head  of  his  profession  in  Kansas.  He 
took  an  active  and  conspicuous  part  in  the  historic 
struggle  which  made  Kansas  a  free  State,  and  be- 
came prominent  among  the  leading  Republicans  of 
ante-bellum  times.  He  represented  Kansas  in  the 
Peace  Conference  which  assembled  in  Washington 
on  the  call  of  Virginia  in  1860,  and  at  the  early  age 
of  twenty-nine  was  elected  the  first  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  that  State — a  position  which 
he  filled  ably  for  two  years  and  until  the  great  Re- 


bellion swept  him  from  the  bench  into  the  ranks  of 
the  army.  Prior  to  this,  in  1856,  Mr.  Ewing  was 
married  to  Ellen  E.  Cox,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
William  Cox,  of  Ohio,  a  minister  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  then  stationed  at  Piqua,  Ohio,  dis- 
tinguished for  his  zeal  and  eloquence;  of  which 
church  his  family  are  all  members.  He  is  not  him- 
self a  member  of  any  church,  though  a  believer  in 
Jesus  Christ  as  his  divine  Lord  and  master.  Gen- 
eral Ewing  in  1856-7,  took  an  active  and  conspic- 
uous part  in  the  struggle  to  make  Kansas  a  free 
State,  and  rendered  a  service  to  the  cause  there 
which  was  most  important  and  of  historic  interest. 
When,  in  the  fall  of  1857,  the  Pro-slavery  Constitu- 
tional Convention  formed  the  Lecompton  Constitu- 
tion, it  submitted  to  a  popular  vote — not  the  whole 
constitution — but  only  the  slavery  clause— that  is 
the  question  whether  the  voter  would  take  "the 
constitution  with  slavery  "  or  "  the  constitution  with- 
out slavery."  So  the  elector  had  to  favor  the  Le- 
compton Constitution  if  he  voted  at  all — a  constitu- 
tion hateful  to  the  Free  State  majority,  as  it  had  been 
framed  by  a  fraudulently  chosen  convention,  com- 
posed largely  of  residents  of  Missouri.  Moreover, 
if  a  majority  voted  for  the  constitution  without 
slavery,  the  slaves  then  in  Kansas  were  to  remain 
slaves  for  life.  At  the  same  election  a  separate  vote 
was  ordered  for  legislative  and  executive  officers 
under  the  constitution.  The  hope  and  expectation 
of  the  pro-slavery  men  were  that  the  Free  State  men, 
who  were  in  an  overwhelming  majority  in  the  Ter- 
ritory, from  indignation  at  the  tricky  manner  of 
submission,  would  refuse  to  vote  at  all ;  and  that 
thereupon  the  Democratic  Congress  would  admit 
Kansas  as  a  slave  State  completely  officered  by  pro- 
slavery  men.  It  was  an  artful  trap,  and  the  Free 
State  Convention  was  caught  in  it  by  resolving  that 
the  party  would  wholly  refrain  from  voting  at  that 
election.  Thereupon  Ewing  bolted  the  convention, 
but  only  eight  out  of  over  a  hundred  delegates  fol- 
lowed him.  The  bolters  nominated  a  full  State 
ticket  and  tickets  in  every  county  for  all  the  offices ; 
canvassed  the  Territory,  and,  in  spite  of  the  bitter- 
est opposition  of  the  radical  leaders  and  press,  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  a  large  majority  of  the  Free  State 
party  to  the  polls.  They  thus  completely  'officered 
the  proposed  pro-slavery  Government  with  tried 
and  true  Free  State  men— publicly  pledged,  if  the 
State  should  be  admitted,  to  immediately  call  an- 
other convention,  form  a  Free  State  Constitution, 
and  destroy  the  Lecompton  Constitution  and  Gov- 
ernment, root  and  branch.  The  pro-slavery  leaders, 
finding  themselves  outnumbered  at  the  polls,  re- 
sorted to  the  most  enormous  and  astounding  frauds 
in  the  returns,  and  then  officially  proclaimed  the 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


278 

election  of  the  pro-slavery  candidates.  Thereupon 
Ewing  went  to  the  Territorial  Legislature  then  in 
session  at  Lawrence,  a  majority  of  which  were  Free 
State  men,  and  got  a  commission  appointed  to  in- 
vestigate and  expose  the  election  frauds.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  board  and  conducted  its  proceedings 
with  startling  boldness  and  energy,  resulting  within 
a  week  in  the  discovery  and  seizure  of  the  forged 
returns,  which  had  been  buried  in  a  candle  box 
under  a  wood  pile  at  Lecompton  on  the  premises  of 
the  United  States  Surveyor-General,  John  Calhoun 
— the  exposure  of  the  forgeries — the  indictment  of 
the  chief  conspirators,  Calhoun,  McLean  and  others 
— their  flight  from  Kansas  never  to  return — and 
the  abandonment  by  Buchanan's  administration, 
and  his  party  in  Congress  of  the  Lecompton  Consti- 
tution, which  fell  covered  with  execrations  and  in- 
famy. This  closed  the  long  struggle  to  force 
slavery  on  Kansas,  and  the  new  State  was  there- 
upon admitted  under  a  Free  Constitution  made  by 
her  own  people.  General  Ewing  first  appears  in 
the  history  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  as  Colonel 
of  the  Eleventh  Regiment  of  Kansas  Volunteer 
Infantry,  recruited  and  orgauized  by  him  in  the 
summer  of  1862  He  led  his  command  in  several 
severe  engagements  in  Arkansas — at  Cane  Hill,  Van 
Buren  and  Prairie  Grove  ;  and  for  gallant  conduct 
in  the  last  named  battle,  which  was  one  of  the 
fiercest  of  the  war,  was  promoted  to  be  a  Brigadier- 
General  on  the  11th  of  March,  1863.  He  was  soon 
after  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  "  District  of 
the  Border,"  comprising  the  State  of  Kansas  and 
the  western  portion  of  Missouri — a  command  of  ex- 
treme administrative  difficulty  and  great  personal 
danger,  which  he  held  from  June.  1863,  to  Febru- 
ary, 1864,  and  in  which  he  won  the  emphatic  ap- 
proval of  President  Lincoln  and  General  Schofield, 
the  Department  Commander.  His  "Order No.  11," 
issued  while  he  held  this  command,  directing  the 
inhabitants  of  large  portions  of  three  border  coun- 
ties of  southern  Missouri  to  remove  to  the  military 
posts  or  out  of  the  border,  was  and  still  is  severely 
criticised.  It  was  the  result  a  peculiarly  difficult 
situation,  solvable  in  no  other  way.  Those  coun- 
ties had  become  the  impregnable  base  of  operations 
of  about  a  thousand  guerillas,  under  Quantrell, 
the  James  brothers,  and  Yeager,  who  were  inces- 
santly making  incursions  into  southern  Kansas,  to 
rob  and  kill  the  defenceless  people,  and  who  had 
just  burned  Lawrence,  and  in  cold  blood  murdered 
nearly  three  hundred  unarmed  and  unresisting 
citizens.  After  two  years  of  strenuous  effort  by 
other  Union  commanders,  it  had  proved  to  be  impos- 
sible to  protect  Kansas  people  from  these  dreadful 
incursions,  and  equally   impossible  to  run  the 


guerillas  to  earth  in  their  fastnesses  on  the  Missouri 
side  of  the  border.  These  counties  had  been  deso- 
lated early  in  the  war  by  Jennison,  Hoyt  and  their 
lawless  bands  of  Kansas  "Red  Legs" — burned  to 
the  subsoil,  nineteen  farms  out  of  twenty  having 
been  absolutely  abandoned,  and  the  houses  and 
fences  destroyed  or  left  rotting.  The  condition  of 
this  district  can  be  imagined  from  the  fact  that 
when  this  "Order  No.  11  "  was  issued,  Nevada,  the 
county  seat  of  Vernon  County,  having  at  least  a 
hundred  houses  standing  and  in  good  order,  had 
not  a  single  inhabitant,  and  the  Court  House,  with- 
out door  or  window-pane,  had  become  a  shelter  for 
hogs  and  cattle  running  wild,  with  its  records  of 
titles  and  court  proceedings  scattered  over  the 
floors,  covered  with  filth.  There  were  not  at  that 
time  a  hundred  families  left  in  the  entire  district 
affected  by  the  order,  outside  of  the  militarj'  posts. 
They  were  the  friends  and  kinsfolk  of  the  guerillas, 
who  were  constantly  hanging  about  the  garrisoned 
towns,  buying  arms,  ammunition  and  provisions  for 
the  guerillas,  and  carrying  news  to  them  of  every 
movement  of  our  troops.  It  was  impossible  to  kill 
the  guerillas  or  drive  them  out  of  the  border  while 
these  country  people  stayed  there  as  their  spies  and 
purve\*ors.  Therefore,  after  full  conference  with 
General  Schofield,  then  commanding  the  Department 
of  the  Missouri,  and  now  the  honored  head  of  the 
armj-,  General  Ewing  ordered  the  few  remaining 
inhabitants  in  these  desolated  districts  to  remove  to 
the  nearest  military  post,  or  back  to  the  second  tier 
of  counties  from  the  State  border,  and  the  order 
was  subsequently  ratified  by  President  Lincoln.  In 
a  letter  published  since  the  war,  General  Schofield 
said:  "The  responsibility  for  that  order  rests  with 
President  Lincoln,  myself  and  General  Ewing,  in 
the  proportion  of  our  respective  rank  and  author- 
ity." About  half  of  the  people  affected  by  the 
order  removed  to  the  posts  under  the  protection  of 
our  troops,  and  the  remainder  further  back  in  Mis- 
souri. They  moved  in  summer — were  subjected  to 
no  physical  force  or  hardship,  and  were  generally 
glad  to  get  out  of  reach  of  the  wild  storm  which 
was  about  to  burst  on  them  from  Kansas,  in  revenge 
for  the  Lawrence  massacre,  and  which  the  Govern- 
ment had  not  troops  enough  there  to  quell.  Within 
two  or  three  months  after  the  issuance  of  this  order, 
Quantrell,  having  lost  his  spies  and  purveyors,  and 
finding  it  impossible  therefore  to  continue  the  ven- 
detta, led  all  his  guerillas  south,  and  the  border  war 
was  thus  forever  ended.  General  Ewing's  most  dis- 
tinguished service  during  the  war  was  in  fighting 
the  battle  of  Pilot  Knob  on  the  27th  and  28th  of 
September,  1864.  The  Confederate  General,  Ster- 
ling Price,  having  effected  an  unlooked-for  and  un- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


279 


resisted  crossing  of  the  Arkansas  above  Little  Rock, 
with  his  army  of  over  twenty  thousand  men, 
marched  on  St.  Louis,  where  General  Rosecrans  was 
in  command  of  the  Department  of  the  Missouri, 
and  General  Ewing  of  the  District  of  Southeast 
Missouri.  All  the  Federal  troops  of  the  department 
were  scattered  in  small  detachments,  with  bases  in 
earthworks  or  stockades  in  or  near  the  chief  towns 
of  Missouri,  which  were  the  places  of  refuge  of  the 
Union  men  and  neutrals  from  the  savage  warfare  of 
the  guerillas.  These  scattered  troops  could  not  be 
withdrawn  from  their  posts  without  euormous  sac- 
rifice of  the  people  and  property  they  were  protect- 
ing, and  it  was,  moreover,  impossible  to  assemble 
them  at  St.  Louis  in  time  and  numbers  sufficient  to 
defeat  Price's  large  army,  which  was  increasing 
rapidly  by  accessions  of  guerillas  from  all  parts  of 
southern  Missouri.  There  was  but  one  possible 
means  of  preventing  the  capture  of  St.  Louis  and 
the  vast  loss  of  prestige  and  resources  which  would 
follow.  That  was  to  delay  Price  a  few  days  until 
re-enforcements  could  arrive  from  Little  Rock,  by 
occupying  and  holding  fast  to  Fort  Davidson,  a 
small  hexagonal  work  capable  of  being  manned  by 
about  one  thousand  men,  situated  ninety  miles 
south  of  St.  Louis,  at  the  village  of  Pilot  Knob, 
which  was  then  the  southern  terminus  of  the  Iron 
Mountain  Railroad.  In  this  little  fort  were  stored  im- 
mense amounts  of  ordnance,  commissar}-  and  quar- 
termasters'  supplies,  which  Price  greatly  needed, 
and  which  lay  directly  between  him  and  the  great 
city,  by  capturing  which  he  expected  to  bring  Mis- 
souri over  to  the  Confederacy.  General  Rosecrans, 
at  the  urgent  request  of  General  Ewing,  reluctantly 
consented  that  he  should  lead  this  forlorn  hope. 
He  reached  Pilot  Knob  in  the  nick  of  time — but 
four  hours  ahead  of  Price's  advance — and  with  but 
one  thousand  and  eighty  men  lie  held  Fort  David- 
son against  two  of  the  three  divisions  of  Price's 
army — those  of  Marmaduke  and  Cabell — numbering 
about  fourteen  thousand  men— Shelby's  division  of 
about  seven  thousand  men  having  been  sent  to 
Ewing's  rear  at  Mineral  Point,  twenty  miles  north 
of  Pilot  Knob,  to  cut  the  railroad  and  insure  the 
destruction  or  capture  of  his  entire  command. 
After  repulsing  two  assaults  with  great  loss  to  the 
enemy,  General  Ewing,  under  cover  of  night,  evac- 
uated and  then  blew  up  his  untenable  fort,  and,  fa- 
vored by  broken  ground,  though  pressed  on  flank 
and  rear,  held  his  force  in  hand,  and  by  dogged 
fighting  for  two  days  and  nights,  brought  them  to 
a  fortified  camp  at  Rolla,  a  hundred  miles  west  of 
Pilot  Knob.  Price  was  thus  delayed  for  a  week, 
and  drawn  so  far  westward  from  his  march  on  St. 
Louis,  that  reinforcements  reached  St.  Louis  and 


the  great  objective  of  his  invasion  was  lost.  He 
turned  west  and  south  and  was  soon  driven  from 
Missouri  without  striking  an  effective  blow.  Gen. 
eral  Rosecrans,  in  a  special  order  issued  October  6, 
1864,  said  of  this  brilliant  episode  :  "  With  pride 
and   pleasure   the  commanding   General  notices 
the  gallant  conduct  of  Brigadier-General  Thomas 
Ewing,  Jr.,  and  his  command  in  the  defence  of 
Pilot  Knob,  and  in  the  subsequent  retreat  to  Rolla. 
With  scarcely  one  thousand  effective  men,  they  re- 
pulsed the  attacks  of  Price's  invading  army,  and 
successfully  retreated  with  their  battery  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  miles,  in  the  face  of  a  pursuing  and 
assailing  cavalry  force  of  five  times  their  number. 
General  Ewing  and  his  subordinates  have  deserved 
well  of  their  country.    Under  such  commanders, 
Federal  troops  should  always  march  to  victory." 
After  the  war,  until  1880,  General  Ewing  was  con- 
spicuous in  Ohio  and  National  politics.    He  was  a 
member  of  the  Ohio  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1873-'74,  where  his  legal  attainments  and  admirable 
powers  of  debate  gave  him  a  foremost  place.    As  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  majority  in  the  Forty- 
fifth  and  Forty-sixth  Congresses,  he  was  one  of  the 
leaders  of  his  party  in  resisting  and  stopping  the 
employment  of  Federal  troops  and  supervisors  at 
elections  conducted  under  State  laws,  and  also  in 
the  successful  movement  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Greenback  currency,  the  remonetization  of  silver, 
and  the  issue  of  silver  certificates,  but  for  which 
measures  of  finance  the  currency  would  have  been 
greatly  contracted,  to  the  infinite  and  protracted  dis- 
tress of  the  industrial  and  debtor  classes.    A  ripe 
scholar,  a  strong,  ready  and  graceful  speaker,  an 
expert  parliamentarian,  and  possessing  a  personal 
magnetism  which  irresistibly  attracts  and  firinly 
holds  the  kindly  feeling  of  the  masses,  General 
Ewing  is  admirably  equipped  as  a  great  popular 
leader.    Since  1882  he  has  held  aloof  from  active 
participation  in  politics,  and  engaged  with  great 
success  in  the  practice  of  law  in  New  York  City. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  "  Ohio  Society 
of  New  York,"  and  its  President  for  three  years 
following  its  organization  in  December,  1885.  His 
published  speeches  in  Congress  and  on  the  stump 
have  been  numerous,  and  marked  by  great  informa- 
tion, ability,  liberality  and  patriotism.    His  literary 
efforts  have  been  less  numerous  or  conspicuous. 
Among  the  latter,  his  address  delivered  at  the  Cen- 
tennial celebration  of  the  settlement  of  the  North- 
west Territory,  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  July  16,  1889, 
and  his  address  before  the  Kansas  State  Bar  Asso- 
ciation, January  7,  1890,  favoring  the  abolition  of 
the  requirement  of  unanimity  of  juries  in  civil 
cases,  and  urging  the  codification  of  "  the  private 


28o 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


law,"  have  attracted  wide  and  favorable  attention. 
He  is  still  in  his  prime,  intellectually  and  physi- 
cally, and  will  no  doubt  add  much  to  his  wide  and 
enviable  reputation  as  a  lawyer,  patriot  and  states- 
man. 

 •  

FLAGG,  REV.  EDWARD  OCTAVUS,  D.D.,*  of 
New  York  City,  was  born  in  Georgetown, 
South  Carolina,  December  13,  1824.  His  fam- 
ily moved  to  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  when  he 
was  seven  years  of  age.  His  grandfather,  Henry 
C.  Flagg,  was  a  surgeon  in  the  Continental  army. 
His  ancestry  is  to  be  traced  to  other  noted  Revolu- 
tionary stock,  as  well  as  to  distinguished  families  of 
South  Carolina  and  Connecticut.  His  father,  a 
graduate  of  Yale  College,  married  Martha  Whiting, 
(daughter  of  William  Joseph  Whiting,  a  prominent 
lawyer  of  New  Haven),  and  was  afterwards  Mayor 
of  that  city,  and  also  the  editor  of  the  Connecticut 
Journal,  a  leading  newspaper  of  that  State.  He  was 
a  lawyer  by  profession.  The  son  derived  much 
benefit  from  association  with  such  an  accomplished 
father.  Edward  Octavus  attended  a  Lancasterian 
school  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  received  a  gold 
medal  as  its  leading  scholar,  and  was  invited  to  be- 
come assistant  in  an  institution  in  Skaneateles,  New 
York.  He  subsecpiently  completed  a  course  in  Hop- 
kins Grammar  School,  New  Haven,  belonging  to  the 
class  of  which  Timothy  Dwight,  (now  President  of 
Yale  University)  was  a  member.  After  prosecuting 
his  studies  at  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  Avhere  he 
stood  among  the  first,  he  devoted  himself  for  a  year 
to  miscellaneous  reading.  At  his  majority  he  be- 
came a  candidate  for  holy  orders  in  the  Episcopal 
Church.  Until  he  entered  the  Diaconate  he  was 
under  the  instruction  of  Rev.  Dr.  Harry  Croswell, 
of  New  Haven,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Cook  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  Pitkin.  At  twenty-four  he  was  ordained 
deacon,  and  the  following  year  was  admitted  to  the 
priesthood.  His  first  position  was  that  of  assistant 
at  Christ  Church,  Norwich,  Connecticut.  At  twen- 
ty-six he  married  the  daughter  of  General  William 
Gibbs  MacNeill,  U.  S.  A.,  who  was  brevetted  Gen- 
eral for  his  suppression  of  the  Dorr  Insurrection. 
In  1850,  on  the  organization  of  the  new  parish  of 
Trinity,  Norwich,  he  was  appointed  the  first  Rector. 
In  the  meantime  he  established  a  church  at  Yantic, 
Connecticut,  which  has  been  most  successful.  He 
remained  at  Trinity  for  three  years  and  a  half, 
when  he  found  it  necessary  to  seek  a  milder  climate 
for  his  wife,  whose  health  was  seriously  impaired. 

"The  portrait  of  Dr.  Flagg  here  given  was  made  from  a 
photograph  taken  when  he  was  about  forty-five  years  of  age. 


[  During  his  ministrations  at  Norwich  the  Sunday 
!  attendance  had  increased  from  forty  or  fifty  persons 
to  some  six  hundred.  His  next  position  was  Asso- 
ciate Rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, which  he  left  after  six  mouths,  as  his  wife's 
health  did  not  improve.  Proceeding  to  New  Or- 
leans, he  was  appointed  minister  pro  tern  of  Trinity 
Church,  declining  to  become  the  Rector,  as  his  move- 
ments depended  entirely  upon  the  health  of  his 
wife.  Finally,  by  reason  of  her  increased  indispo- 
sition, he  left  that  city  for  the  North.  He  was 
offered  six  thousand  dollars  per  annum  to  remain, 
which  he  declined,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  late 
Bishop  (afterwards  General)  Polk.  In  July,  1854, 
he  accepted  a  call  to  St.  Paul's  Church,  Paterson, 
New  Jersey,  at  which  place  he  suffered  the  loss  of 
both  his  wife  and  only  child.  He  resigned  in  No- 
vember, 185C,  and  went  abroad ;  spending  nine 
months  in  European  travel.  On  his  return  he  was 
invited  to  take  charge  of  All  Saints  Church,  New 
York,  where  he  continued  until  the  autumn  of  1861. 
He  afterward  founded  the  Church  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion, which  grew  to  be  a  considerable  parish.  He 
subsequently  became  Senior  Assistant  of  Grace 
Church,  New  York,  in  which  position  he  continued 
nearly  six  years,  when  he  resigned.  An  attack  of 
pneumonia,  in  the  year  1888,  having  made  necessary 
extreme  care  of  his  health,  he  has  since  had  no  re<j- 
ular  charge ;  but  usually  officiates  at  some  church 
in  or  near  New  York  almost  every  Lord's  day.  Dr. 
Flagg  at  one  time  accepted  the  Chaplaincy  of  the 
Ninth  Regiment,  N.  Y.  N.  G.  He  officiated  on 
several  occasions  of  much  public  interest.  His  ser- 
mon over  Page,  Wyatt  and  Pryor,  members  of  the 
i  regiment,  who  fell  in  the  riot  of  the  12th  of  July, 
1871,  was  a  brilliant  and  patriotic  effort.  He  spoke 
from  the  text,  "  The  Lord's  Voice  crieth  unto  the 
City."  In  the  course  of  this  sermon,  representing 
the  intense  excitement  of  the  occasion,  he  gave  ut- 
terance to  the  following  significant  expressions  : 

"  At  the  same  time  that  we  make  all  reasonable 
concessions  in  matters  of  faith  and  conscience,  the 
Lord's'  voice,  on  the  present  occasion,  incites  us 
never  to  surrender  our  religious  liberties.  Our  fore- 
fathers especially  fought  and  bled  for  freedom  to 
worship  God.  The  incense  of  such  a  desire  conse- 
crated the  forest  wild,  while  the  rock  was  the  pul- 
pit canopied  by  Nature's  blue  cathedral  dome. 
'  Freedom  to  worship  God '  was  lisped  in  the  nur- 
sery, chanted  in  a  mother's  lullaby,  echoing  to  the 
embowered  nave  that  uttered  its  monotone  on  the 
wild  New  England  coast.  The  whizzing  ball  of  the 
Revolution  baptized  the  dear-bought  truth  in  the 
blood  of  many  a  foeman.  If  we  surrender  this  our 
heritage,  we  surrender  everything  that  is  near  and 
dear  to  the  American  heart.  The  stars  and  stripes 
are  but  a  flaunting  lie,  and  should  be  furled  with 
the  first  public  act  to  such  an  effect.    Mean  cravens 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


28l 


are  they  who  would  sacrifice  one  religious  rite  to  I 
stronger  importunity.  May  every  hand  that  would 
thus  profane  our  ark  of  national  safety  forever  be 
made  to  perish  with  that  of  Uzzah.  Whatever  in- 
terferes logically  here  should  not  for  a  moment  be 
allowed  to  lift  its  brazen  head — however  specious 
and  imposing  the  pretext.  There  are  a  great  many 
streams  which  quench  the  thirst,  but  none  like  you 
mountain  spring  which  trickles  in  the  upper  atmos- 
phere. It  is  the  only  pure,  gushing,  sufficient 
source,  and  there  are  many  derived  means  of  spirit- 
ual safety,  but  none  like  the  '  book  of  books.'  which 
everyone,  by  its  author,  is  requested  and  privileged 
to  read.  Thence  does  the  fountain  of  a  Saviour's 
blood  most  purely,  adequately  flow.  There  does  a 
Saviour  most  effectually  touch  the  sinner's  heart 
and  fill  his  soul  with  the  refreshment  of  salvation. 
Who  would  wish,  or  dare,  in  this  laud  of  gospel 
liberty,  to  forbid  the  approaches  of  the  invalid  long- 
ing soul  ?  Let  not  this  bread  of  life,  the  Bible,  be 
withheld  from  a  single  hungering  mortal.  If  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  is  to  be  read  by  all, 
should  that  be  withheld  which  afforded  us  such 
declaration  ?  All  the  emancipation  of  the  body  is 
nothing  without  Christian  emancipation,  that  of  the 
spirit;  and  cowed,  indeed,  is  he — and  no  American 
— who  will  allow  the  jewel  of  his  being,  the  con- 
science, to  be  fettered,  the  healthful  word  of  God  to 
be  crippled  in  any  of  its  influences.  When  freedom 
to  worship  God  and  liberty  of  conscience  are  taken 
away,  we  shall  have  no  liberty  whatever  left,  and 
we  might  as  well  at  once  cringe  to  a  foreign 
despot." 

The  following  extract  is  here  given  from  one  of 
Dr.  Flagg's  early  poems,  written  on  a  subject  sug- 
gested by  a  lady,  a  descendant  of  Noah  Webster,  a 
circumstance  similar  to  that  which  led  to  the  com- 
position of  Cowper's  poem  of  "  The  Task." 

LIFE  AS  IT  IS. 

Tli is  life  is  but  a  thing  of  fears, 

A  dream  of  hopes,  of  smiles,  of  tears ; 

A  blossom  which  at  morning  blows, 

A  blossom  which  at  evening  goes; 

A  flower  tinged  with  Beauty's  blush, 

Which  auy  thoughtless  tread  may  crush  ; 

A  sky  of  azure,  pure  and  bright, 

That  storm  clouds  quick  obscure  from  sight; 

A  moonbeam's  evanescent  play, 

Which  ere  the  day  dawns,  speeds  away ; 

A  bubble  floating  on  a  lake, 

That  soon  a  passing  breeze  may  break  : 

A  wave  which  tosses  high  and  free, 

Then  dies  upon  a  tranquil  sea. 

Life  as  it  is — a  songster  proud 

Which  leaves  its  perch  to  seek  the  cloud  ; 

But  soon  falls  low,  with  fluttering  wing, 

No  more  to  soar,  no  more  to  sing.  . 

Oh  I  fearful  art  thou,  human  life — 

Thou  fitful  thing,  thou  thing  of  strife  .' 

Why  mock  us  with  the  promise  bright, 

Then  leave  behind  the  gloom  of  night  ? 

Dr.  Flagg  married  a  second  time,  Mary  Letitia, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Joshua  B.  Ferris,  of  Stamford, 
Connecticut.  He  received  his  degree  of  D.D.  from 
the  New  York  University,  in  1866.    He  has  contrib- 


uted occasionally  to  the  press  in  both  prose  and 
verse,  and  possesses  marked  literary  tastes.  He  is 
well  known  as  a  public  lecturer,  having  delivered 
several  courses  on  "  Literature  and  History  "  in  a 
number  of  schools,  among  which  are  the  Gardner 
and  VanXonnan  Institutes  and  in  Miss  Dana's 
school  in  Monistown,  New  Jersey.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Poet  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Society  at  its 
Fifty-second  Convention,  held  in  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity, Middletown,  Connecticut,  May  28,  1884.  Two 
of  his  pieces  are  printed  in  the  song  book  of  this 
fraternity.  Several  years  ago  he  published  a  poem 
called  "  Live  it  Down,"  which  has  been  very  widely 
copied  and  quoted.    It  is  as  follows  : 

Has  a  foolish  word  been  spoken, 

Or  an  evil  deed  been  done, 
Has  the  heart  been  almost  broken, 

For  the  friends  that  now  disown, 
Let  not  coldness  or  the  frown 

Shake  thy  manhood — Live  it  down. 

Is  the  stern  traducer  sneering, 

Thrusting  innuendo  vile, 
With  the  World's  opinion  veering, 

Basking  in  its  fickle  smile  ? 
What  are  gossips  with  their  frown? 

Buzzing  insects— Live  it  down. 

Verdict  fairer  will  be  given, 

In  the  sober  after-thought, 
Charity,  sweet  child  of  Heaven, 

Judgment  harsh  will  set  at  naught ; 
Then  will  grieved  Mercy's  frown 

Smite  the  slanderer — Live  it  down. 

But  if  man  refuse  to  soften, 
For  that  weakness  he  may  feel, 

There  is  One  forgives  as  often 
As  to  Him  we  choose  to  kneel, 

Droop  not  then,  if  all  should  frown, 
With  such  friendship — Live  it  down. 

Another  "  On  the  Seventieth  Birthday  of  General 
William  Tecumseh  Sherman,"  recently  published, 
is  as  follows : 

The  sands  of  life  run  golden, 

Telling  hours  away; 
With  God  are  we  beholden 

To  waste  not  by  delay. 

He  oft  prolongs  the  season, 

Work  to  do  complete, 
Till  force  or  will  or  reason 

Make  end  and  purpose  meet. 

'Tis  well  ripe  years  are  given 

One  whom  honor  claims  ; 
His  compeers  speak  from  heaven, 

His  toil  the  sluggard  shames. 

To  duty's  voice  he  yielded, 

Startling  Georgia's  shore ; 
The  cause  of  man  he  shielded 

Till  arms  could  do  no  more. 


282 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


And  now  is  he  fulfilling 

Gentle  calls  of  peace  : 
A  kindly  power  distilling. 

That  nevermore  will  cease. 

As  feared  by  foes  opposing, 

Loved  he  is  by  friends  ; 
Warm  greetings  now  disclosing 

The  spell  his  presence  lends. 

May  countless  years  still  cluster, 

Health  and  joy  remain, 
Before  the  final  muster 

The  unseen  heights  to  gain. 

Thomas  Whittaker,  of  the  New  York  Bible  House, 
has  just  issued  a  collection  of  his  poems,  containing 
some  of  his  early  productions,  and  many  new  ones 
now  for  the  first  time  printed.  The  Neir  York  Her- 
ald makes  the  following  comment  upon  this  work  : 

"  The  contents  of  this  modest  volume  are  largely 
verse  (V  occasion  and  were  much  copied  and  quoted 
when  first  published.  Among  them  are  found  one 
on  '  Stanley's  March,'  printed  originally  in  the 
Herald :  lines  on  Longfellow,  Grant,  the  elder  Tyng, 
Joseph  Hodman  Drake,  and  the  Bartholdi  statue. 
There  is  also  a  poem  read  at  the  Convention  of  the 
Alpha  Delta  Phi,  to  which  society  the  volume  is 
dedicated.  The  remaining  verses  consist  princi- 
pally of  noble,  moral  and  religious  thoughts  ex- 
pressed in  poetic  form  and  diction.  It  is  so  seldom 
that  a  clergyman  ripe  in  learning,  years  and  ex- 
perience finds  the  purpose  and  time  to  concentrate 
his  more  abiding  thoughts  in  a  form  which  outlives 
the  spoken  words  of  the  week,  that  Mr.  Flagg's  vol- 
ume deserves  special  attention  from  the  many  good 
men  and  women  who  regard  poetry  as  something 
more  than  mere  word  building,  and  who  expect 
verse  to  embody  thoughts  which  shall  be  worthy  of 
the  form  in  which  they  appear." 

Dr.  Flagg  is  of  medium  height,  well  formed  and 
of  a  light  complexion.  A  former  biographer,  in  a 
work  devoted  to  the  principal  clergymen  of  New 
York  and  Brooklyn,  says  of  Dr.  Flagg  : 

'•  His  brow  has  a  somewhat  serious  expression, 
which  passes  away,  however,  when  he  is  engaged  in 
animated  conversation.  In  public  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  composure,  and  no  little  dignity  about  him  ; 
but  in  social  intercourse  he  is  more  unreserved  and 
free.  His  head  and  features  have  every  indication 
of  intellect  and  refinement.  His  is  a  countenance 
which  declares  delight  in  mental  and  cultivated  at- 
tainments, and  shows  a  nature  quick  to  feel  and  ar- 
dent in  its  action,  but  well  disciplined  to  manly  and 
Christian  purposes.  Turning  with  an  inborn  dis- 
taste from  all  that  debases,  he  is  as  naturally  enthu- 
siastic in  his  desire  for  that  which  elevates.  Chiv- 
alric,  high-toned,  keenly  alive  to  the  requirements 
of  all  manly  and  moral  obligations,  he  makes  his 
deportment  and  his  life  a  happy  mingling  of  that 
which  is  truest  in  manhood  and  noblest  in  duty. 
He  is  a  genial,  interesting  companion.  Frank,  ani- 
mated, cheerful,  and  speaking  with  a  clear  under- 
standing of  his  topic,  he  is  not  only  a  most  agree- 
able, but  a  most  capable  conversationalist.  As  he 
talks,  he  evinces  a  nervous  impulsiveness,  proceed- 


ing sometimes  rather  abruptly  to  new  themes,  but 
always  exhibits  at  once  intelligence  and  sincerity  of 
conviction.  His  ministerial  character  is  fully  evi- 
dent from  the  direction  of  his  thoughts  ;  but  all  that 
is  beautiful  and  true  in  secular  things  awakens  his 
pleasure  and  interest.  Dr.  Flagg  excels  as  an  elo- 
cutionist. He  has  a  pure,  distinct  voice,  of  admi- 
rable modulation,  gentle  and  sweet  in  its  softer 
tones  and  rich  and  flexible  in  their  greatest  expan- 
sion. ******** 

His  sermons  are  well  written  and  show  much  diver- 
sity of  thought.  Some  of  them  are  strictly  argu- 
mentative, dealing  in  very  forcible  and  keen  logic ; 
others  mingle  with  this  a" certain  flow  of  the  imagi- 
nation, while  again  others  are  wholly  given  to  the 
most  poetic  and  tender  extremes  of  religious  and 
moral  sentiment.  His  mind  as  a  writer  is  fresh 
and  buoyant.  It  is  aglow  with  impressions  of  beau- 
tiful truths  and  Heaven-inspiring  hopes  ;  while  the 
call  to  grace  is  not  less  chaste  in  language  than  it  is 
devout  in  tone  and  manner." 


BAINES,  HON.  GEORGE,  a  distinguished  la  wyer 
of  Rochester,  ex-District  Attorney  and  ex-State 
Senator,  is  the  fourth  son  of  Rev.  John  Raines 
and  Mary  Remington,  and  was  born  November  10, 
184G,  at  Pultneyville,  Wayne  County,  New  York. 
His  father  is  of  English  descent  and  comes  of  the 
family  which  still  has  many  representatives  in  Ry- 
ton,  Yorkshire,  where  the  old  family  homestead  has 
been  entailed  for  many  generations  to  the  eldest  son, 
and  still  remains  in  their  possession,  known  as  Ry- 
ton  Manor.  The  grandparent,  John  Raines,  in 
1816-'18,  gathered  together  the  remnant  of  fortune 
invested  in  shipping  interests,  well  nigh  destroyed 
by  the  French  wars  ensuing  upon  the  escape  of 
Napoleon  from  Elba,  and  traveled  through  Penn- 
sylvania and  western  New  York  to  select  a  location 
for  business  investment.  After  a  few  years  resi- 
dence in  Philadelphia,  about  1830,  a  farm  was  pur- 
chased near  Canandaigua.  Near  by  and  overlooking 
Centerfield,  was  the  home  of  Colonel  Thaddeus 
Remington,  the  maternal  grandparent,  who  had 
given  his  own  name  to  the  hill  upon  which  he  had 
built  his  log  house  in  1798.  Colonel  Remington 
was  the  eldest  of  three  brothers,  and  came  from 
Vermont,  where  the  traditions  of  the  family  run 
back  until  they  are  lost  to  record.  By  his  solicita- 
tions two  younger  brothers,  who  had  come  from 
Vermont  to  .Connecticut,  were  induced  to  come 
west  to  make  a  settlement.  One  of  them  selected 
Henrietta,  and  the  other  Mumford,  in  Monroe 
County,  and  from  these  brothers  are  descended  the 
Remingtons  whose  branches  are  numerous  in  the  lo- 
cations named.  John  Raines,  the  father  of  George, 
after  his  marriage  to  Mary  Remington,  entered  the 
Methodist  ministry  as  a  member  of  the  East  Gene- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


2H3 


see  Conference,  and  received  an  appointment  to  the 
station  at  Pultueyville,  after  which  he  was  a  sta- 
tioned pastor,  for  periods  of  two  or  three  years,  ac- 
cording to  the  custom  of  the  denomination,  at 
Dansville,  Lima,  Victor,  Geneva,  Lyons,  Newark, 
St.  Johns  Church  in  Rochester,  Hedding  Church  in 
Elmira,  Corning  and  Alexander  Street  Church  in 
Rochester.  George  Raines,  in  1854-'5G,  was  a  pupil 
in  No.  14  and  No.  10  of  the  district  schools  of 
Rochester,  and  afterward  prepared  for  admission  to 
college  in  the  Free  Academy  at  Elmira  in  1861 -'62. 
In  the  early  fall  of  1862,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
he  entered  college  at  Lima,  New  York,  hut  after  a 
few  weeks,  on  account  of  a  change  of  the  residence 
of  his  father  to  the  city  of  Rochester,  he  entered 
the  University  of  Rochester  and  remained  a  mem- 
ber of  the  class  of  1866  until  graduation.  It  was 
the  custom  of  the  college  to  award  prizes  to  be 
competed  for  by  members  of  classes  who  chose  to 
labor  in  that  direction,  and  a  fair  proportion  of 
such  honors  fell  to  him.  First  prizes  in  Latin  and 
Greek  studies,  for  declamation,  and  for  the  senior 
essay  were  awarded  to  him,  but  in  no  case  was  the 
competition  in  the  class  general,  though  the  rivalry 
of  the  contestants  was  very  sharp  and  the  labor  of 
preparation  considerable.  Leaving  college  with  a 
fair  standing  in  scholarship,  he  entered  the  office  of 
J.  &  L.  Van  Voorhis  in  Rochester,  as  a  law  student, 
in  the  summer  of  1866,  where  he  remained  until 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  December,  1867.  being  then 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  During  the  fall  of  1866  a 
bitter  political  contest  for  Congress,  in  which  Lewis 
Selye  and  Hon.  Roswell  Hart  were  opposing  candi- 
dates, was  decided  by  the  election  of  Mr.  Selye. 
Through  the  natural  sympathy  of  a  young  man  witli 
a  cause  in  which  his  preceptors  were  enlisted,  Mr. 
Raines  became  a  supporter  of  Mr.  Selye  and  made 
his  first  political  speeches  in  his  behalf.  Mr.  Selye 
conceived  a  strong  liking  for  his  young  friend,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1867,  upon  the  request  of  Mr.  Van 
Voorhis,  procured  for  him  a  Government  position, 
the  salary  of  which  was  of  great  service  in  enabling 
him  to  continue  his  law  studies,  while  at  the  same 
time  he  served  full  time  in  his  office  duties  Upon  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  he  entered  the  law  office  of  H.  C. 
Ives,  as  a  clerk,  at  the  salary  of  five  dollars  a  week. 
After  a  year  of  such  service,  Mr.  Ives  offered  him  a 
partnership,  which  was  accepted  and  continued 
down  to  the  fall  of  1871,  when  Mr.  Ives,  owing  to 
ill-health,  was  compelled  to  cease  the  active  work 
of  his  profession,  at  the  same  time  that  Mr.  Raines 
was  elected  as  the  Republican  candidate  to  the  of- 
fice of  District  Attorney  of  Monroe  County,  New 
York.  He  had  tried  very  few  cases  in  court  at  that 
time,  being  but  twenty-four  years  of  age.    His  only 


trials  of  criminal  cases  had  been  the  defence  of  a 
negro  up  n  a  charge  of  abduction,  which  had  re- 
sulted first,  in  a  disagreement  of  a  jury,  and  next  in 
a  verdict  of  guilty.  He  had  tried  several  civil 
causes  at  the  circuit  under  the  supervision  of  Mr. 
Ives,  who  intrusted  him  with  the  summing  up  of  all 
cases.  When  the  youth  and  inexperience  of  Mr. 
Raines  were  urged  against  him  in  the  canvass,  Gen- 
eral J.  H.  Martindale  came  to  his  rescue  with  most 
positive  assurances  of  his  confidence  in  the  success- 
ful administration  of  the  office,  and  to  this  powerful 
endorsement  Mr.  Raines  has  never  failed  to  attrib- 
ute much  of  the  confidence  shown  by  the  voters  in 
electing  him.  At  the  same  election  a  brother,  Hon. 
Thomas  Raines,  was  elected  State  Treasurer,  and 
in  1873  was  re-elected  to  the  same  office.  Another 
brother,  Hon.  John  Raines,  has  served  three 
terms  as  a  member  and  two  terms  as  Senator 
in  the  Legislature  from  Ontario  County,  New 
York,  and  is  now  a  Member  of  Congress  from  the 
Twenty-ninth  District  of  New  York.  The  duties  of 
the  office  of  District  Attorney  were  laborious  and 
required  close  application.  The  session  of  courts 
continued  daily  for  weeks,  and  frequently  the 
nights  were  consumed  in  the  preparation  of  bills  of 
indictment,  or  of  cases  for  trial  on  the  ensuing  day. 
No  labor  was  spared  to  bring  causes  to  a  successful 
issue  where  justice  required  it,  and  no  public  clamor 
influenced  the  discharge  of  duty.  Among  the  nota- 
ble cases  of  the  first  term  of  office  of  Mr.  Raines 
was  the  prosecution  of  Stephen  Coleman  for  receiv- 
ing stolen  goods  with  the  knowledge  that  they  were 
stolen.  Coleman  was  charged  with  enlisting  boys 
in  the  stealing  of  pig  iron  at  foundries,  and  many 
of  the  boys  were  used  as  witnesses,  but  the  convinc- 
ing testimony  on  the  various  trials  (whic  h  lasted 
each  about  two  weeks)  was  that  of  merchants  who 
had  lost  the  iron,  or  bought  it  of  him,  and  of  the 
detectives  who,  in  spite  of  orders  from  the  Chief  of 
Police  to  cease  their  inquiries,  had  pursued  the  in- 
vestigation to  the  end  of  conviction.  J.  C.  Coch- 
rane, J.  M.  Davy  and  other  counsel  defended  Cole- 
man with  ability  and  secured  a  reversal  of  one 
conviction  in  the  Court  of  Appeals,  by  which  court 
a  second  conviction  was  affirmed  and  Coleman 
served  his  sentence.  An  undercurrent  of  religious 
prejudice  ran  through  the  trials,  as  Coleman  drew 
upon  all  the  friends  with  whom,  as  an  influential 
member  of  a  Protestant  church,  he  had  been  identi- 
fied, to  save  him,  while  the  prosecutors  were  Catho- 
lics. It  is  to  be  said,  however,  that  the  general  senti- 
ment of  the  community,  which  had  been  for  and 
against  Coleman  at  different  times,  finally  remained 
against  him  and  was  content  with  his  conviction 
and  sentence.    The  other  most  notable  act  of  the 


284 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


District  Attorney  in  his  first  term  of  office,  was  the 
destruction  of  a  corrupt  ring  in  control  of  the  Police 
Department  of  the  city.  Being  assured  by  Mr.  J. 
A.  Hoekstra,  local  editor  of  the  Democrat  and  Chron- 
icle, of  unflinching  support  in  his  columns,  Mr. 
Raines  wrote  out  and  presented  to  the  Grand  Jury 
findings  and  resolutions  based  upon  evidence  given 
before  them  of  interference  with  the  cause  of  jus- 
tice by  the  Chief  of  Police.  The  Grand  Jury 
adopted  the  findings  and  resolutions,  and  Mr.  Hoek- 
stra in  his  columns,  with  the  aid  of  Mr.  Raines  as 
to  facts,  precipitated  the  downfall  of  the  Chief  of 
Police  by  a  general  arraignment  of  his  conduct  as 
such  officer,  and  a  demand  for  his  removal.  The 
Chief  of  Police  on  the  second  day  tendered  his 
resignation,  written  for  him  by  Mr.  Raines,  and  the 
ring,  which  had  seemed  so  powerful  as  to  defy  pub- 
lic opinion,  disappeared  from  prominence  in  the 
Police  Department.  In  the  fall  of  1874  Mr.  Raines 
was  re-elected  to  the  office  of  District  Attorne}'  as 
the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  part}'.  His  second 
term  of  office  was  tilled  with  difficult  and  important 
trials.  The  Clark,  Ghaul,  Stillman  and  Fairbanks 
murder  trials, — in  which  Howe  &  Hummel  of  New 
York,  L.  H.  Hovey,  of  Rochester,  and  General  J.  H. 
Martindale  conductedthe  defense  as  chief  counsel, — 
required  great  labor  and  energy  to  bring  about  con- 
vrcton.  The  Stillman  trial  occupied  about  two 
weeks,  and  a  most  elaborate  defense  by  General 
Martindale,  on  the  ground  of  insanity,  was  urged 
with  all  the  ingenuity  and  power  of  this  most  elo- 
quent advocate  at  the  Monroe  County  bar.  Justice 
Dwight  became  thoroughly  convinced  that  the  men- 
tal capacity  of  the  prisoner  wa9  not  such — though 
not  within  the  legal  definition  of  insanity — as  to 
warrant  the  infliction  of  the  death  penalty,  and  after 
the  verdict  of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  joined  with 
General  Martindale  in  procuring  a  commutation  of 
the  penalty  to  imprisonment  for  life.  The  Clark 
trial  willlong  be  cited  as  a  remarkable  case  in  Mon- 
roe County,  as  strenuous  efforts  were  made  by  able 
counsel,  by  applications  and  arguments  before 
seven  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  remote 
parts  of  the  State,  and  before  the  Albany  General 
Term,  to  secure  a  review  of  the  verdict  of  the  jury. 
But  the  sentence  was  executed  upon  Clark  after 
the  expiration  of  a  respite  granted  by  Governor  Til- 
den  for  the  purposes  of  such  applications.  At  the 
end  of  his  second  term  as  District  Attorney,  Mr. 
Raines  was  nominated  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the 
Democratic  Convention  as  a  candidate  for  Senator 
for  the  district,  then  composed  of  Monroe  County, 
and  was  elected  over  a  gentleman  who  had  served 
one  term  as  Senator  with  ability,  and  was  renomi- 
nated by  the  Republican  party.    Mr.  Raines  'had 


become  identified  with  the  special  supporters  of 
Governor  Tilden,  by  his  political  associations,  and 
in  tins  canvass  received  the  bitter  opposition  of  the 
enemies  of  Governor  Tilden  in  the  Democratic 
party,  led  by  ex-Assemblyman  George  D.  Lord. 
The  newspaper  organ  of  the  party  had  little  to  say 
in  his  behalf,  and  his  canvass  was  further  embar- 
rassed by  the  sudden  development  of  strength  by  a 
third  party,  called  the  Labor  Reform  party,  which 
drew  from  both  the  Republican  and  Democratic 
parties,  chiefly  from  the  latter,  however,  3,818  votes 
for  its  candidate  for  Senator.  In  his  office  of  Sena- 
tor, Mr.  Raines  became  at  once  a  leader  of  the  sup- 
porters of  the  reform  policy  of  Governor  Robinson 
in  the  Senate,  and  was  identified  with  every  effort 
to  forward  legislation  in  that  interest.  He  con- 
tinued his  professional  work,  and  in  this  period  of 
his  life  wTas  employed  in  numerous  important  trials 
in  western  New  York.  For  three  weeks,  the  in- 
volved issues  of  the  Pontius-Hoster  trial  in  Seneca 
County  engaged  the  efforts  of  General  Martindale 
on  the  one  side  and  of  Mr.  Raines  on  the  other, 
with  associate  local  counsel.  Forgery,  arsenical 
poisoning  and  assault  with  intent  to  kill  were 
mingled  in  the  case  so  that  either  side  accused  the 
other  of  each  offense  and  each  offense  had  to  be 
tried  to  get  to  the  final  verdict,  which  rested  in  favor 
of  the  prosecution,  for  which  Mr.  Raines  was  em- 
ployed. It  is  the  most  celebrated  case  of  the  crim- 
inal courts  of  Seneca  County.  The  Boyce-Hamm. 
Hyland  and  Hickey  trials  in  Monroe  County,  and 
the  Williams  murder  trial  in  Wayne  County,  were 
exacting  in  their  demands  of  great  labor,  and  in 
each,  verdicts  were  rendered  in  favor  of  the  theo- 
ries supported  by  Mr.  Raines.  In  the  fall  of  1881 
Mr.  Raines  was  again  presented  by  the  Democratic 
party,  by  unanimous  nomination,  for  the  office  of 
Senator.  Three  years  before,  a  Republican  Legisla- 
ture had  added  Orleans  County  to  the  Senatorial 
district,  with  the  purpose  of  putting  its  twelve  hun- 
dred Republican  majority  with  the  twenty-five 
hundred  Republican  majority  of  Monroe  County, 
which,  in  ordinary  political  years,  might  be  ex- 
pected to  render  the  election  of  a  Democratic  Sena- 
tor impossible.  By  this  means  the  district  was 
made  almost  the  largest  in  the  State,  and  the  con- 
test appeared  almost  hopeless  for  any  Democrat  as 
against  a  powerful  and  skillful  opponent.  Hon.  E. 
L.  Pitts,  who  had  been  Senator  the  previous  term, 
and  was  the  ablest  debater  and  conceded  leader  of 
his  party  in  the  Senate,  was  renominated  by  the  Re- 
publican party.  Mr.  Raines  was  met  b}'  the  argu- 
ment that  his  law  business  consisted  largely  of  liti- 
gations against  corporations,  especially  the  New 
York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  Company. 


Atlantic  Pohlishlno  &  Enoiaijnp  C°.N Y 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


nud  bis  defeat  must  be  secured  in  tbeir  interest. 
Tbe  powerful  interest  of  tbat  corporation  and  of 
the  shippers  who  enjoyed  its  favors  by  special 
rates,  alone  prevented  his  election.  He  was  fa- 
vored by  Republican  voters  to  an  extent  that  placed 
him  about  three  thousand  ahead  of  his  associates 
upon  his  party  ticket  in  Monroe  County,  and 
upwards  of  two  hundred  more  in  Orleans  County  ; 
but  Mr.  Pitts,  by  keeping  within  about  two  hundred 
of  his  party  ticket  in  his  own  county  of  Orleans, 
had  about  nine  hundred  majority  in  Orleans  County 
to  offset  the  seven  hundred  majority  of  Mr.  Raines 
in  Monroe  County.  The  Democratic  party  suffered 
a  general  defeat  in  the  State  by  a  "  tidal  wave"  vote, 
which  was  apparent  in  this  district,  as  the  Republi- 
can party  received  for  its  State  ticket  a  majority  of 
1500  more  than  was  usual  in  the  district  in  any 
but  Presidential  elections.  Since  the  canvass  for 
Senator  in  1881,  Mr.  Raines  has  been  strictly  at- 
tentive to  a  large  and  lucrative  law  practice,  in 
which  he  is  associated  with  his  brothers,  under  the 
tirm  name  of  Raines  Brothers.  He  has  occasion- 
ally, however,  made  public  addresses  for  societies 
and  on  public  holidays  and  in  exciting  political 
campaigns.  He  was  selected  as  semi-centennial 
orator  at  the  celebration  of  that  event  in  the  history 
of  the  city  of  Rochester,  June  9, 1884,  and  delivered 
the  oration.  It  was  attended  by  the  Governor  of 
the  State  and  other  distinguished  officials  of  the 
State  from  every  part.  By  a  joint  resolution  of  the 
Legislature  of  New  York,  passed  May  17,  1887,  Mr. 
Raines  was  designated  and  invited  to  deliver  before 
the  Legislature,  May  23,  1887,  a  Memorial  Address 
upon  the  life  and  public  services  of  Hon.  Samuel  J. 
Tilden,  recently  deceased.  Upon  the  occasion  of 
the  address,  Hon.  R.  W.  Peckham,  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals,  presided.  The  audience  was 
marked  in  the  distinction  in  political  life  of  its 
members,  as  the  State  officials  attended  to  show 
their  profound  respect  for  the  deceased.  The  sur- 
viving relatives  of  Mr.  Tilden  were  also  present  as 
auditors.  Mr.  Raines  was  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  of  1880  from  his  Congres- 
sional district,  and  to  the  National  Democratic  Con- 
vention of  1888  as  a  Delegate-at-Large  from  the 
State  of  New  York,  selected  by  the  Democratic 
State  Convention.  But  a  mass  of  important  litiga- 
tion of  a  civil  and  criminal  nature  engaged  the  at- 
tention of  his  firm  to  the  exclusion  of  other  labors. 
Perhaps  the  most  satisfactory  to  Mr.  Raines  of  a  long 
list  of  trials,  in  its  incidents  and  results,  was  the  cel- 
ebrated case  at  the  city  of  Watertown,  known  as  the 
Higham  homicide.  Highani  was  tried  in  Decem- 
ber, 1883,  for  the  murder  of  Frederick  W.  Eames, 
the  inventor  of  the  Eames  vacuum  brake.    At  the 


commission  of  the  offence,  Higham  could  hardly 
name  a  friend  in  that  city.  He  was  a  skilled  me- 
chanic and  Eames  was  rich  and  powerful.  By 
what  was  supposed  to  be  Eames'  inventive  genius, 
the  people  were  led  to  believe  a  great  manufactur- 
ing enterprise  was  being  built  up  at  Watertown 
and  they  looked  upon  him  as  one  of  ils  public- 
spirited  citizens.  He  was  shot  by  Higham,  when, 
at  the  end  of  severe  litigation,  Eames  was  entering 
into  possession  of  his  shops  by  the  approval  of  the 
courts.  A  Baptist  minister,  Mr.  Townley,  was  the 
witness  of  the  prosecution,  whose  credit  was  excel- 
lent, whose  spirit  was  revengeful  and  whose  story 
spoke  murder  in  every  word.  After  a  tw  o  weeks 
trial,  at  nine  o'clock  on  Christmas  Day,  Mr.  Raines 
commenced  the  summing  up  of  the  defense,  and 
continued  until  five  o'clock,  being  followed  in  an 
able  argument  by  ex-Senator  Mills  for  the  prosecu- 
tion, and  the  charge  of  the  court  on  the  following 
day.  The  jury  acquitted  Higham,  anil  it  was  found 
that  the  testimony  of  the  chief  witness  of  the  prose- 
cution, Rev.  Mr.  Townley,  was  discredited  by  the 
jury  as  to  all  its  essential  criminating  details.  The 
verdict  was  accepted  by  the  people  of  ^Vatertown 
with  pleasure,  and  Higham  was  restored  to  the  posi- 
tion he  lost  in  the  community  when  he  shot  Eames 
in  self  defense.  Hon.  W.  F.  Porter  prepared  the 
cause  for  trial  and  largely  conducted  it,  and  Mr. 
Raines  attributed  to  his  patient  and  skillful  work 
the  victory  in  this  most  important  case.  The  de- 
fense of  C.  E.  Upton,  upon  indictments  for  the 
wrecking  of  the  City  Bank  of  Rochester ;  of  Colonel 
L.  B.  Faulkner,  upon  indictments  for  the  wrecking 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Dansville ;  each  of 
which  occupied  weeks,  at  the  close  of  which  the 
summary  of  the  causes  devolved  upon  Mr.  Raines  ; 
the  defense  of  the  Vacuum  Oil  Company  in  the 
varied  suits  involving  $300,000  damages  by  a  naph- 
tha explosion  in  the  sewers  of  Rochester,  also  of 
the  Steam  Gauge  and  Lantern  Company  in  suits 
arising  from  the  burning  of  their  factory,  by  which 
thirty-five  lives  were  lost,  illustrate  the  nature  of 
the  causes  for  which  his  services  have  been  latterly 
invoked,  and  his  position  at  the  bar  of  western  New 
"York. 


LANGDON,  WOODBURY,  one  of  the  leading 
merchants  of  the  metropolis,  was  born  at 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  on  October  22, 
1836.  The  Langdon  family,  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber in  the  ninth  generation  in  America,  has  long 
been  prominent  among  the  older  families  of  New 
England.  Founded  in  New  Hampshire  by  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  that  State— an  English  Puri- 


286 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


tan— it  has  nourished  there  for  more  than  two  and 
three-quarter  centuries,  and  a  number  of  its  repre- 
sentatives have  risen  to  high  distinction  in  the  polit- 
ical and  intellectual  life  of  the  Commonwealth. 
The  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
"was  Woodbury  Langdon,  also  a  native  of  Ports- 
mouth, and  a  leading  merchant  of  that  place.  He 
was  active  in  pre-Revolutionary  movements  and 
was  a  delegate  from  New  Hampshire  to  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  of  1779-'80,  a  member  of  the  Exec- 
utive Council  from  1781  till  1784,  and  became  a 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Hampshire  in 
1782,  serving  as  such  during  that  year  and  also  from 
1786  till  1790.  A  brother  of  this  ancestor  was  John 
Langdon,  also  an  ardent  patriot  and  one  of  New 
Hampshire's  most  distinguished  sons.  He  also  was 
a  successful  merchant  in  early  life.  He  co-operated 
with  John  Sullivan  and  other  patriots  in  active 
measures  against  the  British  before  the  declaration 
of  war,  was  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress 
from  1775  till  June,  1776,  and  in  1777,  while  Speaker 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Assembly,  gave  all  his 
money,  pledged  his  plate,  and  subscribed  the  pro- 
ceeds of  seventy  hogsheads  of  tobacco  for  the  pur- 
pose of  equipping  the  brigade  with  which  General 
John  Stark  subsequently  defeated  the  Hessians  at 
Bennington,  in  which  battle  he  himself  took  part. 
He  commanded  a  company  of  volunteers  at  Sara- 
toga and  also  in  Rhode  Island.  In  1783  he  was 
again  a  delegate  to  Congress  and  in  1787  a  delegate 
to  the  convention  that  framed  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States.  In  1788  lie  became  Governor 
of  New  Hampshire,  and  in  the  following  year  was 
elected  a  Senator  of  the  United  States.  He  was 
President  of  the  Senate  from  1789  till  1792,  and  held 
that  office  before  there  was  either  a  President  or 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  On  leaving 
the  Senate  in  1801  he  was  offered  the  Secretaryship 
of  the  Navy  by  President  Jefferson,  which  he  de- 
clined. From  1805  till  1812,  with  the  exception  of 
two  years,  he  was  Governor  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  in  1812  the  Republican  Congressional  caucus 
offered  him  the  nomination  for  Vice-President  of 
the  United  States,  which  he  declined  on  the  score 
of  advanced  age  and  bodily  infirmities.  The  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  Henry  Sher- 
burne Langdon,  whom  Washington  offered  to  make 
his  private  secretary,  but  who  declined  the  position 
out  of  respect  for  the  wishes  of  his  father,  who  con- 
sidered him  too  young  to  leave  home.  Mr.  Lang- 
don's  father  was  Woodbury  Langdon,  merchant  and 
ship  master  of  Portsmouth.  Hismother,  whose  name 
before  marriage  was  Frances  Cutter,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Cutter,  also  a  prosperous  Portsmouth 
merchant.    Woodbury  Langdon,  the  subject  of  this 


sketch,  was  educated  at  the  High  School  in  Ports- 
mouth, one  of  the  best  institutions  of  its  class  in 
New  England.  As  his  parents  desired  to  give  him 
a  classical  training  he  was  placed  under  the  tutel- 
age of  William  C.  Harris — a  private  instructor  of 
high  local  standing — by  whom  he  was  prepared  for 
college.  As  his  faculties  ripened  the  young  man 
found  himself  possessed  of  a  taste  for  business 
rather  than  professional  pursuits,  and  with  the  con- 
sent of  his  parents,  he  went  to  Boston  and  entered 
the  house  of  Frothingham  <fc  Co  ,  a  leading  firm  of 
dry  goods  commission  merchants  in  that  city,  with 
a  branch  house  in  New  York.  In  1863  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  New  York  house,  and  in 
18G8  was  admitted  to  the  firm,  the  style  of  which 
remained  unchanged.  In  1870  Mr.  Frothingham 
died,  but  the  business  was  continued  by  the  surviv- 
ing partners  under  the  style  of  Joy,  Langdon  &  Co., 
which  is  still  retained.  This  house  is  one  of  the 
best  known  commission  houses  iu  the  country.  It 
represents  a  number  of  the  leading  manufacturing 
corporations  of  the  Eastern  States,  among  them  the 
Hamilton  Manufacturing  Company,  (cotton  goods) 
the  Hamilton  Woolen  Company,  (woolen  goods) 
and  the  Newmarket  Manufacturing  Company  (cot- 
ton goods).  Mr.  Langdon  has  long  been  connected 
with  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
since  1888  has  been  a  member  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  that  representative  body  of  merchants. 
He  is  also  a  Director  in  the  Central  National  Bank, 
and  in  the  German-American  Insurance  Company. 
A  life  long  Republican  in  politics,  he  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Union  League  Club  of  New  York 
City,  of  which  he  was  elected  a  Vice-President  in 
1889.  During  the  last  few  years  he  has  served  with 
great  acceptability  on  several  of  the  principal 
committees  of  this  club,  and  is  at  present  Vice- 
President.  He  took  a  leading  part  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Merchants'  Club  of  New  York  City, 
was  chosen  its  President  in  1888,  and  was  re- 
elected the  following  year,  serving  out  the  con- 
stitutional limit  of  two  years.  He  is  now  (1890) 
a  member  of  its  Board  of  Directors.  He  is  also 
a  Director  in  the  New  England  Society,  of  which 
he  has  been  an  active  member  since  1865.  Mr. 
Langdon  is  widely  known  in  the  mercantile  com- 
munity as  a  man  of  marked  energy  and  high 
character.  Aside  from  his  prominence  in  commer- 
cial life,  he  has  long  been  conspicuous  among  his 
fellow-citizens  for  the  deep  interest  he  has  taken  in 
all  public  matters,  and  for  his  broad  views  and  earn- 
est support  of  all  progressive  and  reform  measures. 
A  continuous  residence  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century  in  the  metropolis  has  sufficed  to  make  him 
thoroughly  familiar  with  its  condition,  prospects- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


287 


and  needs,  and  with  excellent  judgment  he  has 
always  been  a  warm  advocate  of  whatever  has 
promised  to  increase  the  comfort  and  prosperity  of 
the  whole  body  of  the  people.  His  sound  views  on 
municipal  subjects  have  earned  for  him  the  highest 
respect  of  his  associates  and  of  those  of  the  general 
public,  irrespective  of  party,  who  have  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  them.  When  a  vacancy  occurred  in 
the  Board  of  Rapid  Transit  Commissioners  by  rea- 
son of  Mr.  Charles  S.  Smith,  President  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  declining  to  accept  an  appoint- 
ment thereto,  Mr.  Langdon's  name  was  brought 
forward  for  the  position  by  a  number  of  leading 
citizens,  who  advocated  his  appointment  so  earn- 
estly that  the  Mayor  of  the  city  made  it  in  deference 
to  their  wishes.  To  the  Mayor's  letter  requesting 
him  to  accept  the  position,  Mr.  Laugdon  replied  as 
follows  : 

"New  Yobk,  April  15,  1890. 
"  The  Hox.  Hi  gh  J.  Grant,  Mayor,  New  York  : 

"  Dear  Sir : — I  am  just  in  receipt  of  your  letter 
of  the  14th  inst.  informing  me  of  my  appointment 
as  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  City  and  County 
of  New  York  under  the  provisions  of  Chapter  606 
of  the  laws  of  1875.  When  I  heard  during  my  ab- 
sence from  the  city  of  your  very  unexpected  and 
flattering  appointment,  I  concluded  that  it  would 
be  impossible  for  me  to  accept,  but  on  reflection, 
and  believing  as  I  do  that  the  Commission  as  con- 
stituted will  have  no  partizan  or  personal  interest 
to  subserve,  and  will  in  their  action  regard  only 
the  public  welfare,  I  hereby  accept  my  appoint- 
ment. Yours  very  respectfully, 

[Signed.]  Woodbury  Langdon." 

In  Republican  circles  the  appointment  of  Mr. 
Langdou  upon  this  important  commission  was 
hailed  as  one  of  the  best  that  could  have  been  made, 
and  the  press  of  the  city,  irrespective  of  party  pro- 
clivities, was  unanimous  in  endorsing  the  Mayor's 
selection.  The  associates  of  Mr.  Langdon  on  this 
board  are  Hon.  O.  B.  Potter,  William  Steinway, 
Hon.  August  Belmont  and  Hon.  John  H.  Stariu, 
all  men  of  integrity,  experience  and  solidity,  and  if 
properly  aided  by  wise  legislation  their  labors  must 
result  in  a  wonderful  advancement  of  city  values 
and  a  material  and  permanent  increase  of  municipal 
prosperity.  Mr.  Langdon  is  unmarried.  His  only 
brother,  Francis  E.  Langdon,  M.D.,  a  graduate  of 
Harvard  and  recently  a  member  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Senate,  died  in  1890.  His  only  sister,  Miriam, 
died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years. 


[|ORNING,  J.  LEONARD,  A  M.,  M.D.,  an  eminent 
physician  and  neurologist  of  New  York  City, 
'  was  born  at  Stamford,  Connecticut,  August 
28,  1855.  He  is  a  member  of  the  old  and  highly  re- 
spected New  England  family  of  Corning,  which 


descends  from  Samuel  Corning,  sometimes  called 
"Ensign"  Corning,  who  was  among  the  very  first 
settlers  of  Massachusetts,  and  whose  name  appears 
on  the  records  of  the  town  of  Beverly,  in  that  State, 
as  early  as  the  year  1641.  On  the  maternal  side  he 
is  a  direct  descendant  of  John  Deming,  one  of  the 
original  Patentees  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  under 
charter  of  Charles  II.,  April,  1662.  Both  the 
maternal  and  paternal  branches  of  the  family  ex- 
hibit a  long  array  of  personages  who  have  attained 
distinction  in  professional,  business,  political  and 
military  life.  During  the  Revolutionary  War  several 
members  of  the  family  were  prominent,  among 
others,  Julius  Deming,  maternal  great-grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  held  three  com- 
missions under  George  Washington  and  served 
faithfully  at  Valley  Forge  as  well  as  at  several  of  the 
principal  battles  of  that  trying  conflict.  While  a  lad 
he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York,  and  entered  the  River  View  Military  Academy. 
The  rigid  discipline  of  this  admirable  institution 
proved  of  much  value  to  him,  by  inculcating  regular 
and  persistent  methods  of  work.  He  was  still  in  his 
teens  when  he  was  taken  to  Europe  for  study.  The 
original  intention  had  been  to  remain  abroad  for 
two  or  three  years  only,  but,  instead  of  this,  the 
family  prolonged  their  stay  to  ten  years.  During 
this  time  the  subject  of  this  sketch  pursued  an 
elaborate  course  of  study  at  Heidelberg,  Vienna, 
Paris  and  London.  In  1878  he  was  graduated  from 
the  ancient  University  of  Wiirtzburg,  Germany,  re- 
ceiving the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  Surgery 
and  Obstetrics.  His  subsequent  hospital  experience 
was  gained  in  the  leading  institutions  of  Europe  and 
America.  On  his  return  to  his  native  land,  he 
established  himself  in  practice  in  New  York  City. 
For  some  time  he  was  associated  with  the  famous 
Dr.  J.  Marion  Sims,  acting  as  the  assistant  of  that 
eminent  surgeon,  and  aiding  him  both  in  office  and 
hospital  practice.  After  remaining  with  Dr.  Sims 
for  nearly  two  years,  Dr.  Corning  opened  an  office 
on  his  own  account.  Besides  attending  to  the  rou- 
tine duties  of  practice,  he  devoted  himself  assidu- 
ously to  the  scientific  side  of  his  profession,  direct- 
ing his  efforts  specially  to  the  study  of  nervous 
disease.  His  labors  in  this  direction  were  soon 
recognized,  and  besides  honorable  fame,  they  gained 
for  him  a  large  and  lucrative  consulting  practice ; 
so  that  at  present  his  advice  is  sought  by  physicians 
from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  He 
received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Williams 
College,  in  1888.  Dr.  Coming's  contributions  to 
medical  literature  have  been  both  numerous  and 
valuable,  and  have  excited  wide  interest.  Many  of 
his  papers  have  been  extensively  quoted  abroad, 


288 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


particularly  in  England,  France  and  Germany.  The 
following  are  a  few  of  his  more  recent  publications  : 
"  Prolonged  Instrumental  Compression  of  the  Primi- 
tive Carotid  Artery  as  a  Therapeutical  Agent," 
Medical  Record  (February  15,  1882)  ;  "  Carotid  Com- 
pression," a  monograph,  published  by  A.  D.  F. 
Randolph  &  Co.,  New  York,  (1882) ;  also  a  paper  on 
this  and  kindred  topics,  read  before  the  New  York 
Neurological  Society,  and  published  in  the  Philadel- 
phia Medical  New*  (June  17,  1882);  "  Brain  Rest:  a 
Disquisition  on  the  Curative  Properties  of  Prolonged 
Sleep,"  published  in  the  Medical  Record  (April  7, 
1883)  and  amplified  and  subsequently  published 
as  a  monograph  by  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New 
York  and  London,  first  edition  (1883)  second 
edition  (1885)  ;  a  paper  on  "The  Nature  of  Ner- 
vousness," Medical  Gazette  (November  24,  1883); 
another  on  "Cerebral  Exhaustion,"  read  before 
the  Medical  Society  of  the  Count y  of  New  York, 
and  published  in  the  New  York  Medical  Jour- 
nal (December  29,1888);  "Can  Insanity  be  Philo- 
sophically Defined?"  Medical  Record  (December  1, 

1883)  :  "  Considerations  on  the  Pathology  aud  Thera- 
peutics of  Epilepsy,"  Journal  of  Xen  on*  and  Mental 
Dixemex,  Vol.  X.,  No.  2  (April,  1883):  "Electriza- 
tion of  the  Sympathetic  and  Pneumogastric  Nerves, 
with  Simultaneous  Bilateral  Compression  of  the 
Carotids,"  New  York  Medical  Journal  (February  23, 

1884)  :  "On  the  Prolongation  of  the  Anaesthetic 
Effects  of  the  Hydroehlorate  of  Cocaine  when  Sub- 
cutaneously  Injected :  an  Experimental  Study," 
New  York  Medical  Journal  (September  19.  1885); 
"  Prolonged  Local  Amesthetization  by  Incarceration 
of  the  Anaesthetic  Fluid  in  the  Field  of  Operation," 
New  York  Medical  Journal  (January  2,  1886); 
"Local  Amvsthesia  in  General  Medicine  and  Sur- 
gery, being  the  Practical  Application  of  the  Author's 
Recent  Discoveries."  D.  Appleton  ifc  Co.,  New  York, 
(1886).  The  three  last  mentioned  publications  are 
devoted  exclusively  to  Dr.  Coming's  researches  in 
the  domain  of  local  an.esthesia.  This  discovery  and 
its  practical  application  in  medicine  and  surgery, 
are  well  and  fully  described  in  the  book  last  named. 
Among  other  works  from  Dr.  Coming's  pen  are: 
"  Brain  Exhaustion,  with  Some  Preliminary  Con- 
siderations on  Cerebral  Dynamics,"  D.  Appleton  & 
Co.,  New  York:  "A  Treatise  on  Headache  and 
Neuralgia,"  with  an  Appendix  "On  the  Relation  of 
Eye  Symptoms  to  Headache,"  by  David  Webster, 
M.D.;  second  edition,  E.  B.  Treat,  New  York  (1890); 
"A  Treatise  on  H}-steria  and  Epilepsy,"  George  S. 
Davis,  Detroit,  Michigan  (1888);  and  "  A  Practical 
Treatise  on  Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System  "  (in 
press).  Besides  these  larger  works.  Dr.  Corning 
has~'written  and~published  the  following:  "/The 


Medication  of  Nerves,  and  its  Application  in  the 
Treatment  of  Neuralgia  and  Other  Painful  Affec- 
tions," Medical  Record  (March  19,  1887) ;  "A  Paper 
on  Artificial  Epistaxis,"  New  York  Medical  Journal 
(June  13,  1884);  "Spinal  Anaesthesia  and  Local 
Medication  of  the  Cord,"  New  York  Medical  Journal 
(October  31,  1885);  "On  the  Prompt  Recognition 
and  Treatment  of  Syphilis  of  the  Brain,"  New  York 
Medical  Journal  (March  22,  1890)  and  "  Observations 
of  the  Caisson  Disease,"  Medical  Record  (1890).  Dr. 
Coming  still  continues  to  practice  his  profession  in 
New  York  City,  where,  besides  fulfilling  the  func- 
tions of  Consultant  iu  Nervous  Diseases  to  a  num- 
ber of  hospitals  and  other  charitable  institutions, 
he  also  occupies  several  positions  of  trust.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  principal  local,  State  and 
Natioual  medical  societies,  and  is  highly  esteemed 
by  his  medical  colleagues,  not  only  for  his  distin- 
guished scientific  acquirements,  but  also  for  his 
scholarly  tastes,  high  personal  character  and  many 
attractive  social  qualities.  In  1883,  Dr.  Corning 
married  Julia  Crane,  daughter  of  Augustus  Crane, 
one  of  the  old  merchants  of  New  York. 


CONNER,  JAMES  MADISON,  a  distinguished 
type  founder  and  inventor  aud  improver  of  ma- 
chinery and  appliances  used  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  type,  late  head  of  the  old  and  well-known  firm 
of  James  Conner's  Sons,  of  New  York  City,  was  born 
in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  on  November  2, 1825,  and 
died  at  his  home  in  the  first  named  city,  on  July  14, 
1887.  His  father,  the  late  Major  James  Conner,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  served  under  Gen- 
eral Macomb  at  Plattsburg  aud  elsewhere  on  the 
northern  frontier.  Later  in  life  he  was  the  Com- 
mandant of  the  famous  metropolitan  military  organ- 
ization known  as  the  "  Washington  Greys."  Ma- 
jor James  Conner  was  born  near  Hyde  Park,  Dutch- 
ess County,  New  York,  on  April  22,  1798,  and  died 
in  New  York  City  on  May  30,  1861.  He  mastered 
the  printers'  trade  in  his  youth  and  was  among  the 
first  in  the  United  States  to  acquire  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  art  of  stereotyping.  In  early  man- 
hood he  was  induced  to  remove  to  Boston  to  take 
charge  of  Carter's  stereotype  foundry.  After  an 
experience  of  three  years  in  that  position  he  re- 
turned to  New  York,  and  with  his  savings,  which 
amounted  to  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars,  en- 
gaged in  business  on  his  own  account,  establishing, 
in  1827,  the  now  widely-known  United  States  Type 
Foundry.  He  occupied  in  succession  several  prem- 
ises in  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  and  erected  at 
least  two  large  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


289 


his  rapidly  growing  business  before  he  settled  per- 
manently  on  the  east  side  of  Centre  Street,  between 
Reade  and  Duane  Streets,  iu  a  spacious  six  story 
structure,  which  he  built  expressly  for  the  purpose 
of  affording  every  facility  for  the  conduct  of  the 
business  in  which  he  was  engaged.  This  building 
has  been  a  conspicuous  landmark  in  that  section  of 
the  city  for  nearly  half  a  century,  and  is  still  occu- 
pied by  the  business  founded  by  Mr.  Conner.  Be- 
sides being  one  of  the  pioneers  in  his  business  Major 
Conner  was  a  master  of  it  and  an  inventor  of 
marked  ability.  He  was  the  father  of  many  im- 
provements in  type-founding  and  created  an  epoch 
in  the  art  by  the  introduction  of  light-face  type. 
He  devised  the  sixteen-line  pica,  much  wanted  in 
those  days  for  posters  ;  and  in  connection  with  the 
stereotyping  of  a  polyglot  Bible  produced  and  in- 
troduced a  new  size  and  style  of  type  called  agate, 
cut  in  a  condensed  and  compressed  manner,  by  the 
use  of  which  it  was  made  possible  to  include  within 
the  limits  of  a  column  in  the  center  of  each  page  all 
the  necessary  notes  and  references  as  they  occurred. 
He  was  the  first  person  in  the  world  to  stereotj  pe  a 
folio  Bible,  which  he  sold  to  Silas  Andrus,  of  the 
State  of  Connecticut,  for  the  sum  of  five  thousand 
dollars.  He  stereotyped  a  number  of  standard 
works  on  his  own  account,  including  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  the  "  Waverly  Novels,"  "Maun- 
der's  Treasury  of  Knowledge  "  and  "  Shakespeare." 
In  the  preparation  of  the  works  of  Scott,  which  he 
published  in  parts,  he  invested  nearly  fifty  thousand 
dollars^a  most  remarkable  circumstance  at  that 
day.  Major  Conner  pursued  his  scientific  and  me- 
chanical experiments  with  great  perseverance  until 
his  death  ;  and  it  is  but  just  to  record  here  that  in 
the  opinion  of  experts  to  him  is  due  the  credit  of 
having  accomplished  more  in  the  way  of  advancing 
the  standard  of  excellence  with  regard  to  type  and 
in  cheapening  the  cost  of  production,  than  has  been 
accomplished  by  the  united  efforts  of  all  others.  To 
some  extent  his  inventive  ability  reached  into  other 
fields  than  type  founding,  and  he  is  credited  with 
being  one  of  the  first  to  construct  a  fire-proof  safe. 
Quite  a  full  account  of  his  labors,  together  with  a 
fine  portrait  of  him,  may  be  found  in  a  quarto  vol- 
ume entitled,  "  Industrial  America,"  published  in 
New  York  in  1876,  and  from  which  inaujr  of  the 
foregoing  and  subsequent  particulars  have  been 
drawn.  In  recognition  of  his  distinguished  ability 
in  his  calling  Major  Conner  was  elected  President 
of  the  New  York  Typographical  Society.  He  en- 
joyed the  esteem  and  confidence  of  many  prominent 
persons  connected  with  the  Episcopal  and  Metho- 
dist societies,  and  was  on  friendly  terms  with  nearly 
all  the  local  celebrities  of  his  time,  including  a  num- 


ber of  scientists.  His  popularity  throughout  the 
city  was  attested  in  a  most  striking  manner  by  his 
being  twice  elected  Clerk  of  the  City  and  County  of 
New  York,  an  office  which  he  filled  with  great  ac- 
ceptability to  his  fellow-citizens  from  1844  to  1850. 
Major  Conner  married  Elizabeth  S.  .Ionian,  who 
bore  him  five  sons  and  three  daughters.  On  his 
death  he  was  succeeded  in  the  business  Iu-  had 
founded  by  his  two  eldest  son  s  William  ( '.  ami 
James  M.  Conner,  who  had  been  carefully  trained 
in  all  its  details  under  his  personal  supervision. 
Both  inherited  the  inventive  genius  and  many  of 
the  distinguishing  traits  of  their  worthy  father,  and 
under  the  style  of  James  Couners'  Sons  they  carried 
on  the  business  he  had  established  until  their  re- 
spective deaths.  Hon.  William  C.  Conner,  the  eld- 
est son,  of  whom  a  sketch  and  portrait  may  be 
found  in  Volume  II.  of  this  Encyclopedia,  engaged 
to  some  extent  in  politics  and  held  successively  the 
office  of  County  Clerk  and  Sheriff  of  the  City  ami 
County  of  New  York.  His  persona!  popularity  was 
as  great  as  that  of  any  politician  of  his  time.  In 
1865  he  defeated  Harry  Genet  for  the  office  of 
County  Clerk;  and  in  1867,  although  opposed  by 
the  whole  "Ring"  element  of  which  William  M. 
Tweed  was  the  chief,  he  polled  nearly  thirty  thou- 
sand votes,  the  great  majority  of  which  were  "  writ- 
ten in  pencil  and  cast  in  personal  friendship."  In 
1874.  as  Sheriff  of  New  York,  he  had  the  custody  of 
William  M.  Tweed,  and  when  the  latter  escaped  he 
effected  his  recapture  at  great  personal  cost.  Under 
the  joint  management  of  William  C.  and  James  M. 
Conner,  the  firm  of  James  Conner's  Sons  became 
one  of  the  largest  and  probably  the  best  equipped 
of  its  kind  in  the  world.  It  was  foremost  in  devis- 
ing and  organizing  new  processes,  and  in  introduc- 
ing new  machinery.  In  the  work  of  designing  new 
and  artistic  stylesof  type  the  firm  was  unsurpassed, 
and  its  products  made  their  way  to  all  quarters  of 
the  globe,  "being  generally  regarded  as  the  finest, 
clearest  and  most  durable  in  the  market."  William 
C.  Conner  died  in  New  York  City,  April  26,  1881. 
His  brother  and  sole  partner,  James  Madison  Con- 
ner, then  assumed  entire  charge  of  the  business. 
The  latter  had  entered  his  father's  foundry  after 
graduating  from  Columbia  Grammar  School.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  he  began  to  exercise 
his  ingenuity,  and  the  bent  of  his  genius  was  so 
clearly  seen  by  his  father  that  he  was  afforded  every 
opportunity  to  follow  it.  The  hand  mould  was  in 
use  when  he  took  his  first  steps  in  type  founding, 
but  it  was  destined  soon  to  give  way  to  the  Bruce 
machine  for  casting  metal  types,  which  his  father 
was  one  of  the  first  to  use  and  also  to  manufacture, 
and  which  subsequently  became  the  special  property 


290 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


of  the  house,  and  was  successfully  introduced  by 
them  in  several  of  the  large  type  foundries  of  England 
and  Germany.  Mr.  Conner  had  witnessed  the  birth 
and  development  of  electrotyping,  and  personally 
conducted  many  successful  experiments  in  the  art 
during  its  earliest  stages.  He  possessed  remarkable 
powers  of  application,  and  developed  great  capacity 
as  an  inventor  and  improver  of  the  machines  and 
appliances  used  in  type  founding.  By  preference 
he  devoted  himself  to  the  mechanical  part  of  the 
business,  and  altogether  during  his  life  he  took  out 
about  two  hundred  patents  for  designs  of  new  faces 
for  printing  type  and  at  least  a  dozen  for  machines 
and  improvements  in  machinery  used  in  the  busi- 
ness. One  of  these  latter,  devised  about  twelve  or 
thirteen  years  ago,  is  an  improvement  on  a  casting 
machine  known  as  the  "  stop  motion,"  which  ena- 
bles a  steam  machine  to  cast  a  large  letter  or  quad, 
which  without  that  motion  could  not  be  done. 
What  is  known  as  ''  dropped  type"  is  also  his  inven- 
tion. His  numerous  inventions  were  among  the 
most  valuable  known  in  this  branch  of  the  arts,  and 
his  taste  in  designing  new  faces  for  type  has  proba- 
bly never  been  equalled,  and  was  as  widely  ac- 
knowledged in  Europe  as  in  his  native  land.  When 
his  brother  died  he  took  entire  charge  of  the  busi- 
ness, and  it  was  only  then  that,  his  great  knowledge 
of  his  trade  became  generally  known.  His  attain- 
ments were  of  such  a  superior  order  as  to  command 
the  highest  respect.  He  never  lost  his  interest  in 
his  trade,  and  down  to  his  last  illness  devoted  a 
portion  of  every  day  to  his  self-allotted  tasks.  His 
persistence  was  of  a  quiet  nature  but  it  never 
showed  signs  of  weakening  until  the  desired  end 
had  been  attained.  His  patience  was  remarkable 
and  through  it  he  achieved  many  notable  successes. 
During  the  years  in  which  he  was  the  executive 
head  of  the  establishment  he  brought  it  to  the  high- 
est possible  degree  of  perfection,  laboring  in  this  as 
well  as  in  the  inventive  department  with  untiring 
zeal.  He  continued  actively  engaged  in  business  to 
to  within  three  weeks  of  his  demise,  which  was  the 
result  of  a  severe  attack  of  pleurisy.  At  his  death 
the  establishment  possessed  175,000  matrices  for  the 
casting  of  type  and  the  most  approved  machinery  in 
every  department,  and  was  one  of  the  most  com- 
pletely equipped  in  the  world.  Mr.  Conner  was 
reared  in  the  old  time  New  York  ideas.  The  at- 
mosphere he  breathed  from  childhood  was  deepty 
impregnated  with  a  high  sense  of  duty,  sterling 
honesty  and  prudent  conservatism.  Following  the 
fashion  of  the  day,  he  joined  in  early  life  the  old 
volunteer  fire  department,  and  was  actively  con- 
nected for  many  years  with  "  Engine  No.  5,"  better 
known  as  "  Honey  Bee."    Although  the  son  of  a 


Tammany  sachem,  he  retained  his  independence  in 
politics,  and  in  local  elections  often  voted  for  Re- 
publican candidates,  whom  he  knew  to  be  good 
men.  His  quiet,  contemplative  nature  indisposed 
him  for  the  bustle  and  acrimony  of  active  politics, 
yet  he  always  performed  his  political  duties  with  a 
conscientious  appreciation  of  the  value  of  American 
citizenship  and  a  keen  sense  of  the  importance  of 
exercising  the  franchise.  In  his  domestic  relations 
he  was  exceptiouall}'  happy.  He  was  a  devoted 
husband  and  an  indulgent  father,  and  outside  of  his 
business  found  his  greatest  delight  in  the  pleasures 
of  the  home  circle.  He  was  a  man  of  rigid  morality 
and  of  great  kindness  of  heart.  This  latter  trait 
caused  him  to  regard  all  of  his  employees  as  though 
they  were  members  of  a  great  family  of  which  he 
was  the  head.  Most  of  those  employed  by  him 
were  years  in  his  service,  and  all,  whether  old  or 
new  hands,  were  invariably  treated  with  justice  and 
consideration.  Mr.  Conner  never  asked  or  expected 
any  man  in  his  employ  to  do  anything  that  he  him- 
self was  not  perfectly  willing  to  do.  His  employees 
knew  this  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  with- 
out exception  they  gave  him  loyal  service.  Mr. 
Conner  married  Miss  Henrietta  Johnson.  This  es- 
timable lady  still  survives  her  husband.  Mr.  Conner 
left  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  named  respec- 
tively: Charles  S.,  Benjamin  F.,  Alfred  V.,  Archi- 
bald H.,  Josephine  V.  and  Eliza  J.,  all  natives  of 
New  York  City.  Charles  S.  Conner,  the  eldest  son, 
born  January  22, 1862,  and  Benjamin  F.  Conner,  the 
next  eldest,  born  November  2,  1864,  conduct  the 
business  in  the  interests  of  the  family,  and  are  as- 
sisted by  their  two  younger  brothers,  each  of  whom 
is  in  charge  of  a  special  department.  As  executive 
head  of  the  establishment  Mr.  Charles  S.  Conner 
follows  the  wise  and  prudent  example  set  by  his  an- 
cestors of  the  two  preceding  generations,  at  the 
same  time  utilizing  to  the  fullest  degree  the  best 
modern  methods  of  increasing  and  improving  the 
output  of  the  establishment,  carefully  maintaining 
its  high  standards,  and  extending  its  business  con- 
nections. A  trade  paper,  The  Typographic  Messen- 
ger, published  by  the  firm  of  James  Conner's  Sons, 
has  been  issued  for  mam'  years,  and  their  annual 
catalogues  contain  the  exhibit  of  the  products  of 
t3-pe-founding  which  in  beauty  and  variety  is  prob- 
ably unexcelled  in  the  world. 


DAY,  JAMES  ROSCOE,  D.D.,  Pastor  of  Calvary 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  New  York 
City,  was  born  at  Whitneyville,  Maine,  October 
17,  1845.    His  father,  Thomas  Day,  also  a  native  of 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


291 


Maine,  was  a  sturdy  lumberman,  whose  practical 
common  sense,  good,  sound  judgment  and  excellent 
principles  made  him  a  respected  and  an  influential 
factor  in  the  sphere  in  which  he  moved.  Thomas 
Day  was  a  man  of  plain  life  but  vigorous  personal- 
ity, and  his  wife— the  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Hill- 
man,  one  of  the  pioneer  Methodist  ministers  in  the 
State  of  Maine— was  an  exemplary  Christian  and 
most  worthy  helpmeet  to  this  worthy  man.  James 
Roscoe  Day,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the 
second  child  of  his  parents.    He  grew  up  under  the 
benign  influence  exerted  by  a  pious  mother,  and  as 
a  boy  lived  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm.  He 
inherited  from  his  father  the  splendid  physique  for 
which  the  lumbermen  of  Maine  are  noted,  and  with 
it  a  spirit  of  self-reliance  which  the  ruggedness  of 
his  early  surroundings  did  much  to  foster  and  de- 
velop.   A  portion  of  his  youth  was  spent  in  hardy, 
out-door  life  on  the  Pacific  slope,  whither  his  robust 
energies  at  that  age  impelled  him  to  go  in  search 
of  broader  opportunity  and  a  more  profitable  field 
of  industry  than  that  presented  in  his  native  place. 
Shortly  after  becoming  of  age,  having  by  that  time 
returned  to  Maine,  he  made  .an  open  profession  of 
religion,  and  deciding  to  enter  the  Christian  minis- 
try—for which  he  was  at  once  convinced  he  had 
found  his  true  vocation— he  prepared  himself  for 
its  duties  by  a  course  of  study  at  the  Kent's  Hill 
Wesleyan  Seminary— one  of  the  most  efficient  insti- 
tutions of  its  grade  established  by  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church— and  at  Bowdoin  College.  He  then 
entered  the  Maine  Conference,  and  while  connected 
with  ft  was  pastor  of  several  churches  in  its  juris- 
diction, notably  one  at  Bath,  where  his  ministra- 
tions were  attended  by  extraordinary  spiritual  re- 
sults.    The  whole  community  seemed  to  feel  a 
religious  awakening  under  his  earnest  and  powerful 
preaching,  "  which  united  an  argumentative  force 
which  convinced,  with  a  hortatory  fervor  which 
melted  and  moved."    This  marvelous  awakening 
resulted  in  the  conversion  of  several  hundred  per- 
sons.   From  Bath  he  was  sent  to  the  Chestnut  Street 
Church  in  Portland,  considered  the  most  important 
church  of  the  denomination  in  the  State.    At  the 
close  of  his  term  in  the  latter  place  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  New  Hampshire  Conference  and  sta- 
tioned at  Nashua,  as  pastor  of  the  Main  Street 
Church.    His  fame  as  a  preacher  of  power  contin- 
ued to  spread  and  from  Boston  came  a  request  for 
his  services.    He  was  then  transferred  to  the  New 
England  Conference  and  stationed  at  the  First  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  that  city.     New  York 
finally  claimed  him,  and  in  1883  he  was  transferred 
to  the'  New  York  Conference  and  placed  in  charge 
of  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  that 


city.    Three  years  were  spent  with  this  congrega- 
tion, during  which  it  materially  increased  in  num- 
bers and  prosperity.     The  church  property  was 
altered  and  improved  in  a  manner  which  greatly 
added  to  its  adaptability  for  religious  work.  At 
the  expiration  of  the  full  term  of  three  years  at  St. 
Paul's,  he  was  transferred  to  Trinity  Church,  New- 
burgh,  a  most  important  position,  where  his  brilliant 
success  followed  him.    Crowds  attended  his  preach- 
ing and  a  marked  religious  revival  took  place,  which 
bore  most  excellent  fruit.    Among  other  tilings  ac- 
complished, as  the  result  of  this  revival,  wa"  the 
erection  of  a  large  chapel,  which  had  been  greatly 
needed  for  several  years.    While  at  Newburgh, 
and  when  but  five  years  a  member  of  the  N.  u 
York  Conference,  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Conference— which  met  in  New  York  City 
-by  one  of  the  largest  votes  polled,  standing  second 
in  the  delegation  of  six.    Before  the  expiration  of 
his  term  at  Newburgh,  where  he  remained  three 
years,  he  was  unanimously  invited  to  return  to  St. 
Paul's  for  a  second  term,  but  because  of  previous 
correspondence  and  invitation,  he  accepted  the  call 
to  his  present  pastorate  in  Harlem,  New  York  City. 
This  congregation  was  organized  December  23, 
1883,  by  a  handful  of  devoted  Christians,  as  the 
West  Harlem  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
held  religious  exercises  at  first  in  Martin's  Hall  in 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Street.    The  present 
site,  on  Seventh  Avenue  at  the  corner  of  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-ninth  Street,  was  purchased  in 
June,  1885,  at  a  cost  of  forty  thousand  dollars.  The 
chape]  was  dedicated  in  .May,  1887.  and  the  present 
handsome  church  edifice  in  October  of  the  same 
year.    The  cost  of  church,  chapel  and  parsonage 
was  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  al- 
though the  property  has  been  acquired  but  a  few- 
years,  values  have  so  greatly  appreciated  that  the 
whole  is  now  estimated  as  worth  two  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars.    The  seating  capacity  of  the  church 
proper  will  accommodate  one  thousand  persons,  but 
four  hundred  more  can  be  seated  by  lifting  the 
chapel  sides,  which  have  been  so  constructed  as  to 
admit  of  this  being  done.    The  chapel  and  Sunday- 
school  room  will  seat  nine  hundred.    From  the 
beginning  the  congregation— which  shortly  after 
taking  possession  of  its  church  edifice,  changed  the 
name  to  the  Calvary  Methodist  Episcopal  Church- 
has  prospered  marvellously  and  is  now  in  the  flood 
tide  of  prosperity.    The  same  success  which  had 
signalized  Dr.  Day's  efforts  in  every  preceding 
charge  has  attended  his  labors  in  this  new  and 
promising  field.    The  present  membership  of  the 
church,  including  probationers,  is  about  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty ;  and  the  general  attendance  at  ser- 


292 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


vices  already  far  exceeds  the  seating  capacity. 
"Nothing  in  New  York  Methodism,"  says  an  ob- 
servant writer  in  a  leading  religious  newspaper, 
"has  more  tended  to  evoke  hearty  congratulation 
than  the  phenomenal  growth  of  Calvary  Church.  A 
genuine  Methodist  Episcopal  organization,  with  no 
aping  pretense  and  no  hiding  of  denominational 
individuality,  combining  business  insight  and  sound 
judgment  with  hearty  and  holy  fervor  from  the 
moment  of  its  organization,  it  has  been  powerful 
and  attractive.  The  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  K. 
Day,  is  like  the  church,  built  for  a  great  work. 
With  unsparing  fidelity,  with  great  spiritual  earn- 
estness, and  with  a  pure  and  lofty  eloquence  he 
addresses  Sunday  after  Sunday  an  audience  of  over 
one  thousand  people."  Referring  to  Dr.  Day's 
work  during  a  recent  protracted  revival  service,  a 
leading  metropolitan  journal  said  : 

"The  Rev.  Dr.  Day,  of  the  Harlem  Calvary 
Methodist  Church,  is  so  strong  a  man  that  an  au- 
ditor wonders  why  he  was  not  made  a  Bishop. 
*  *  *  Recently  there  was  a  protracted  revival  at 
Dr.  Day's  church.  After  running  five  weeks  the 
fire  began  to  burn  low,  and  when  the  pastor  called 
for  mourners  there  was  but  one  mourner,  a  sweet 
miss  of  some  seventeen  years,  who  responded.  Dr. 
Day  arose  and  said  :  '  There  is  more  meanness  to 
the  square  inch  in  a  sinner  than  any  mortal  can  con- 
ceive. God  gave  the  sinner  the  best  he  had.  He 
gave  His  only  begotten  son.  He  could  give  no 
more.  What  does  the  sinner  give  God  ?  A  worn-out 
heart  honeycombed  with  sin ;  a  body  almost  ex- 
hausted by  excesses  and  abuses  :  a  soul  which  must 
be  completely  regenerated  to  make  it  tit  for  heaven 
and  the  association  of  angels.  In  exchange  for 
Christ,  the  only  Son  of  God,  the  sinner  offers  the 
snuff  end  of  the* candle  of  life  and  haggles  for  terms 
at  that !  Was  there  ever  such  meanness  ? '  Suddenly 
there  was  intense  silence.  There  was  not  a  cough, 
although  it  was  influenza  time,  nor  a  movement  of 
any  kind,  and  the  silence  became  so  painful  that  a 
lad}"  said  afterwards  that  she  was  wishing  some  one 
would  break  it.  The  ticking  of  the  clock  was  heard 
with  perfect  distinctness.  '  Listen  at  the  ticking  of 
the  clock  !  '  at  length  said  the  pastor.  '  Ever}'  tick 
is  a  mile-stone.  You  are  on  a  train  !  How  fast  you 
travel! — how  quickly  time  flies  !  Which  train?  Pas- 
senger, whither  go  you  on  the  track  of  eternity  ? ' 
That  was  true  eloquence.  He  had  his  audience 
completely  under  control,  mesmerized,  psycholo- 
gized, electrified  !  It  was  the  voice,  the  imposing 
person  and  manner,  the  direct  honesty  of  the  orator 
that  made  silence  audible  and  impressive." 

The  Trustees  have  recently  taken  steps  to  increase 
the  seating  capacity  of  the  church  to  two  thousand 
two  hundred,  and  provide  room  for  two  thousand 
Sunday-school  scholars  and  workers  ;  and  plans  are 
now  being  prepared  to  effect  these  alterations, 
which  are  \irgently  called  for  to  accommodate  the 
increased  number  of  worshipers,  and  which  have 
been  voted  practically  unanimously.  During  the 
year  that  has  passed  since  Dr.  Day  became  its  pas- 


tor this  church  has  contributed  in  collections  the 
handsome  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  towards  be- 
nevolent work.  The  present  salary  which  it  pays 
its  minister  is  as  high  as  that  paid  to  any  Methodist 
clergyman  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Dr.  Day  is  a 
man  of  commanding  presence,  being  six  feet  three 

;  inches  in  height  ami  weighing  nearly  two  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds.  He  has  a  most  agreeable  counte- 
nance, in  which  intellect,  sincerity  and  resolution 
are  about  evenly  blended.  He  is  a  natural  orator, 
with  a  voice  which  has  been  described  as  "a  power- 
ful baritone,  capable  of  thundering  against  wrong 
with  righteous  indignation,  or  of  softening  into  the 
most  tender  and  persuasive  tones."  Dr.  Day's 
worth  is  not  of  recent  discovery  any  more  than  is 
the  public  appreciation  of  it  a  recent  manifestation. 
Both  began  early  in  his  clerical  career  and  they  have 
grown  steadily  with  his  years  and  experience.  In 
1884  he  was  honored  by  receiving  from  Wesleyan 
University,  and  Dickerson  College,  on  the  same 
day,  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  When  he 
went  to  Boston  he  was  elected  a  Trustee  of  Bos- 
ton University,  and  remained  a  member  of  the 
Board  during  his  residence  in  that  city.  In  188C  he 
was  accorded  the  honor  of  preaching  the  Anniver- 

j  sary  Sermon  before  the  American  Institute  of  Chris- 
tian Philosophy,  and  his  discourse  was  received  with 
marked  favor.  His  devotion  to  preaching  and  prac- 
tical church  work  has  been  so  persistent  that  he  has 
not  had  much  time  to  spare  for  literary  labor,  and 
his  efforts  in  this  direction  are  limited  to  the  publi- 
cation of  some  sermons  and  articles  in  magazines 
and  papers.  Dr.  Day  has  been  on  more  than  one 
occasion  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  bishop- 

j  ric,  and  in  1888  some  of  the  prominent  men  of  the 
denomination  urged  his  name  for  that  office  and 
he  received  a  handsome  vote  for  the  position. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the 
Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  one  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Dea- 
conesses' Home,  and  also  of  the  Sunday-school 
Union.  Dr.  Day  married,  July  14th,  1873,  Miss 
Hannah  E.  Richards,  of  Auburn,  Maine,  daughter 

i  of  Rev.  Robert  R.  Richards,  a  prominent  and  suc- 

|  cessful  Methodist  minister  of  that  State.  He  has 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Mary  Emogene,  born  In  1878. 


SATTERLEE,  F.  Le  ROY,  M.D.,  Ph.  D.,  one  of  the 
leading  medical  practitioners  of  New  York,  was 
born  June  15,  1847.  His  father,  George  C. 
Satterlee,  was  one  of  the  old  merchants  of  New 
York,  whose  mercantile  warehouse  was  completely 
destroyed  during  the  great  fire  of  1835,  so  that  in 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


293 


company  with  a  number  of  the  leading  merchants 
of  his  clay,  his  attention  became  at  once  directed  to 
the  necessity  of  establishing  some  system  by  which 
the  direful  results  of  such  great  calamities  might  be 
alleviated.    In  order  to  carry  out  these  philanthrop- 
ic intentions,  he  established  the  Washington  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  which  for  many  years  was  lo- 
cated at  the  corner  of  Maiden  Lane  and  Broadway. 
The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.was  Miss 
Mary  LeRoy  Livingston,  of  New  York,  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Robert  and  Philip  Livingston,  both  of 
whom  were  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence.   The  school  days  of  Dr.  Satterlee  were  passed 
in  New  York  City,  and  the  course  of  study  pur- 
sued was  most  thorough,  embracing  Greek,  Latin, 
French,  German  and  mathematics,  besides  an  elab- 
orate course  in  modern  and  ancient  history.  From 
the  preparatory  school  he  entered  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  institution  he 
graduated  in  company  with  John  Clinton  Gray,  who 
subsequently  became  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals of  the  State  of  New  York.    In  I860,  he  mat- 
riculated at  the  University  Medical  College  and 
obtained  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1868. 
It  is  a  noteworthy  circumstance,  that  more  than  a 
year  previous  to  receiving  tins  degree  he  had  passed 
all  the  requisite  examinations  with  honor,  but  could 
not  be  admitted  to  practice,  as  he  had  not  yet  at- 
tained his  twenty-first  year.    As  proof  of  his  high 
standing  in  his  class,  it  is  only  necessary  to  mention 
the  fact  that  he  obtained  the  Mott  Medal  for  profi- 
ciency in  surgery.    While  waiting  till  he  should  at- 
tain the  necessary  age  to  practice,  he  devoted  him- 
self assiduously  to  the  practical  study  of  disease  in 
Bellevue  Hospital,  an  opportunity  to  accomplish  this 
having  been  afforded  by  the  sickness  of  one  of  the 
house  physicians,  whose  place  he  was  thus  able  to 
fill  for  several  months.    In  the  spring  of  1868,  Dr. 
Satterlee  went  to  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  contin- 
uing his  medical  studies  in  the  great  hospitals  of 
England  and  France.    During  his  stay  in  England, 
he  became  intimately  acquainted  with  Sir  Joseph 
Lister,  whose  work  on  antiseptic  surgery  subse- 
quently obtained  for  for  its  author  a  world-wide  rep- 
utation.   Professor  McCall  Anderson,  Sir  James  Y. 
Simpson,  Prof.  John  Hughes  Bennett,  Sir  William 
Ferguson  and  Sir  Erasmus  Wilson  extended  the  most 
marked  courtesies  to  him  at  this  time.    On  his  re- 
turn to  his  native  land,  Dr.  Satterlee  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
and  speedily   obtained  a  lucrative  clientage.  In 
spite  of  numerous  professional  engagements,  he 
found  time  to  cultivate  the  natural  sciences,  and 
particularly  chemistry  ;  and  in  recognition  for  ex- 
cellent work  accomplished  in  this  direction,  he  re- 


ceived the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  from  the 
Imversity  of  the  City  of  New  York.    This  was  not 
an  honorary  degree,  but  was  conferred  after  pro- 
longed study  as  the  assistant  of  the  late  renowned 
John  W.  Draper,  and  as  the  result  of  a  rigid  exam- 
ination.    Meanwhile  Dr.  Satterlee  had  served  as 
Surgeon  of  the  Eighty-fourth  Regiment,  N.G.S.N.Y. 
with  rank  of  Major.    His  well  known  proficiency 
obtained  for  him  at  this  time  the  position  of  Medi- 
cal Director  of  two  insurance  companies.  Besides 
fulfilling  the  duties  of  these  offices,  he  was  also  At- 
tending Physician  to  two  large  dispensaries  and  Ad- 
vising Medical  Officer  to  the  Police  Department,  the 
last  named  a  position  the  duties  of  which  he  ful- 
filled with  great  benefit  to  the  municipality  for  six- 
teen years.    At  the  end  of  this  long  period  of  ser- 
vice, the  pressure  of  his  private  practice  had  become 
so  great  that  he  was  obliged  to  resign  and  devote 
himself  wholly  to  his  office  duties.    The  great  ex- 
perience gained  was,  however,  invaluable,  since  it 
laid  the  foundation  for  that  proficiency  in  medico- 
legal  matters  for  which  Dr.  Satterlee  is  so  justly 
celebrated.    For  several  years  subsequent  to  this, 
he  filled  the  office  of  medico-legal  expert  to  the 
Corporation  Counsel.    During  the  latter  portion  of 
his  service  he  acted  with  Mr.  Whitney,  the  ex-Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy,  who  was  then  Corporation 
Counsel.    As  a  teacher  of  the  exact  sciences,  his 
ability  is  attested  by  hundreds  of  professional  gen- 
tlemen who  have  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  attending 
his  lectures  during  the  last  twenty  years.  His  maiden 
discourse,  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the  College 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  upon  Hygiene,  was  de- 
livered at  the  request  of  the  Dean  of  the  Faculty, 
the  late  Prof.  Henry  Draper,  the  well  known  phy- 
siologist and  astronomer.    A  series  of  lectures  upon 
this  topic  was  continued  during  the  spring ;  and 
was   followed,    in  the   autumn,    by   a  similar 
course  on  Physiology.    In  186!)  Dr.  Satterlee  was 
elected  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Materia  Medica  and 
Therapeutics  in  the  New  York  College  of  Dentistry, 
a  position  which  he  holds  at  the  present  time.  At 
the  close  of  the  last  collegiate  session,  he  delivered 
his  twelve  hundredth  lecture.    On  the  organization 
of  the  American  Veterinary  College,  Dr.  Satterlee 
was  chosen  Professor  of  Chemistry,  a  chair  which 
he  held  for  several  years  ;  and  on  resigning  this  po- 
sition, he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Charles  A.  Dore- 
mus.    He  still,  however,  consents  to  fill  the  post  of 
Trustee.    He  is  likewise  Attending  Physician  to  St. 
Elizabeth's  Hospital,  Consulting  Physician  to  the 
Midnight  Mission,  and  Medical  Director  of  the  Mu- 
tual Benefit  Life  Association.    Dr.  Satterlee's  pub- 
lications on  medical  and  other  scientific  subjects, 
though  not  numerous,  arc  highly  suggestive,  and 


294 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


have  frequently  been  referred  to  in  complimentary  I 
terms  by  his  colleagues.  A  paper  on  the  "  Treat-  : 
ment  of  Erysipelas  "  has  been  specially  commended 
for  its  original  and  practical  qualities.  A  series  of 
articles  on  the  management  of  cutaneous  troubles, 
and  notably  those  on  "  Neuroses  of  the  Skin"  and 
"  Psoriasis,"  have  been  widely  read  and  favorably 
noticed  in  current  medical  literature.  Among  his 
most  recent  publications  is  "A  Treatise  on  Gout  and 
Rheumatism  "  (Charles  S.  Davis,  Detroit,  Michigan), 
embodying  a  system  of  treating  those  baneful  af- 
fections, which  in  many  respects  is  epoch-making. 
Dr.  Satterlee  is  a  member  of  various  learned  socie- 
ties :  he  is  a  Fellow  of  the  New  York  Academy  of 
Medicine ;  Fellow  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences ; 
Fellow  of  the  Geographical  Society ;  Member  of  the 
Medico-Legal  Society  :  of  the  New  York  County 
Medical  Society  ;  of  the  New  York  Neurological 
Society;  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society;  of 
the  St.  Nicholas  Society ;  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons 
of  the  Revolution,  and  of  the  American  Medical 
Association.  He  is  also  Honorary  Member  of  the 
Society  of  Arts,  London,  England.  Dr.  Satterlee 
comes  of  an  old  English  faniil}-,  the  first  one  of  the 
name  in  this  country,  Lieutenant  Benedict  Satterlee, 
great-great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
having  settled  in  the  town  of  Plainfield,  Connecti- 
cut. He  continued  his  military  career  in  the  colo- 
nies ;  served  with  distinction  in  the  French  and  In- 
dian War,  and  subsequently  lost  his  life  at  the  mas- 
sacre of  Wyoming.  A  matter  of  historical  interest 
is  the  fact  that  the  chapel,  founded  by  the  Satterlee 
family  in  Suffolk  County,  England,  during  the  Cru- 
sades, is  still  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation. 
It  is  one  of  the  oldest  chapels  in  England,  contains 
several  monuments  of  interest,  and  is  well  worthy 
of  a  visit.  In  18G8,  Dr.  Satterlee  married  Miss  Lau- 
ra Suydam,  daughter  of  the  well  known  merchant, 
the  late  Mr.  Henry  Suydam,  who  was  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  oldest  Knickerbocker  fami- 
lies of  New  York.  Dr.  Satterlee  has  four  clrildren 
living — two  sons  and  two  daughters. 


COX,  HON.  SAMUEL  SULLIVAN,  *  statesman, 
author  and,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  Member  of 
Congress  from  the  Ninth  District  of  New  York, 
was  born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  September  30,  1824, 
and  died  at  his  residence,  No.  13  East  Twelfth 
Street,  New  York,  on  the  evening  of  September  10, 
1889.    General  James  Cox,  of  Monmouth,  New  Jer- 

*  We  are  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Charles  L.  Webster  & 
Co.,  Publishers,  for  the  portrait  of  Mr.  Cox  which  accompan- 
ies this  biography.,; 


|  sey,  Mr.  Cox's  grandfather,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
:  Revolution  and  fought  in  the  battles  of  Brandy  wine, 
Germantown  and  Monmouth.  The  General  was  a 
friend  of  Thomas  Jefferson  and  served  in  Congress 
during  his  administration.  The  father  of  Mr.  Cox, 
Ezekiel  Taylor  Cox,  was  a  prominent  Democrat  and 
member  of  the  Ohio  Senate  in  1832-'33,  and  married 
the  daughter  of  Samuel  Sullivan,  State  Treasurer  of 
Ohio,  in  1818.  Mr.  Cox  studied  at  the  Ohio  Univer- 
sity, at  Athens,  and  Brown  University,  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution 
in  the  class  of  184G.  After  leaving  the  University, 
he  chose  the  law  for  his  profession,  and  studied  in 
Cincinnati  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Vachel  Worthington. 
Up  to  1851  he  devoted  himself  to  his  studies  and 
paid  but  little  attention  to  politics.  In  that  year  he 
went  abroad  and  traveled  in  Europe  for  some  time, 
taking  notes  of  his  observations.  On  his  return  he 
published  an  account  of  his  ramblings,  under  the 
title  of  -'The  Buckeye  Abroad."  His  natural  ten- 
dency towards  literature  first  displayed  itself  dur- 
I  ing  his  stay  in  college,  where  he  aided  in  maintain- 
ing himself  by  literary  work,  besides  obtaining  the 
prizes  in  classics,  history,  literature,  criticism  and 
political  economy.  In  1853  Mr.  Cox  settled  in  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  and  became  editor  of  the  Ohio  States- 
man ;  and  it  was  from  this  period  that  he  devoted 
himself  to  political  issues.  The  sobriquet  of  "  Sun- 
set," by  which  Mr.  Cox  was  known  at  an  early  per- 
iod of  his  life,  was  given  him  on  account  of  an 
article  which  he  wrote  for  the  Statesman.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  passage  which  gave  rise  to  this  name  : 
The  Great  Sunset. 

"What  a  stormful  sunset  was  that  of  last  night! 
How  glorious  the  storm,  and  how  splendid  the  set- 
ting of  the  sun!  We  do  not  remember  ever  having 
seen  the  like  on  our  round  globe.  The  scene  opened 
in  the  West,  with  the  whole  horizon  full  of  srohlen 
inter-penetrating  lustre,  which  covered  the  foliage 
and  brightened  every  bough  into  its  own  rich  dyes. 
The  colors  grew  deeper  and  richer  until  the  golden 
lustre  was  transformed  into  a  storm-cloud  full  of 
finest  lightnings,  which  leaped  in  dazzling  zigzags 
all  around  and  over  the  city.  The  wind  arose  m 
fury.  The  tender  shrubs  and  giant  trees  made 
obeisance  to  its  majesty — some  even  snapped  before 
its  force.  The  strawberry  beds  and  grass  plots 
'  turned  up  their  whites'  to  see  Zephyrus  march  by. 
Then  the  rains  came,  and  tlue  pools  and  gutters  fill- 
ed rapidly  and  hurried  away,  the  thunders  roared 
grandly,  and  the  fire-bells  caught  the  excitement 
and  rang  with  heart}'  chorus.  The  South  and  the 
East  received  the  copious  showers,  and  the  West  at 
one  time  brightened  up  into  a  border-line  of  azure 
worthy  of  a  Sicilian  sky." 

Writing  in  this  vein  being  new  to  the  Buckeye 
press,  it  took  the  State  by  storm,  and  was  soon 
copied  all  over  the  country.  From  that  time  for- 
ward the  writer  was  often  spoken  of  and  referred  to 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW 


YORK. 


295 


in  newspaper  comment  as  "  Sunset "  Cox.    In  1855 
President  Pierce  tendered  Mr.  Cox  the  position  of 
Secretary  of  Legation  at  the  Embassy  to  the  Court 
of  St  James.    This  position  he  declined,  but  later 
he  accepted  that  of  Secretary  of  Legation  at  Lima, 
Peru.    He  sailed  for  that  country  and  at  the  Isth- 
mus was  taken  with  Chagres  fever  and  by  his  physi- 
cian ordered  home.    He  then  resigned  that'office 
and  returned  to  Ohio.    Soon  after,  he  was  elected  to 
Congress  from  the  old  Licking-Franklin  District, 
beginning  his  Legislative  service  in  1857.    Mr.  Cox 
celebrated  his  entry  into  Congress  by  making  the 
first  speech  delivered  in  the  new  Hall  of  Represen- 
tatives at  the  Capitol  on  the  day  it  was  first  occupied 
for  Legislative  business,  December  16,  1857.  His 
theme  was  the  Lecompton  Constitution,  and  the 
questions  discussed  involved  the  great  issues  which 
were  leading  the  nation  into  a  terrible  sectional  war. 
The  debate  began  under  influences  far  from  com- 
posing, amid  many  interruptions  and  points  of  or- 
der from  prominent  members ;  but  the  young  ora- 
tor was  soon  listened  to  by  a  quiet  House.    He  had 
a  keen  anticipation  of  the  consequences  of  section- 
alism.  From  that  day  forward  his  best  efforts  were 
devoted  to  harmonizing   the  sections  and  toning 
down  the  passionate  zealotry  of  the  times.  When 
war  came  on,  no  one  stood  more  loyally  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  Union,  while  at  the  same  time 
he  was  ever  anxious  for  a  peaceful  solution  of  the 
great  issues,  and  took  a  leading  part  in  all  measures 
looking  toward  their  honorable  adjustment.  Mr. 
Cox  was  three  times  re-elected  to  Congress  in  Ohio, 
these  eight  years  embracing  all  of  Buchanan's  and 
Lincoln's  administrations,  thus  including  the  stir- 
ring years  of  the  Civil  War.    During  three  of  these 
terms  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Revolu- 
tionary Claims.    From  the  time  of  the  actual  out- 
break of  the  Rebellion,  he  sustained  the  Government 
by  voting  for  money  and  men  to  suppress  it,  al- 
though he  took  part  in  opposition  to  certain  policies 
of  the  administration.    In  1863  Mr.  Cox  was  the 
Democratic  nominee  for  Speaker  against  Schuyler 
Colfax,  but  he  was  defeated,  as  his  party  was  in  the 
minority.  He  wrote  a  volume  entitled  "  Eight  Years 
in  Congress,"  containing  his  observations  and  ex- 
periences while  a  member  of  the  House.    In  refer- 
ence to  his  own  Congressional  actions  during  these 
eight  years,  he  said,  in  an  address  to  his  constitu- 
ents in  Ohio  after  he  had  been  defeated  there  for  re- 
election : 

"I  represented  you  truly  when  I  warned  and 
worked  from  1856  to  1860  against  the  passionate 
jealousy  of  the  North  and  South,  when  I  voted  to 
avert  the  impending  war  by  every  measure  of  ad- 
justment, and  after  the  war  came,  by  my  votes  for 
money  and  men,  aided  the  administration  in  main- 


ItlS'*1"5  f6deral  a,,thorit3'  over  tte  insurgent 

In  1865  Mr.  Cox  moved  from  Ohio  to  New  York 
City.    This  change  was  occasioned  by  his  Demo- 
cratic connections,  and  by  his  political  foresight 
that,  at  least  for  a  long  time,  Ohio  was  likely  to  he 
under  Republican  rule.    He  had  by  this  time  be- 
come known  all  over  the  country  as  a  powerful 
campaign  speaker,  and  because  of  this  and  his  other 
talents,  lie  was  engaged  by  the  leaders  of  his  party 
in  New  York.    In  1868  he  was  elected  to  the  Forty- 
first  Congress  from  New  York  City;  but  before 
Congress  met  he  paid  another  visit  to  Europe,  and 
traveled  through  Italy  and  Northern  Africa.  He 
visited  London  on  his  return,  where  he  published 
an  account  of  his  travels,  under  the  title  "  A  Search 
for  Winter  Sunbeams,"  which  proved  such  an  in- 
teresting little  sketch  of  his  wanderings  that  it  was 
afterwards  reprinted  in  the  United  States.    In  1870 
Mr.  Cox  ran  for  Congress  against  Horace  Greeley, 
the  vote  being  for  him  nine  thousand  two  hundred 
and  twenty-eight,  and  for  Mr.  Greeley  eight  thous- 
and two  hundred  and  three.    Two  years  later  he 
was  defeated  for  Congressman-at-Large  by  Mr.  Ly- 
man Tremain ;  but  he  ran  several  thousand  votes 
ahead  of  the  ticket.  He  was  elected  to  the  same  Con- 
gress, the  Forty-third,  to  till  a  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Mr.  James  Brooks.     He  served  on  the 
Committees  of  Foreign  Affairs,  Banking,  the  Cen- 
tennial Exhibition,  and  Rules.    From  the  time  of 
his  election  to  the  Forty-third  Congress  he  was  re- 
elected continuously  as  a  New  York  member  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death.    His  election  to  the  Forty- 
seventh  Congress  was  by  a  vote  of  fourteen  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  twentj-tive  against  a  vote 
of  seven  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  for 
his  opponent.     At  the  opening  of  the  Forty-fifth 
Congress  in  1877,  he  was  one  of  the  chief  candidates 
for  the  Speakership,  and  although  not  elected,  he 
served  frequently  as  Speaker  protein,.    In  this  ses- 
sion he  took  upon  himself,  by  a  special  resolution 
of  his  own,  the  work  of  the  new  Census  Law.  He 
was  its  successful  advocate,  and  also  the  author  of 
the  plan  of  apportionment  adopted  by  the  House. 
The  following  tribute  from  General  Francis  A. 
Walker,  the  distinguished  statistician  and  econom- 
ist, who  superintended  the  Tenth  Census,  attests  the 
value  of  Mr.  Cox's  labors  in  statistical  legislation : 


Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,) 
Boston,  October  9,  1889.) 
The  unanimity  and  earnestness  with  which  all 
sections,  parties  and  classes  of  men  in  our  country 
have  expressed  their  grief  at  the  sudden  and  prema- 
ture death  of  Mr.  Cox,  is  not  merely  a  tribute  to 
meritorious  and  long  continued  public  services  ;  it 
is.  also,  a  proof  unmistakable  that  there  was  in  him 


296 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


something  which  appealed  peculiarly  to  the,  hearts 
of  his  countrymen.  His  sterling  generosity ;  his  es- 
sential, vital  kindness  j  the  cheerfulness  of  his  tem- 
per ;  the  sunny  warmth  of  his  spirit  have  made  him 
beloved,  far  beyond  the  ordinary  lot  of  public  men. 
There  are  many  who  can  speak  of  Mr.  Cox's  services 
in  Congress,  as  the  Representative  of  two  great 
States,  far  better  than  I;  there  are  some  who  were 
privileged  to  enjoy  a  greater  personal  intimacy  with 
him,  and  can  speak  more  fully  regarding  his  social 
life  and  character;  but  I  feel  that  I  may  perhaps  be 
privileged  to  bear  testimony  to  the  great  value  of 
the  services  which  Mr.  Cox  rendered  to  statistical 
science.  It  is  to  his  luminous  intelligence  and  his 
tireless  energy,  set  in  motion  by  an  acute  sympathy 
with  economic  and  social  investigation,  that  the 
country  owes  the  great  forward  step  in  Census  leg- 
islation, which  was  taken  in  the  Act  of  1879.  As 
one  who  was  called  to  confer  with  him,  at  every 
stage,  from  the  first  inception  of  the  bill  in  Commit- 
tee, down  to  the  adoption  of  the  last  amendatory 
clause,  I  can  testify,  out  of  abundant  knowledge,  to 
his  deep  interest  in  the  work  ;  his  careful  study  of 
the  results  of  experience,  in  our  own  and  other 
lands:  his  clear  prevision  of  the  difficulties  to  be 
encountered  :  to  the  soundness  of  his  judgment  in 
matters  of  detail :  to  the  comprehensiveness  of  his 
view  of  the  subject  as  a  whole." 

Mr.  Cox  was  a  close  student  of  social  questions, 
especially  those  coming  within  the  practical  domain 
of  legislation.  He  always  aimed  at  attaining  for 
the  people  of  the  United  States  the  widest  liberty 
of  industry,  trade  and  self-government.  He  was  a 
master  of  economic  statistics,  and  how  much  the 
country  owes  to  his  efforts  for  correct  data  in  this 
branch  of  political  science,  the  above  tribute  in  a 
measure  sets  forth.  The  publications  prepared  by 
General  Walker  under  that  legislation,  have  never 
been  equalled  in  statistical  research  and  presenta- 
tion. Mr.  Cox  took  the  deepest  interest  in  that 
work,  which  sets  forth  in  every  detail  the  social 
economy  of  our  country.  These  volumes  have  ex- 
cited the  wonder  and  received  the  unstinted  praise 
of  all  the  great  professors  and  students  of  statistical 
science,  upon  this  most  enduring  monument  of  legis- 
lative ability.  Mr.  Cox  laid  the  foundation  of 
another  in  his  legislative  preparation  for  the  Eleventh 
Census.  Mr.  Cox  was  the  introducer  and  champion 
for  many  years  of  the  bill  concerning  the  life-saving 
service,  and  finally  witnessed  its  passage.  His  work 
in  Congress  also  included  the  raising  of  the  salaries 
of  letter-carriers,  and  granting  them  a  vacation 
without  loss  of  pay.  The  results  justified  his  action, 
and  made  the  letter-carriers  of  the  country  his  firm 
friends  for  all  time.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in 
almost  every  important  debate  that  came  up  while 
he  was  a  member  of  Congress,  and,  as  a  metropoli- 
tan Congressman,  always  forwarded  the  interests  of 
New  York  by  every  means  in  his  power.  He  was 
noted  for  the  encouragement  of  a  liberal  construc- 


tion of  all  laws  affecting  the  reciprocity  of  trade  and 
commerce,  and  in  particular  spoke  and  voted  for 
the  free  registry  of  ships.  He  always  set  his  face 
against  high  tariffs  and  monopolies.  The  bill  which 
he  introduced  for  the  protection  of  immigrants  and 
inspection  of  steamships,  put  an  end  to  many  scan- 
dalous abuses.  His  record  is  also  notable  for  the 
frequency  of  resolutions  involving  the  protection  of 
American  citizens  abroad,  and  their  release  from 
illegal  imprisonment,  and  a  broad  liberality  in  efforts 
to  advance  the  civil  status  of  the  oppressed  of  all 
lands,  and  for  religious  toleration.  Twice  he  endeav- 
ored to  pass  a  bill  for  the  protection  of  commercial 
travelers  against  the  invidious  action  of  severe  and 
I  repugnant  State  laws.  He  was  on  the  special  com- 
mittee appointed  to  investigate  the  doings  of  "Black 
Friday ;"  the  matter  of  the  New  York  post  office  ; 
and  the  Ku-Klux  troubles.  He  was  for  many  years 
a  Regent  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  It  was  on 
his  motion  that  the  Thurman  Bill,  forfeiting  lands 
given  to  the  Pacific  railroads,  was  taken  from  the 
table  and  passed  in  the  House  after  one  day's  de- 
bate. By  his  opposition  to  the  Eads  Bill,  he  saved 
the  country  five  million  dollars ;  and  he  made  the 
only  speech  against  the  "  back-pay  steal,"  and  re- 
turned the  money  to  the  Treasury  as  soon  as  it  was 
paid  to  him.  As  a  specimen  of  one  of  Mr.  Cox's 
methods  of  debate  in  the  House,  the  following  may 
be  given  from  a  characteristic  speech  made  by  him 
January  10,  1870,  when  the  Amnesty  Bill  was  under 
discussion.  It  was  urged  by  the  Republican  mem- 
bers that  the  ex-President  of  the  Confederacy  should 
be  made  an  exception  to  its  provisions.  Mr.  Cox 
reviewed  the  whole  history  of  the  question  from 
180!),  when  he  first  introduced  a  bill  for  unrestricted 
amnesty,  and  attempted  to  show  that  the  very  legis- 
lation then  proposed  and  objected  to  by  the  Republi- 
can members,  had  been  approved  by  several  of  them, 
and  that  in  the  Forty-third  Congress  the  Committee 
on  Rules  had  unanimously  reported  in  favor  of  a 
bill  for  a  general  amnesty  of  the  South.  Mr.  Cox  in- 
quired : 

"Who  constituted  that  committee  at  that  time  ? 
James  G.  Blaine,  speaker  and  ex-ojficio  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Rules;  James  A.  Garfield,  who 
still  stands  out  nobly  for  an  unexceptional  amnesty; 
Horace  Maynard,  Samuel  J.  Randall  and  another 
who,  perhaps,  is  not  as  good  as  the  rest  of  the 
Committee. 

"  How  can  I  picture  the  scene  of  that  new  trans- 
formation? I  then  rejoiced  in  my  heart  of  hearts. 
It  looked  like  the  good  old  times  again.  I  wanted 
something  of  the  kind.  My  heart  had  been  yearn- 
ing for  these  men  who  had  been  erring.  I  wanted 
them  back  again  in  the  track  of  the  Government. 
When  Mr.  Maynard  made  the  proposition,  his  swarth 
features  and  tall  form  showed,  as  it  were,  with  a 
supernal  light.    The  other  gentleman  (Mr.  Garfield 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


297 


from  Ohio)  seemed  to  have  an  aureole  on  his  brow  ; 
and  the  gentleman  from  Pennsylvania — why,  he 
was  illumined  with  a  kind  of  Centennial  halo !  As  ! 
to  the  gentleman  from  Maine.  I  can  still  recall  how 
he  looked  on  that  occasion :  resplendent  with  some 
patriotic  light,  he  reminded  me  of  the  apocalyptic 
angel :  he  shone  so  bright  and  beautiful,  it  was  al- 
most impossible  to  look  upon  him. 

"  Now,  what  a  change  have  we  here  to-day  I  and 
for  what  purpose  ?  Why  do  you  now  oppose  your 
own  measure  ?  WI13'  make  exception  ?  In  the 
words  of  Sir  Thomas  Brown,  which  I  once  quoted 
here:  'You  should  draw  the  curtain  for  the  pur- 
pose of  hiding  injury.'  No  partial  pardon,  for  that 
is  no  pardon  at  all.  Some  gentlemen  may  find  that 
out — if  not  in  this  world,  in  the  other.  But  I  re- 
member, and  the  gentleman  from  Maine  may  recall 
the  fact,  that  a  member  of  the  House,  a  distinguished 
gentleman  from  Pennsylvania,  now  deceased  (Judge 
Woodward)  once  sent  to  my  desk  to  be  read,  the 
One  hundred  and  twenty-sixth  Psalm.  I  think  I 
shall  read  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  gentlemen.  It 
was  composed  after  Cyrus  had  released  the  Hebrews 
from  captivity.  The  psalmist  touched  his  harp  and 
sang  in  lyric  loftiness  of  congratulation : 

"  '  1.  When  the  Lord  turned  again  the  captivity 
of  Zion,  we  were  like  them  that  dream. 

'  2.  Then  was  our  mouth  filled  with  laughter, 
and  our  tongue  with  singing.  Then  said  they 
among  the  heathen,  The  Lord  hath  done  great 
things  for  them. 

'  3.  The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us, 
whereof  we  are  glad. 

'  4.  Turn  again  our  captivity,  O  Lord,  as  the 
streams  in  the  south.'  " 

Mr.  Cox  then  expressed  his  earnest  hope  that 
some  herald  from  Philadelphia  might  proclaim 
deliverence  to  the  South  that  centennial  year,  and 
closed  with  these  words;  "  Then  a  glorious,  blessed 
light  coming  from  above,  the  white  radiance  of 
Eternity  itself, will  shine  upon  architrave,  pillar  and 
dome  of  the  temple  of  our  American  freedom."  Mr. 
Cox's  service  as  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Foreign  Affairs  was  a  duty  for  which  he  was  spec- 
ially and  eminently  qualified  by  his  legal  and  politi- 
cal attainments,  his  extensive  travels  in  foreign 
lands,  his  taste  for  the  fine  arts  and  diplomacy,  and 
his  habits  of  research.  When,  in  1883,  he  was  a 
candidate  for  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, no  man  was  better  adapted  for  the  position, 
because  of  his  perfect  familiarity  with  the  rules  and 
practice  of  the  House.  Frequently  occupying  the 
position  of  Speaker  pro  tern,  he  proved  himself  an 
excellent  parliamentarian,  while  he  deported  him- 
self with  dignity  and  force.  Among  the  last 
Congressional  efforts  of  Mr.  Cqx  (for  which 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York  City 
thanked  him  by  resolution)  was  the  passage  of  a 
bill  merging  all  minor  police  jurisdictions  into  the 
federal  jurisdiction,  so  as  to  preserve  New  York 
Harbor  and  its  tributaries  from  destruction.  This 


bill  was  passed  in  the  House,  but  it  was  defeated  on 
a  point  of  order  in  the  Senate.  In  the  summer  of 
1881,  Mr.  Cox  made  his  third  trip  to  Europe,  and 
during  his  stay  there  visited  Holland,  Sweden,  Nor- 
way, Russia,  Turkey,  Egypt  and  Greece.  In  1885, 
President  Cleveland  appointed  him  Minister  to  Tur- 
key,—one  of  the  first  acts  of  that  administration. 
Mr.  Cox  took  his  departure  from  New  York  soon 
after  for  the  East.  He  was  received  at  Constanti- 
nople by  the  Sultan  in  the  most  cordial  manner, 
and  made  a  most  favorable  impression  upon  the 
Turkish  court.  During  his  stay  in  Turkey,  Mr.  Cox 
was  successful  in  clearing  up  several  diplomatic 
complications,  and  the  relations  of  the  United  States 
with  that  country  were  never  more  friendly.  But 
he  wearied  of  his  absence  from  home,  and  about  a 
year  and  a  half  after  his  arrival  at  Constantinople, 
returned  to  New  York.  In  the  following  Novem- 
ber he  was  re-elected  to  the  same  Congress  from 
which  he  had  resigned  to  accept  the  Turkish  Mis- 
sion. Both  the  Minister  and  Mrs.  Cox,  who  accom- 
panied him  to  Constantinople,  and  who  was  his 
constant  companion  in  all  his  travels,  were  deco- 
rated by  the  Sultan— Mrs.  Cox  with  the  Order  of  the 
Shefakat,  and  Mr.  Cox,  while  a  private  citizen  after 
he  returned  home,  received  the  Order  of  the  Medji- 
die.  Mr.  Cox  was  married  early  in  life  to  Miss 
Julia  A.  Buckingham,  a  young  lady  of  Muskingum 
County,  Ohio.  They  were  devoted  to  each  other 
throughout  a  singularly  happy  married  life.  Mrs. 
Cox,  by  her  tact,  geniality,  courtesy  and  high  attain- 
ments, aided  her  husband  greatly  in  achieving  his 
many  successes.  The  death  of  Mr.  Cox  was  felt  as 
a  National  loss.  It  occurred  just  after  his  return 
from  a  visit  to  the  four  new  States  of  the  North- 
west, which  he  had  been  so  largely  instrumental, 
through  his  Congressional  work,  in  creating.  The 
strain  of  the  long  journey,  sight-seeing,  and  public 
speaking,  proved  too  much  for  his  constitution. 
During  his  sickness  daily  bulletins  were  issued,  and 
his  residence  was  visited  by  many  prominent  men, 
while  telegrams  from  all  parts  of  the  country  gave 
testimony  to  the  universal  solicitude.  His  last 
words,  spoken  shortly  before  his  death,  were  that 
he  hoped  to  be  in  Washington  at  the  next  Congress, 
for  then  the  Representatives  of  the  new  States  would 
come,  and  he  would  be  so  glad  to  make  their  intro- 
duction to  the  House  a  pleasant  one ;  and  that  he 
wanted  to  make  another  speech,  if  he  could; 
then,  after  a  brief  silence,  he  murmured  something 
about  "  New  Mexico  and  Wyoming."  His  death 
was  painless,  and  he  was  sensible  up  to  a  few  mo- 
ments before  it  occurred.  During  the  thirty  years 
of  Mr.  Cox's  Congressional  experience  his  name 
was  probably  as  well  known  throughout  the  coun- 


298 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


try  as  that  of  any  other  public  man.  He  was  re- 
markable for  his  geniality  and  kindliness  and  for 
the  good  humor  with  which  his  nature  was  fairly 
brimming  over.  He  was  versatile,  and  a  man  of 
great  tact  and  power  as  a  legislator.  So  great  was 
his  reputation  that  an  announcement  that  lie  was 
about  to  speak  would  secure  an  attentive  House. 
In  addition  to  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  knowledge, 
he  possessed  many  other  brilliant  qualifications. 
His  profound  understanding  of  all  public  questions, 
his  readiness  in  debate,  his  remarkable  memory 
and  thorough  mastery  of  parliamentary  modes  and 
business,  made  him  one  of  the  foremost  and  most 
esteemed  of  the  members  of  the  House  and  a  leader 
in  the  conduct  of  its  business.  As  a  committee- 
man he  was  industrious,  punctual  and  faithful. 
His  power  of  memorizing  was  wonderful.  It  is 
related  of  him  that  when  a  young  man  he  would 
read  a  printed  speech  requiring  an  hour's  delivery, 
and  then  repeat  it  from  memory  almost  word  for 
word.  A  leading  New  York  journal  thus  describes 
him : 

"  Mr.  Cox  is  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  the 
House.  His  habitual  good  nature,  love  of  fun,  wit, 
intelligence,  learning  and  sociability  render  him  a 
desirable  and  a  pleasant  companion.  As  a  debater 
he  is  a  match  for  any  one  on  the  floor.  He  seems 
to  have  a  general  knowledge  of  everything  and  of 
everybody;  and  whether  the  debate  turns  upon  the 
number  of  Bibles  in  Kamtschatka  or  the  price  of 
oil  among  the  Sandwich  Islanders,  Mr.  Cox  is 
always  ready  with  facts  and  figures  to  prove  or  dis- 
prove an  argument,  and  to  entertain  the  House. 
He  is  a  celebrated  humorist,  and  has  made  some  of 
the  most  witty  and  epigrammatic  speeches  ever  lis- 
tened to  in  Congress.  His  satire  is  as  keen  as  a 
Japanese  sword,  and  not  many  are  the  knights  in 
the  House  who  dare  throw  down  before  him  the 
satirical  gauntlet." 

While  fully  realizing  that  he  possessed  unusual 
talents  in  certain  directions,  Mr.  Cox  was  of  the 
opinion  that  he  owed  Tiis  success  mainly  to  his 
habit  of  methodical  work.  Although  he  was  of  an 
imaginative  bent  of  mind,  yet  the  most  detailed 
drudgery  and  tiresome  study  of  dry  facts  never 
appalled  him.  He  used  to  say  that  he  never  desired 
to  go  into  a  discussion  or  to  take  the  lead  in  urging 
the  passage  of  a  bill  unless  he  had  the  subject  at  his 
finger-tips ;  in  fact,  it  was  well  understood  upon 
the  floor  of  the  House  that  he  relied  less  tipon  the 
inspiration  of  the  moment,  great  as  it  was,  than  he 
did  upon  the  information  that  came  from  study. 
He  had  a  talent  for  using  his  information  in  a  style 
frequently  rising  to  an  exhibition  of  high  rhetorical 
inspiration.  Mr.  Cox  was  a  consistent  Democrat 
throughout  his  political  career.  His  thorough  at- 
tachment to  the  Union  was  well  known.  During 
the  period  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Lincoln  often  called 


him  into  his  counsel,  and  valued  and  made  use  of 
his  advice.  If  he  had  not  given  up  his  life  to 
politics,  Mr.  Cox  would  have  made  a  great  career 
as  an  author.  The  success  he  had  in  that  direction 
was  large.  He  wrote  with  great  facility,  and  his 
command  of  English  was  excellent.  He  had  an 
observing  eye,  and  a  faculty  of  quaintly  illustrating 
facts  which  came  very  near  rivalling  classic  litera- 
ture. Besides  the  works  already  mentioned,  he 
wrote  "Puritanism  in  Politics,"  "Why  we  Laugh," 
"  Free  Land  and  Free  Trade,"  "  Arctic  Sunbeams," 
"Winter  Sunbeams,"  "Orient  Sunbeams,"  "Three 
Decades  of  Federal  Legislation,"  "  Diversions  of  a 
Diplomat  in  Turkey,"  and  "The  Isles  of  the 
Princes  "  Concerning  the  "  Three  Decades"  there 
is  an  instance  which  illustrates  the  elasticity  of  his 
mental  powers.    Speaking  of  literary  work  he  said; 

"  I  have  found  consolation  in  turning  to  that  vast 
resource  for  comfort  that  my  life  has  always  given 
me.  I  think  I  shall  retire  from  politics,  not  by  a 
direct  break,  but  gradually  ;  and  this  morning  as  I 
lay  in  bed  just  as  dawn  was  breaking,  a  conception 
came  to  me  which  compensates  me  for  all  that  I 
have  suffered  in  the  past  few  weeks, — I  am  going 
to  undertake  a  new  book,  and  the  whole  form  of  it, 
even  to  syllables,  framed  itself  in  my  mind  as  I  lay 
between  my  covers  looking  through  the  shutters  at 
the  coming  of  the  sun.  I  am  going  to  write  what  I 
know  of  '  Union,  Disunion  and  Reunion.'  The 
chapters  were  all  mapped  out  in  my  mind  with  a 
swiftness  and  vividness  of  an  inspiration.  I  saw 
Union  in  Congress  four  years  prior  to  the  war.  I 
saw  Disunion  and  was  in  the  very  whirlpool  of  it. 
And  of  Reunion  I  was  a  part.  This  morning  I  go 
to  the  Congressional  Library  to  begin  my  work." 

An  instance  of  the  quick  repartee,  so  frequent 
with  Mr.  Cox,  occurred  in  the  debate  on  the  admis- 
sion of  the  four  new  States,  the  two  Dakotas,  Mon- 
tana and  Washington.  Speaking  to  his  colleagues 
in  caucus  he  said  warmly  :  "This  question  of  the 
admission  of  the  four  new  States  is  as  great  a  one 
as  that  with  which  Mr.  Douglas  struggled  upon  this 
floor."  "  But  you  are  not  Mr.  Douglas,"  retorted 
Breckenridge  of  Kentuck}',  who  was  opposing. 
"No,"  replied  Mr.  Cox,  "Mr.  Douglas  failed;  I 
intend  to  succeed."  And  he  did  succeed  with  four- 
fold success.  Immediately  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Cox,  the  Tammany  Hall  General  Committee  held  a 
meeting,  when  the  following  resolutions  of  respect 
for  the  late  Congressman  were  presented  : 

"The  members  of  the  Tammany  Hall  General 
Committee  yield  with  profound  grief  to  the  omnip- 
otent fiat  which,  in  the  full  vigor  and  maturity  of 
his  great  powers,  has  called  from  his  sphere  of  ac- 
tive usefulness  our  beloved  associate  Samuel  S.  Cox, 
Representative  in  Congress  from  this  city.  The 
Democratic  part}-,  to  which  he  was  always  an  ad- 
herent, has  lost  in  him  one  of  its  most  brilliant  orna- 
ments and  an  eloquent  and  powerful  exponent  of 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


299 


its  principles.  Society  at  large  has  lost  in  him  a 
member  whose  excellence  of  heart,  rare  gifts  as  an 
orator,  and  literary  attainments  render  his  death  a 
most  afflicting  dispensation.  The  admirable  traits 
which  distinguished  his  character  endeared  him  to 
all  his  political  friends,  and  won  for  him  universal 
respect  and  admiration.  As  a  mark  of  the  sorrow 
with  which  we  have  learned  of  the  death  of  our 
departed  associate,  this  tribute  will  be  inscribed  in 
the  minutes  of  the  Committee,  and  a  copy  be  trans- 
mitted to  his  bereaved  family." 

Mr.  Cox's  funeral  was  attended  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  leading  citizens  of  New  York,  without 
distinction  of  party,  the  pall-bearers  including  ex- 
President  Cleveland,  Vice-President  Morton,  and 
members  of  both  Houses  of  Congress. 


MYERS,  HON.  THEODORE  WALTER,  Comp- 
troller of  the  City  and  County  of  New  York, 
ex-Treasurer  of  the  Park  Commission,  and 
one  of  the  leading  financiers  of  the  metropolis,  was 
born  in  New  York  City,  on  January  11,  1844.  His 
father,  the  late  Lawrence  Myers,  whose  death  oc- 
curred in  1874,  was  a  well-known  New  York  mer- 
chant, and  was  long  and  favorably  recognized  as  a 
leading  spirit  in  commercial  and  social  circles.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  thorough  prepara- 
tory training  for  entrance  to  college  at  private 
schools  in  his  native  city  and  also  in  France  and 
Germany,  but  ill-health  led  to  his  giving  up  a  col- 
legiate course.  In  1864  he  entered  upon  a  financial 
career,  joining,  in  a  clerical  capacity,  the  firm  of 
Polhemus  &  Jackson,  at  that  time  well-known 
bankers  and  brokers  in  New  York  City.  After  a 
few  years  apprenticeship  he  became  a  member  of 
the  new  firm  of  Camblos  &  Myers,  and  upon  the 
dissolution  of  this  partnership,  several  years  later, 
he  was  for  a  few  years  in  business  under  his  own 
name.  He  was  also,  for  several  years,  a  special 
partner  in  the  house  of  M.  E.  DeRivas  &  Co.,  and 
lor  a  year  or  two  traveled  abroad  before  organizing, 
in  1886,  the  present  banking  firm  of  Theodore  W. 
Myers  &  Co.,  of  which  he  is  the  head.  This  house 
has  from  its  inception  taken  high  rank  among  the 
conservative  and  conscientious  firms  upon  whom 
the  credit  of  Wall  Street  rests.  Doing  a  large  com- 
mission business,  with  branches  in  Philadelphia 
and  Chicago,  it  has  earned  and  maintained  a  repu- 
tation second  to  none  for  legitimate  energy  and 
enterprise,  combined  with  scrupulous  probity. 
During  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Myers  was  very  active  in 
the  work  of  organizing  the  "  Sickles  Brigade,"  and 
was,  for  a  time,  Captain  in  the  Third  Regiment  of 
that  command,  and  was  afterwards  for  many  years 


connected  with  the  City  Guard,  and  later  was  a  Cap- 
tain in  the  Ninth  Regiment  of  the  National  Guard  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  Mr.  Myers,  like  his  father, 
has  always  been  an  unswerving  Democrat,  but,  while 
active  in  promoting  the  interests  of  that  party,  first 
came  into  political  prominence  by  the  leading  part 
he  took  in  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1884,  when 
he  organized  the  Cleveland  &  Hendricks  Stock  Ex- 
change Campaign  Club,  and  arranged  for  the  great 
down-town  Democratic  rally  held  on  the  steps  of  the 
Sub-Treasury  in  Wall  Street.  He  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  establishing  the  Business  Men's  move- 
ment in  New  York  City,  which  exerted  such  a 
marked  influence  on  the  success  of  the  Democratic 
ticket  in  this  exciting  campaign,  and  personally  aided 
and  encouraged  the  formation  of  the  numerous 
clubs  and  associations  of  voters  which  constituted 
so  notable  a  feature  of  the  canvas.  In  May,  1887,  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Park  Commission  by- 
Mayor  Hewitt  and  was  soon  after  elected  Treasurer 
of  that  board.  He  was  nominated  by  the  United 
Democracy  as  their  candidate  for  Comptroller  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year,  and  was  elected  by  over 
forty-five  thousand  plurality.  Since  his  assuming 
charge  of  the  city's  financial  interests,  on  January 
1,  1888,  it  has  been  the  universal  verdict  of  citizens, 
irrespective  of  politics,  that  for  energy,  fidelity  to 
duty  and  far-seeing  acumen,  his  administration  has 
never  been  surpassed.  As  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Estimate  and  Apportionment,  the  Sinking  Fund 
Commission,  the  Boards  of  Street  Opening  and  of 
Review  and  Assessment,  the  Aqueduct  Commission 
and  many  other  municipal  boards,  he  has  brought 
to  bear  with  the  best  results  the  keen  insight  and 
foresight  which  have  made  him  so  successful  as  a 
business  man,  and  has  zealously  guarded  and  pro- 
moted the  interests  of  the  city.  Among  the  many 
striking  features  of  his  administration  may  be  cited 
his  successful  placing  of  the  first  long  (thirty  year) 
loan  ever  known,  at  a  rate  of  two  and  a  half  per 
cent.  By  this  achievement  he  succeeded  in  placing 
the  credit  of  the  city  on  a  higher  pinnacle  than  that 
of  any  municipality  in  the  world,  and  received  uni- 
versal and  merited  praise  for  this  unprecedented 
financial  triumph.  Mr.  Myers  devotes  himself  with 
assiduity  and  zeal  to  his  official  labors  and  in  this 
respect  sets  a  splendid  example  to  all  under  him  in 
this  important  department  of  the  local  government. 
Hundreds  of  persons  enter  his  private  office  daily 
for  the  purpose  of  transacting  special  business  with 
him,  and  all  are  cordially  received,  carefully  attend- 
ed to  and  courteously  dismissed.  The  business  of 
the  office — exceeding  in  magnitude  that  of  many 
foreign  States — is  constantly  under  the  eye  of  this  able 
officer  and  chief,  and  run3  so  smoothly  as  to  excite 


300 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


the  surprise  of  those  who  are  unaware  of  what  may 
be  accomplished  by  a  judicious  blending  of  polite- 
ness and  discipline  in  the  administration  of  public 
affairs.  In  1870  Mr.  Myers  was  married  to 
Miss  Rosalie  Hart,  a  granddaughter  of  Bernard 
Hart,  who  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  New 
York  merchants  of  fifty  years  ago,  being  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange,  an 
original  member  of  the  Tontine  Society,  and  for 
many  years  intimately  and  prominently  connected 
with  every  enterprise  in  which  the  city's  welfare; 
was  concerned.  He  has  one  son,  George  L.  Myers, 
at  present  (1890)  a  student  in  Columbia  College. 
Mr.  Myers  has  always  been  a  patron  of  tbe  arts,  and 
is  a  familiar  factor  in  social  circles.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Manhattan,  New  York,  Reform,  New 
Amsterdam,  Thirteen,  and  many  other  clubs,  of  the 
Historical  and  Geographical  Societies,  and  of  a 
number  of  musical  societies,  and  is  as  agreeable  an 
exponent  of  the  amenities  of  life  as  he  is  a  zealous 
and  indefatigable  worker  in  its  fields  of  toil. 


LEWIS,  DANIEL,  A.M.,  M.D.,  Ph.D.,  a  leading 
surgeon  of  New  York  City,  late  President  of 
the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  also  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of 
New  York,  and  at  present  Professor  of  Special  Sur- 
gery (Cancerous  Diseases)  at  the  New  York  Post 
Graduate  Medical  School,  was  born  at  Alfred,  Alle- 
gany County,  New  York,  January  17,  1846.  On 
the  paternal  side  he  is  of  the  fifth  generation  from 
ancestors  who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Rhode  Island  ;  his  father,  Alfred  Lewis,  being  a  na- 
tive of  that  State.  The  latter,  who  was  born  in  1817, 
and  died  in  1873,  married  Miss  Lucy  Langworthy, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Langworthy,  Esq.,  of  Ashaway, 
Rhode  Island,  who  is  still  living.  The  grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  Christopher  C. 
Lewis,  of  Hopkinton,  Rhode  Island.  Born  towards 
the  close  of  the  last  century,  he  early  rose  to  promi- 
nence among  his  fellow-citizens,  and  was  chosen  to 
the  office  of  Town  Clerk  of  Hopkinton,  the  duties 
of  which  he  so  faithfully  performed  that  he  was  re- 
tained in  the  position  for  the  extraordinary  period 
of  forty  years,  by  annual  re-election.  Among  the 
well-known  physicians  of  Rhode  Island  there  have 
been  many  bearing  the  name  of  Lewis,  all  more  or 
less  closely  related  to  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
One  of  these,  Dr.  Daniel  Lewis,  of  Westerly,  Rhode 
Island,  was  a  man  of  marked  ability.  Two  of  Dr. 
Lewis'  paternal  uncles  and  one  maternal  uncle,  also 
two  of  his  cousins  and  an  elder  brother,  all  entered 
the  medical  profession.    Dr.  Lewis  received  his 


early  education  at  the  Alfred  Academy,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  term,  the  Civil  Wrar  being  then  in  pro- 
gress, entered  the  naval  service.  He  remained  in 
the  navy  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  resumed 
his  studies,  entering  Alfred  University,  from  which  be 
was  graduated  in  1869.  He  had  already  devoted  con- 
siderable time  to  the  study  of  medicine  under  the 
instruction  of  his  uncle,  Dr.  Edwin  R.  Lewis  of 
Westerly,  Rhode  Island,  and  upon  his  graduation  at 
Alfred  University  he  entered  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  tbe  City  of  New  York, 
where  he  took  his  first  course  of  lectures.  He  then 
entered  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of 
New  York  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  in  1871.  The  ensuing 
two  years  were  devoted  to  practice  at  Audover,  Al- 
legany County,  New  York,  after  which  he  returned 
to  New  York  City,  where  he  has  practiced  steadily 
ever  since,  latterly  making  a  specialty  of  surgery. 
When  the  New  York  Skin  and  Cancer  Hospital  was 
established,  Dr.  Lewis  became  Assistant  Surgeon  to 
that  institution,  and  in  1885  was  appointed  Surgeon, 
and  still  holds  this  position.  Shortly  after  the  or- 
ganization of  the  New  York  Post  Graduate  Medical 
School  he  became  connected  with  that  institution  as 
Lecturer  on  Surgery,  and  in  1890  was  appointed  to 
the  chair  of  Special  Surgery  (Cancerous  Diseases). 
His  researches  in  this  department  of  medicine  have 
been  exceedingly  thorough,  and  his  experiences  and 
views  have  been  recorded  in  a  number  of  valuable 
papers,  which  have  attracted  wide  attention  in  the 
profession.  Among  his  principal  publications  may 
be  mentioned  the  following  papers  :  "  Cancer  and 
its  Treatment,"  American  Practitioner,  1874:  "  Mars- 
den's  Treatment  of  Cancer,"  read  before  the  Medical 
Society  of  the  State  of  New  York  (1878);  "  Digitalis 
in  the  Treatment  of  Scarlatina,"  also  read  before  the 
State  Society,  in  1882 ;  "  The  Development  of  Can- 
cer from  Non-Malignant  Diseases,"  read  before  the 
same  body  in  1883;  "Treatment  of  Erysipelas," 
Journal  of  Cutaneous  and  Venereal  Diseases,  (1885); 
"  Treatment  of  Epithelioma  with  Mild  Caustics," 
in  same  journal  (1887);  "Cancer  of  the  Rectum," 
Medical  Monthly  (1887);  "The  Chian  Turpentine 
Treatment  of  Cancer,"  read  before  the  State  Medical 
Society  of  New  York  (1888);  "  A  Malignant  Tumor 
in  an  Umbilical  Hernial  Sac,  with  Remarks  on  the 
Etiology  of  Cancer,"  Medical  Record,  (1889):  and 
"  Horse  Hair  Sutures  and  Drainage,"  Transactions 
of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society,  (1884). 
The  paper  on  Digitalis  in  Scarlet  Fever,  referred  to 
above,  has  been  quoted  extensively  by  Bartholow 
and  other  eminent  authorities,  and  has  been  repub- 
lished and  reviewed  by  a  number  of  medical  journals 
in  Europe.    Dr.  Lewis  is  an  interesting  and  impres- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK 


30I 


sive  speaker.  A  number  of  his  addresses  have  been 
published  and  widely  circulated  ;  among  others  his 
address  at  the  Eighty -fourth  Annual  Meeting  of 
the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York,  in 
1890,  in  which  he  argues  strongly  and  with  irresisti- 
ble logic  in  favor  of  State  control  over  the  practice 
of  medicine.  He  has  been  engaged  for  some  time 
in  the  preparation  of  an  exhaustive  work  on  the 
Treatment  of  Cancer,  which  is  announced  for  publi- 
cation the  current  year  (1890)  by  George  S.  Davis, 
of  Detroit.  Dr.  Lewis  joined  the  Medical  Society  of 
the  County  of  New  York  in  1873,  and  for  three  years 
was  a  delegate  from  it  to  the  State  Medical  Society 
and  for  five  years  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Censors. 
He  was  elected  President  of  the  Society  in  1884  and 
was  re-elected  to  that  office  in  1885.  He  is  now  the 
Editor  of  the  Medical  Directory  published  by  this 
Society.  Since  1880  he  has  been  a  Fellow  of  the 
New  York  Academy  of  Medicine,  and  has  served 
five  years  as  a  member  of  its  Committee  on  Admis- 
sions. He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Pathological  Society  since  1880;  and  of  the  New 
York  Dermatological  Society  since  1885.  In  1884 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  in  1889,  had  the  distin- 
guished honor  of  being  chosen  its  President.  He  is 
likewise  an  active  member  of  the  New  York  Physi- 
cians' Mutual  Aid  Association,  and  has  been  its  Presi- 
dent since  1887.  He  received  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts,  in  course,  from  his  Alma  Mater  in  1872,  and  in 
1886,  at  the  semi-centennial  of  this  institution,  was 
further  honored  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Phil- 
osophy. In  1887  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
Alumni  Association  of  Alfred  University  and  still 
holds  that  office.  For  purposes  of  research  and 
recreation  he  has  visited  Europe  several  times,  and 
in  1882  spent  several  months  in  the  study  of  his 
specialty  at  the  Cancer  Hospital  in  London.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  an  active  member  and  Sur- 
geon of  Reno  Post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, in  New  York  City;  and  in  1887  held  the  office 
of  Medical  Director  (with  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General)  of  the  Department  of  New  York.  He  was 
married  on  October  10,  1872,  to  Miss  Achsah  D. 
Vaughan,  daughter  of  L.  C.  P.  Vaughan,  Esq.,  of 
Springville,  Erie  County,  New  York. 


AUSTELL,  GENERAL  ALFRED,  a  representa- 
tive American  financier,  business  man  and 
planter,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  house  of 
Inman,  Swann  &  Co.,  of  New  York  City,  was  born 
near  Dandridge,  the  seat  of  Jefferson  County,  Ten- 
nessee, January  14,  1814,  and  died  at  his  residence 


in  Atlanta,  Georgia,  December  7, 1881.  General  Aus- 
tell was  a  striking  type  of  the  successful  American 
business  man,  and  that  he  was  the  peer  of  the  best 
of  his  colleagues  and  associates  in  all  that  goes  to 
make  sterling  character  and  respected  manhood  is 
amply  shown  in  the  events  of  his  active,  progressive, 
useful  and  well  rounded  life,  which,  in  length  of 
years,  fell  but  a  trifle  short  of  the  "  allotted  span"  of 
Scripture.  His  ancestry  was  ever  the  source  of  par- 
donable pride  to  him.  On  the  paternal  side  he  was 
a  descendant  of  that  William  de  Austell,  who,  in 
the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  was  Governor  of  Corn- 
wall, and  built  the  ancestral  castle  that  is  now  in 
ruins  in  the  town  of  St.  Austell,  in  Cornwall,  Eng- 
land. On  his  mother's  side  he  traces  his  descent  in 
an  unbroken  line  from  Fulk,  that  Count  of  Anjou 
who  first  adopted  the  planta-genexta  as  his  emblem 
in  the  Crusades.  His  father,  William  Austell,  and 
his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Wilkin>, 
were  both  natives  of  South  Carolina.  The  hitter  was 
a  noted  beauty  before  her  marriage  and  the  hospi- 
tality of  her  father's  house  was  known  throughout 
the  State.  While  yet  in  her  "teens"  she  married 
William  Austell,  and  they  moved  from  Spartanburg, 
South  Carolina,  into  the  new  State  of  Tennessee,  set- 
tling in  the  eastern  section.  William  A\istell  was  a 
man  of  far  more  than  ordinary  natural  ability.  The 
locality  in  which  he  took  up  his  abode  was  sparsely 
inhabited  and  was  then  almost  on  the  very  border- 
land of  civilization.  A  large  part  of  his  battle  was 
with  nature  in  its  most  rugged  form,  yet  he  waged 
it  successfully,  opposing  his  brain  and  brawn  to  the 
rude  forces  with  which  he  had  to  contend,  and  un- 
aided by  machinery,  railroads  or  any  of  the  ad- 
juncts and  appliances  now  at  the  service  of  the 
agriculturist,  achieved  a  notable  success.  He  also 
won  high  recognition  among  his  pioneer  associates 
and  neighbors  as  a  man  of  restless  energy,  sound 
judgment  and  superior  mind.  Considering  the  great 
disadvantages  under  which  he  labored  his  success 
was  extraordinary,  and  warrants  the  belief  that 
under  more  favoring  circumstances  and  in  a  more 
thickly  populated  section  he  would  have  amassed 
great  fortune,  and  undoubtedly  have  risen  to  dis- 
tinction. The  schooling  received  by  Alfred,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  the  second  son  of 
his  parents,  was  meagre.  In  the  section  where  his 
boyhood  was  spent  other  pursuits  than  the  acquisi- 
tion of  book-learning  occupied  the  thoughts  of  the 
people  generally,  and  for  a  farmer's  son  to  aspire  to 
more  than  an  elementary  knowledge  of  the  rudi- 
ments was  unusual.  His  elder  brother,  William, 
had  gone  far  beyond  the  ordinary  course  and  had 
himself  taught  school  successfully  for  a  time,  but 
was  now  engaged  in  business.    Alfred  seems  to 


302 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


have  been  quite  as  willing  a  student.  He  acquired 
his  knowledge  of  the  "  three  R's "  in  what  was 
called  an  "old  field  school,"  presided  over  by  a  Mr. 
John  Russell,  a  wounded  hero  of  the  battle  of  Chip- 
pewa, whose  stipend  as  a  schoolmaster  was  a  wel- 
come addition  to  the  pension  allowed  him  by  the 
Government.  His  studies  and  reading,  although 
limited  in  extent,  appear  to  have  stimulated  his  am- 
bition, for  he  was  not  yet  sixteen  years  of  age  when 
he  boldly  determined  to  abandon  agriculture  for 
mercantile  pursuits,  with  the  view  not  only  of  rind- 
ing more  congenial  employment,  but  of  advancing 
his  own  interest  and  fortune.  Speaking  of  this 
youthful  resolve,  one  to  whom  the  facts  were  related 
by  the  General  himself  said :  ''One  day  he  cast 
down  the  hoe  with  which  he  was  at  work  in  a  field, 
went  to  the  house,  put  on  his  best  suit  of  clothes, 
and  told  his  father  that  he  was  going  away  in  search 
of  employment.  He  went  to  Dandridge,  presented 
himself  to  an  old  merchant  of  the  place,  made 
known  his  desire  and  plan,  and  asked  for  a  situation 
as  clerk  in  his  store.  Although  he  failed  in  secur- 
ing immediate  employment,  yet  he  inflexibly  ad- 
hered to  his  purpose,  and  soon  obtained  a  position 
with  his  brother,  William,  who  had  a  store  in  the 
town  of  Spartanburg,  South  Carolina."  Thus 
fairly  launched  in  a  mercantile  career  the  young 
man  realized  that  he  was  on  the  road  to  the  goal  of 
his  ambition,  and  he  resolved  to  bend  all  his  ener- 
gies to  achieve  prominence  among  business  men,  to 
make  a  name,  and  to  win  a  fortune.  The  story  of 
his  labors  and  successes  is  an  encouraging  one,  and 
while  destitute  of  the  glamour  of  romance  is  never- 
theless interesting  and  instructive,  since  his  rise 
from  the  farm  to  wealth  and  a  commanding  posi- 
tion among  his  fellow-men  was  accomplished  solely 
by  his  own  indomitable  pluck  and  energy.  In  1836, 
after  he  had  spent  a  few  years  with  considera- 
ble advantage  to  himself  as  assistant  to  his  brother 
William,  the  latter  retired  from  business.  Free  now 
to  obey  his  inclinations,  Alfred,  who  had  just  turned 
his  twenty-second  year,  migrated  to  Georgia,  and 
settled  as  a  village  merchant  at  Campbellton,  the 
seat  of  Campbell  County.  Having  spent  about 
twenty-two  years  of  his  life  at  Campbellton,  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  Atlanta,  where  he 
had  a  larger  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  business 
talents.  Here  he  became  prominently  identi- 
fied with  financial  interests  of  importance  and 
took  standing  among  the  leading  citizens.  Al- 
though a  Southerner  by  birth,  and  reared  in  all 
the  traditions  of  his  section,  he  greatly  deplored  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities  between  the  seceding  States 
and  the  Federal  Government.  But  while  a  Union 
man  in  sentiment,  he  did  not  feel  that  he  could  con- 


scientiously desert  his  native  State,  or  that  in  which 
he  had  cast  his  lot,  in  any  action  their  Legislatures 
might  take  or  the  popular  voice  sustain;  he  there- 
fore espoused  the  cause  they  made  their  own  by 
passing  the  ordinance  of  secession,  and  contributed 
liberally  to  its  support.  He  came  out  of  the  ordeal 
of  the  Civil  War  with  greatly  impaired  fortune,  but 
no  sooner  had  the  contending  armies  ceased  hostil- 
ities, than  he  threw  himself  with  characteristic 
courage,  vigor  and  resolution  into  the  work  of  re- 
pairing his  losses  and  rebuilding  and  advancing  his 
business  interests.  His  operations  were  of  a  four- 
fold nature,  and  comprised  farming  or  planting, 
banking,  railroad  building  and  the  commission  bus- 
iness. He  was  the  founder  and  first  President  of 
the  Atlanta  National  Bank,  (incorporated  in  1865) 
which  was  the  first  national  bank  organized  in  the 
"  cotton  States,"  and  remained  in  that  position  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death.  This  institution  under  his 
management  became  one  of  the  most  solid,  trust- 
worthy and  prosperous  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  and 
gained  a  name  throughout  the  whole  land  for  its 
fair  dealing  and  unquestioned  financial  standing. 
General  Austell's  direct  connection  with  the  mer- 
cantile life  of  New  York  was  established  immediate- 
ly after  the  Civil  War.  In  company  with  his  friend 
Mr.  Wm.  H.  Inman,  of  Atlanta,  he  visited  the  me- 
tropolis in  1865,  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  disposing 
of  a  quantity  of  cotton,  a  commodity  upon  the  sale 
of  which  they  relied  for  ready  money,  their  other 
assets  not  being  available  for  this  purpose.  To- 
gether they  founded  the  cotton  commission  house 
of  Austell  &  Inman  of  New  York  City,  which  be- 
wail operations  in  the  latter  part  of  1865.  In  1871, 
he  withdrew  from  the  business,  transferring 
his  interest  to  his  nephew,  Mr.  James  Swann, 
of  Tennessee,  who  had  been  connected  with  the 
house  almost  since  its  inception,  the  firm  then  tak- 
ing the  style  of  Inman,  Swann  &  Co.,  which  it 
still  retains,  although  other  changes  have  been  ef- 
fected in  the  meantime.  General  Austell's  connec- 
tion with  railroad  enterprises  also  began  after  the 
Civil  War,  and  was  prompted  largely  by  a  personal 
desire  to  connect  the  city  of  his  residence,  Atlanta, 
with  the  place  of  his  birth.  The  project  grew  upon 
him  and  became  a  favorite  and  cherished  scheme 
of  his  mind.  In  his  attempts  to  carry  it  out  he 
took  an  active  and  influential  part  in  promoting  the 
construction  of  two  new  and  important  railroads, 
viz.:  the  "Air  Line,"  connecting  Atlanta,  Georgia, 
and  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  and  the  Spar- 
tanburg, South  Carolina,  and  Asheville,  North  Car- 
olina, Road.  In  aiding  and  forwarding  these  en- 
terprises the  General  may  be  regarded  as  a  pub- 
lic benefactor,  a  promoter  of  the  interests  and 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


commerce  of  Atlanta  in  particular,  and  of  the 
sections  also  through  which  these  railways  run. 
The  desire  and  plan  of  a  complete  through  line 
were  almost  realized  before  the  close  of  his  life,  and 
were  accomplished  soon  after  his  death.  As  a  busi- 
ness man,  General  Austell  was  noted  for  his  prac- 
tical judgment,  prudence,  sagacity,  and  fixedness 
of  purpose  in  attending  to  his  affairs.  Connected 
with  these  qualities  were  the  traits  of  justice  and 
integrity.  No  man  ever  more  scrupulously  fulfilled 
his  obligations.  So  conscious  was  he  of  his  moral 
rectitude  in  all  business  transactions,  that  he  ex- 
pressed a  desire  that  his  tombstone  should  bear  the 
simple  inscription  :  "  Here  lies  an  honest  man."  In 
the  realm  of  finance  General  Austell  held  a  con- 
spicuous and  honored  position.  He  has  been  styled 
"  the  last  of  the  old-time  financiers  of  Atlanta." 
He  was  "  of  primitive,  direct  way,  *  *  *  able 
to  hold  his  leadership  through  the  subtle  ties  of  lat- 
ter day  finance.  *  *  *  Connected  with  many  of 
Atlanta's  most  important  enterprises,  he  came  out 
of  each  with  a  record  above  criticism  or  reproach." 
In  all  his  varied  enterprises,  including  many  tran- 
sactions of  moment  in  the  financial  center  of  the 
country,  he  preserved  his  reputation  unspotted. 
The  possessor  of  high  character,  large  means,  and 
conspicuous  for  his  business  success  and  sagacity, 
General  Austell  quite  naturally  commanded  atten- 
tion in  leading  political  circles,  and  his  name  was, 
on  more  than  one  occasion,  proposed  in  connection 
with  the  nomination  for  the  office  of  Governor  of 
Georgia.  There  would  have  been  a  remarkable  fit- 
ness in  such  a  nomination,  but  the  General  person- 
ally never  cared  for  a  political  career,  believing  that 
his  greatest  usefulness  was  in  the  field  of  work  and 
development,  rather  than  in  that  of  government. 
The  only  official  position  he  ever  held  beyond  that 
of  General  of  the  State  Militia,  was  that  of  Member 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  to  which  he  was  chosen 
by  the  Common  Council  of  Atlanta,  to  manage  the 
system  of  public  free  schools  in  that  city.  Under  a 
modesty  which  avoided  everything  like  show  or  os- 
tentation, he  concealed  a  most  charitable  na- 
ture. He  cheerfully'  assumed  the  care  of  the  family 
of  his  brother  William  upon  the  hitter's  death, 
faithfully  regarding  their  interests,  and  also  helped 
and  befriended  in  numerous  ways  many  other  per- 
sons. In  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  young 
men  he  was  warmly  interested,  and  not  a  few  were 
heavily  indebted  to  him  for  substantial  favors  and 
assistance.  To  worthy  charities  he  invariably  lent 
his  aid,  always  in  the  most  kindly  and  gracious 
manner.  His  impulses  were  always  generous.  His 
nature  was  warm  and  affectionate.  He  was  fond  of 
the  society  of  his  family  and  friends,  and  lively  and 


entertaining  in  his  conversation.  Every  line  of  his 
countenance  was  indicative  of  decision  and  firmness 
of  character,  but  witli  all  this  he  was  gentle  and 
winning  in  his  demeanor,  and,  as  described  by  one 
who  knew  him  well,  was  "  a  man  of  captivating  ad- 
dress." Of  splendid  physique  and  commanding 
presence,  he  looked  capable  of  both  great  and  good 
deeds.  His  devotion  to  his  family  was  marked.  He 
married  on  May  30,  1853,  Miss  Francina  Cameron,  a 
daughter  of  James  Cameron,  of  La  Grange,  Troup 
County,  Georgia.  This  lady  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  faith,  and  through  her  the  General 
became  identified  with  "  The  First  Presbyterian 
Church,"  which  they  attended  when  they  took 
up  their  residence  in  Atlanta.  General  Austell  was 
not  only  a  regular  attendant  at  its  services,  but  a 
liberal  helper  in  its  special  religious  and  charitable 
wrork,  and  eventually  himself  became  a  communi- 
cant. From  his  virtuous  mother  he  had  early 
learned  the  duties  of  a  Christian,  and  he  always 
cherished  a  fond  recollection  of  the  little  church  he 
attended  in  her  company  as  a  boy.  For  years  be- 
fore he  became  a  professing  Christian  he  took  a 
peculiar  pleasure  in  aiding  churches  and  Sunday- 
schools,  and  when  the  old  congregation  with  which 
both  his  father  and  mother  had  been  identified  de- 
cided to  build  a  new  church  edifice  in  the  stead  of 
and  about  a  mile  from  the  site  of  the  original  struc- 
ture, which  had  been  burnt  during  the  war,  he  and 
his  two  nephews  contributed  almost  all  the  nioney 
required  for  this  laudable  undertaking.  The  last 
eight  or  ten  years  of  his  life  were  those  of  open  pro- 
fession of  Christianity  and  marked  usefulness  in 
church  work.  He  gave  liberally  of  his  means  in 
support  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  of  Atlan- 
ta, the  Bible  Society,  Theological  Seminary,  and 
other  religious  institutions.  He  also  presented  a 
house  and  lot  to  a  congregation  of  colored  Presby- 
terians of  Atlanta,  and  aided  in  building  churches 
in  Georgia,  Alabama,  Tennessee  and  other  places. 
His  death,  which  occurred  at  his  home  in  Marietta 
Street,  Atlanta,  was  directly  occasioned  by  paraly- 
sis, and  followed  an  illness  of  several  months'  du- 
ration. The  press  comments  on  this  event  were  of 
the  most  laudatory  character.  The  Atlanta  Consti- 
tutionspoke  of  the  deceased  as  "one  of  Atlanta's 
best  known  and  most  prominent  citizens,  *  *.  * 
for  years  a  financial  leader  in  Georgia,  wise,  pru- 
dent and  sagacious,  and  eminently  successful  in 
his  enterprises,  *  *  *  holding  a  high  position 
in  commercial  circles,  and  wielding  a  great  influ- 
ence in  whatever  enterprise  he  took  hold  of."  A 
writer  in  the  Banker'x  Magazine  describes  him  as 
"  unwavering  in  friendship,  blameless  in  integrity, 
zealous  for  the  advancement  of  truth  and  educa- 


304 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


tion,  non-sectarian  in  his  c  harities,  true  and  devoted 
to  his  church,  a  fond  father  and  indulgent  husband." 
By  order  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Atlanta  Na- 
tional Bank,  a  life-size  oil  painting  of  General  Aus- 
tell was  procured  and  hung  on  the  walls  of  the 
banking  house  as  a  perpetual  memorial  of  its  "Foun- 
der and  First  President."  At  a  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  bank,  appropriate  reso- 
lutions were  adopted  and  ordered  to  be  published  in 
the  New  York  Journal  of  Commerce,  the  Knoxville 
Tribune,  and  the  CharlestoniWw*  and  Courier.  Gen- 
eral Austell  leaves  a  widow  and  four  children,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters.  "  His  career,"  said  the 
editor  of  the  Atlanta  Constitution,  "  was  an  emi- 
nently successful  one,  illustrating  the  strong  record 
of  self-made  meu  only  possible  in  America.  Wise, 
prudent,  and  sagacious,  he  carried  the  enterprise  of 
which  he  was  the  head  through  storm  and  sunshine, 
amassing  fortunes  for  those  who  were  connected 
with  him,  and  standing  as  a  bulwark  of  Atlanta's 
finances.  Better  than  all  this,  General  Austell  dies 
in  the  fulness  of  integrity,  without  a  blot  on  his 
name,  leaving  to  his  children  the  legacy  of  an  hon- 
est and  stainless  name." 


INMAN,  WILLIAM  H. ,  a  representative  American 
banker  and  capitalist,  and  one  of  the  original 
members  of  the  firm  of  Inman,  Swann  &  Co.,  of 
New  York  City,  was  born  in  Madison  County,  Ala- 
bama, in  February,  1821,  and  died  at  Tate  Springs, 
Tennessee,  August  19,  1888.  His  parents  were  John 
Richie  and  Jane  Walker  Inman,  natives  of  Tennessee, 
who  removed  from  Jefferson  County,  in  that  State, 
to  a  farm  on  Flint  River,  Alabama.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  fourth  son  in  a  family  of  thir. 
teen  children.  Death  deprived  him  of  his  mother 
in  1831,  and  of  his  father  in  1836,  and,  in  conse- 
quence, he  was  obliged  to  begin  the  active  duties  of 
life  without  parental  encouragement  or  supervision. 
The  support  of  their  younger  brothers  and  sisters 
devolved  upon  William  and  his  elder  brother,  who 
manfully  assumed  and  successfully  carried  out  this 
great  task.  From  his  earliest  days  William  was 
noted  for  his  industry  and  energy.  Nature  endowed 
him  with  the  sanguine  temperament,  and  he  took  a 
cheerful  and  hopeful  view  of  life,  and  prosecuted 
every  business  enterprise  in  which  he  engaged  with 
the  utmost  confidence  and  generally  with  splendid 
success.  He  was  still  but  a  mere  youth  when  he 
was  entrusted  with  the  management  of  a  large 
farming  interest  belonging  to  a  wealthy  woman  liv- 
ing in  the  same  county — familiarly  known  as  "  the 
Widow  Campbell" —  whose  property  he  supervised 


during  two  years  or  more,  to  the  eminent  satisfac- 
tion of  the  owner.  He  then  engaged  in  farming  on 
his  own  account  for  a  year  or  two,  and  was  quite 
successful.  The  section  of  Alabama  where  he  was 
born  was  in  the  pioneer  period  of  its  existence  as  a 
civilized  community  at  this  time,  and  was  very 
thinly  settled.  Opportunities  for  obtaining  an  edu- 
cation were  limited,  as  schools  were  few  and  far  be- 
tween. Young  Inman  obtained  his  early  education 
in  what  was  called  an  "  old  field  school,"  but  he  was 
an  uncommonly  bright,  quick-witted  lad,  and  made 
excellent  use  of  his  meagre  opportunities.  In  1844 
he  left  the  old  homestead  in  Madison  County,  Ala- 
bama, and  went  to  Dandridge,  Tennessee,  where  his 
parents  were  well  known,  and  whither  his  elder 
brother,  Shadrack,  had  gone  several  years  before. 
Intelligence  and  activity  were  written  all  over  him, 
so  to  speak,  and  he  speedily  found  a  situation  as  a 
clerk  in  a  country  store.  In  a  short  time  he  made 
his  mark  as  a  salesman,  secured  a  better  salary, 
prudently  saved  his  money,  and  then  entered  into 
negotiations  with  his  brother  Shadrack,  with  whom 
finally  he  formed  a  co-partnership  in  the  general 
merchandize  business  in  the  town  of  Dandridge. 
In  this  untrammeled  position  his  business  talents 
developed  with  marvelous  rapidity,  and  he  soon  be- 
came known  as  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  the 
place.  His  chief  characteristics  were  pushing  ener- 
gy and  courage.  He  was  never  idle  a  moment,  and 
he  fearlessly  embarked  in  the  largest  operations, 
finding  in  them  a  stimulus  to  the  maximum  of  en- 
deavor which  afforded  his  business  ambition  the 
highest  gratification.  About  the  year  1854  the 
State  of  Tennessee  passed  a  free  banking  law,  under 
which  parties  putting  up  Tennessee  or  railroad 
bonds  could  establish  banks  in  any  section  of  that 
commonwealth.  Acting  under  the  provisions  of 
this  law,  Mr.  Inman,  with  other  capitalists,  estab- 
lished the  Bank  of  Jefferson,  at  Dandridge,  Tennes- 
see, placing  with  the  proper  authorities,  as  security, 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  railroad  bonds. 
About  the  year  1856,  Mr.  Inman  removed  to  Ring- 
gold, Georgia,  where  he,  with  others,  established 
the  Northwestern  Bank  of  Georgia,  which  was  man- 
aged successfully  from  the  start,  and  was  in  a  flour- 
ishing condition  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out. 
The  bank  continued  in  operation  until  the  Federal 
troops  overran  that  section  of  Georgia,  which  by  the 
fortunes  of  war,  was  compelled  to  suffer  the  destruc- 
tion of  almost  all  wealth  ;  when  Mr.  Inman  and  his 
family  were  obliged  to  go  further  South  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  the  invading  armies.  In  1863  he  left 
Ringgold  for  Atlanta,  and  in  1865  he  removed  to 
New  York  City,  accompanied  to  the  latter' place  by 
his  friend,  General  Austell  of  Atlanta,  with  whom 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF 


NEW  YORK. 


305 


he  at  once  organized  the  cotton  commission  house 
of  Austell  &  Inman,  which,  in  1868,  took  the  style  of 
Austell,   Inman  <fc  Co.,  and,  in  1871,  upon  the 
retirement  of  General  Austell,  that  of  Inman, 
Swanu  &  Co.,  Mr.  Inman  becoming  the  senior  part- 
ner. Mr.  Inman  remained  connected  with  this  house 
until  his  death  in  August,  1888.  The  same  boldness 
and  energy  which  had  made  his  earlier  business 
operations  so  successful  were  brought  into  play  by 
Mr.  Inman,  with  even  more  notable  results  in  the 
larger  field  of  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the 
country.  The  cotton  commission  business,  to  which 
the  operations  of  the  firm  were  at  first  limited,  was 
expanded  to  remarkable  proportions,  and  the  house 
became  widely  known  as  one  of  the  strongest  in  the 
trade.     As   its  wealth  increased  its  policy  was 
broadened,  and  other  investments  were  sought  for 
its  surplus  capital.    Mr.  Inman  always  retained  the 
warmest  interest  in  the  section  in  which  his  early 
life  was  spent,  and  as  a  capitalist  took  extreme 
pleasure  in  aiding  in  its  development  and  advance- 
ment.   Having  au  unwavering  faith  in  its  future 
rehabilitation  and  progress,  he  was  among  the  first 
and  most  energetic  of  those  who  invested  largely 
and  confidently  in  the  New  South,  rising  to  its  "feet 
from  the  ruins  of  the  old  which  perished  in  the  Civil 
War  ;  and  his  judicious  fostering  of  railroad  enter- 
prises and  of  coal  and  iron  mining,  prosecuted  in 
connection  therewith,  at  a  comparatively  heavy 
outlay  of  capital,  was  of  high  value  to  the  whole 
section,  and  had  much  to  do  with  directing  atten- 
tion to  it  and  encouraging  other  capitalists  to  en- 
gage in  similar  undertakings.    In  carrying  out  its 
enlarged  policy,  the  firm  came  in  time  to  transact 
an  extensive  banking  business,  its  operations  being 
chiefly  in  the  Southern  States,  and  its  reputation 
and  standing  to-day,  both  commercially  and  finan- 
cially, is  among  the  best  in  the  land.    The  business 
of  the  firm  has  grown  with  such  marvelous  rapidity 
that  it  has  for  some  time  been  recognized  as  one  of 
the  foremost  cotton  houses  in  this  country.    Mr.  In- 
man's  career  as  a  merchant  and  banker  in  New  York 
City,  while  not  greatly  different  from  that  of  many 
other  men  who  have  accpiired  wealth  and  distinction 
in  the  field  of  commercial  effort,  was  characterized 
by  qualities  which  made  him  remarkable  among  his 
contemporaries.    He  was  an  optimist  in  business, 
yet  at  no  time  rash  or  injudicious.    He  seemed  to 
have  been  born  with  the  keenest  business  intuition. 
His  intellectual  grasp  of  the  great  and  intricate  prob- 
lems of  trade  was  that  of  a  master  mind,  and  in  esti- 
mating results  he  appeared  to  comprehend  without 
effort  the  subtleties  of  combinations,  existing  or  pos- 
sible, with  rare  foresight.   He  entertained  broad  and 
enlightened  views  on  commercial  affairs  and  invari- 


ably had  the  courage  of  his  convictions.    His  judg 
ment  was  excellent  and  it  was  frequently  consulted 
and  its  suggestions  often  followed  to  great  advantage. 
He  prosecuted  his  various  undertakings  with  zeal 
and  fidelity,  and  won  and  held  the  esteem  of  hi,  as- 
sociates.   Several  of  his  personal  qualities  deserve 
special  me-ntion.    One  of  them,  which  he  exhibited 
in  a  truly  remarkable  degree,  was  that  of  readily 
recalling  to  mind  persons  with  whom  he  had  ever 
become  acquainted.    He  as  readily  recalled  names, 
and  his  bearing  was  so  courteous,  under  all  circum- 
stances, that  a  stranger  approaching  him  was  at 
once  put  at  ease.    His  manner  of  receiving  visitors 
was  at  all  times  marked  by  a  blending  of  cordiality 
with  dignity,  the  true  characteristics  of  manly 
politeness.    His  friendships  with  business  men  and 
associates  were  of  a  demonstrative  and  cordial  kind. 
He  was  an  entertaining  conversationalist,  uniformly 
bright  and  pleasant,  never  by  any  change  morose, 
and  always  manly.  His  personal  acquaintance  par- 
took of  the  widest  range,  especially  through  his 
native  South,  in  which  region  of  the  country  his 
large  business    interests  were    chiefly  centered. 
Without  desiring  to  lift  the  veil  of  home  life,  it  must 
be  said  that  a  sketch  of  Mr.  Inman's  career  would 
be  quite  incomplete  were  it  not  to  make  mention  of 
his  marked  devotion  to  his  family.    In  the  joys  of 
the  domestic  circle  he  found  his  greatest  happiness, 
and  he  brought  to  it  a  bright  and  affectionate  cor- 
diality which  will  ever  be  one  of  the  most  treasure.  1 
remembrances  of  his  devoted  helpmeet-  and  loving 
children.     Kind  and  sympathetic  towards  all,  he 
was  especially  so  towards  those  of  his  kith  and  kin 
and  his  regular  associates.    Unlike  many  who  are 
extensively  engaged  in  business,  he  took  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  general  affairs  of  the  world,  was  well 
informed  in  a  great  variety  of  topics  and  conversed 
upon  and  discussed  them  with  superior  ability.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society, 
and  of  the  American  Geographical  Society,  and  fol- 
lowed their  labors  and  proceedings  with  unfeigned 
interest  and  pleasure.    He  was  a  true  Christian  in 
heart  and  sentiment,  and  for  many  years  preceding 
his  death  was  a  pew-holder  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  an  appreciative  admirer  of  its 
distinguished  minister,  the  Rev.  John  Hall.  D.D. 
On  September  6,  1859,  Mr.  Inman  was  married  to 
Miss  Fannie  Jane  Curry,  daughter  of  Robert  F. 
Curry,  Esq.,  of  Ringgold,  Georgia.    Four  children 
were  born  to  this  marriage,  viz.:  Robert  W.,  Jennie 
F.,  Willie  Lee  and  Marguerite  G.,  all  of  whom  are 
now  living.    Mr.  Robert  W.  Inman,  born  in  Ring- 
gold, Georgia,  on  November  13,  1861,  is  now  respon- 
sibly connected  with  the  business  founded  by  his 
father. 


306 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


SCOTT,  GEORGE  HOBART.  a  leading  operator 
in  realty  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  Real  Estate  Exchange 
and  Auction  Room,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  the  first  Secretary,  was  born  in  Allen 
Street,  Tenth  Ward,  in  the  city  named,  September 
24,  1846.  His  paternal  grandfather,  George  Scott, 
born  in  1784,  was  a  native  of  the  North  of  Ireland,  and, 
like  all  of  the  name,  was  of  Scotch  extraction.  He 
married  Miss  Charlotte  Bockhurst,  born  in  New 
York  City  in  1792,  whose  father,  John  Bockhurst, 
was  a  gentleman  of  high  respectability  and  the  pos- 
sessor of  considerable  means  for  those  days.  Rich- 
ard Scott,  one  of  the  children  of  this  marriage,  and 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
New  York  City  in  1817,  and  was  bred  to  the  profes- 
sion of  law,  and  in  passing  his  examination  at  Al- 
bany, as  was  then  the  custom,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  on  the  same  day  as  Charles  P.  Daly,  afterwards 
Chief-Justice  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  New 
York  City.  He  was  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Assistant 
Aldermen  of  New  York,  from  184G  to  1852 ;  and  at- 
tained some  celebrity  for  the  remarkable  rapidity 
with  which  he  framed  and  wrote  out  the  proceed- 
ings and  ordinances  of  that  body.  In  1850  he  invest- 
ed largely  in  vacant  land  in  what  is  now  the  central 
and  upper  districts  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  largest  operators  in  the  metropolis. 
At  one  time  he  owned  over  three  hundred  lots. 
When  he  was  making  these  investments  ex-Mayor 
Brady,  Ex-Governor  Morgan  and  other  prominent 
men,  who,  like  him,  had  the  utmost  confidence  in 
the  future  growth  of  the  city,  were  similarly  en- 
gaged. Not  long  before  his  death,  the  last  named, 
in  a  conversation  held  with  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  remarked  to  him:  "Mr.  Scott,  do  you  re- 
member when  your  father  and  I  used  to  buy  lots 
along  Murray  Hill,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth  Aven- 
ues, for  a  thousand  dollars  apiece  ?"  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  at  the  time  of  this  conversation,  the 
lots  referred  to  were  worth  upwards  of  thirty  thou- 
sand dollars  each.  Richard  Scott's  wife,  Mary  L. 
Scott,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
a  daughter  of  Captain  Daniel  L.  Porter,  a  leading 
citizen  of  New  Haven,  and  owner  of  the  first  packet 
line  that  ran  between  New  York  and  Savannah. 
George  Hobart  Scott,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
the  only  surviving  child  of  his  parents,  and  received 
his  middle  name  in  honor  of  Bishop  Hobart  of  the 
Episcopal  Church,  who  was  a  friend  of  the  family. 
In  his  boyhood  he  attended  the  Forty-seventh  Street 
public  school,  of  which  James  Monteith,  the  distin- 
guished scholar,  was  then  Principal,  and  when 
twelve  years  old  was  ready  to  enter  the  old  Free 
Academy,  now  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York, 


;  but  was  not  up  to  the  age  requirement.  He  then  at- 
tended the  private  school  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Noble,  at 
Brookfield,  Connecticut,  where  he  entered  upon  the 
study  of  the  classics.  He  finished  this  course  and 
was  prepared  for  admission  to  Yale  College  at  the 
Columbia  College  Grammar  School  in  his  native 
city,  and  afterward  attended  the  Washington  Insti- 
tute, where  he  was  graduated  in  1862.  His  profi- 
ciency in  mathematics  was  such  as  to  elicit  the  ad- 
miring comment  of  every  teacher  under  whom  he 
studied,  one  of  whom  remarked  that  he  was  ' '  the 
best  drilled  arithmetician  he  ever  met  in  his  life." 
As  companion  to  his  father,  who  was  then  an  invalid 
and  in  search  of  health,  he  spent  the  ensuing  two 
years  in  extensive  travel  in  the  United  States,  dur- 

j  ing  which  he  acquired  a  considerable  knowledge  of 
the  ways  of  the  world.  The  death  of  his  father  in 
1864,  caused  him  to  change  his  views  regarding  a 
college  education  and  he  concluded  to  engage  in 
business.  Going  into  Pine  Street,  he  devoted  several 
years  to  mastering  an  acquaintance  with  the  real 
estate  business,  to  which  this  locality  bore  the  same 
relation  as  Wall  Street  bears  to  finance  to-day.  He 
then  became  connected  with  the  late  William  H. 
Raynor,  at  that  time  doing,  the  largest  real  estate 
business  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Subsequently  he 
married  Mr.  Raynor's  daughter,  and  in  1876 — after 
the  death  of  Mr.  Raynor — he  entered  into  partner- 
ship witli  Mr.  Sinclair  Mjers,  and  organized  the 
firm  of  Scott  &  Myers,  which  is  to-day  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  and  best  known  real  estate  firms 
in  the  city.  At  the  beginning  the  attention  of 
the  new  firm  was  devoted  principally  to  sales  of 
real  estate  at  auction  and  a  general  auction  busi- 
ness. In  1879,  when  the  resumption  of  specie 
payment  caused  a  revival  of  sales  of  real  estate 
at  private  sale,  the  firm  returned  to  operations 
in  vacant  lots,  in  which  it  has  since  followed  the 
general  policy  originally  established  by  Mr.  Raynor, 
making  it,  to-day,  the  real  successor  of  the  power- 
ful house  of  which  he  was  the  head  a  quarter  of  a 
century  ago.  Mr.  Scott  and  his  partner,  Mr.  Myers, 
have  the  reputation  of  being  two  of  the  shrewdest 
and  ablest  real  estate  operators  of  the  day.  They 
have  always  been  firm  believers  in  real  estate  invest- 
ments in  the  city  of  New  York  and  have  been  en- 
thusiasts on  West-side  property.  As  far  back  as 
1880,  they  were  backing  it  to  such  an  extent  that 
their  books  show  an  aggregate  dealing  of  $4,000,000 
in  lots  to  the  westward  of  Central  Park.  The  late 
A.  H.  Barney,  his  son  Charles  T.  Barney,  Francis 
M.  Jencks,  Wm.  E.  D.  Stokes  and  other  wealthy 
capitalists,  were  among  those  whom  the  firm  induced 
to  invest  largely  in  WTest-side  lots.  None  of  those 
who  followed  their  advice  at  that  time  have  had  any 


PRESIDENT  NEW  YORK  REAL  ESTATE  EXCHANGE 

1890. 


A  ttanlicruoksninq  &  Engraving  C>>  NY 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


occasion  to  regret  their  investment,  while  many  have 
profited  largely  by  doing  so.  In  1888, speaking  on  this 
topic  to  a  writer  for  the  New  York  World,  Mr.  Scott 
said  : 

"Any  investment  made  to-day  under  judicious 
advice  in  New  York  City,  is  certain  to  bring 
handsome  returns.  Last  summer  I  was  abroad  and 
I  paid  special  attention  to  real  estate  matters  as  far 
as  I  could  in  European  capitals,  and  1  come  back 
more  'bullish'  than  ever  on  real  estate  in  this  city. 
To-day  the  market  is  very  strong  and  has  a  great 
future.  *  *  *  We  want  a  few  express  trains  on 
our  rapid-transit  lines,  and  then  the  high  land,  per- 
fect drainage  and  many  advantages  of  that  section 
will  make  it  the  star  residential  portion  of  the  city." 

Thefi  rm  of  Scott  &  Myers  also  deals  extensively  in 
down-town  improved  property,  and  one  of  its  partic- 
ular specialties  is  the  appraisement  of  property,  a 
line  in  which  it  has  done  a  large  business  for  some 
time.  Mr.  Scott's  acknowledged  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  realty  values  recently  led  to  his  appoint- 
ment as  an  expert  to  condemn  property  under  con- 
demnation proceedings  of  the  Elevated  Railroad 
Company  in  the  city  of  New  York,  to  acquire  future 
easements  of  land  along  the  route.  In  this  impor- 
tant labor  he  appraised  upwards  of  one  thousand 
pieces  of  property  during  the  summer  and  autumn 
of  1889.  Mr.  Scott  has  also  been  called  upon  fre- 
quently to  act  as  arbitrator  between  appraisers  in 
renewal  of  long  leases,  a  fact  further  confirmatory 
of  the  high  estimate  in  which  his  skill  and  equity 
are  held  by  his  contemporaries.  Mr.  Scott  took  an 
active  and  prominent  part  in  the  organization  of  the 
Real  Estate  Exchange  and  Auction  Room  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  having  as  associates  in  the  move- 
ment, Messrs.  Ludlow,  Harnett,  Cammann,  Cruik- 
shank  and  other  well-known  real  estate  men.  He 
was  a  prominent  attendant  at  the  first  meeting  for 
this  purpose,  held  at  the  office  of  the  Real  Estate 
Record  and  Guide,  and  was  one  of  the  Commissioners 
appointed  by  the  Governor  to  collect  subscriptions. 
Upon  the  incorporation  of  the  Exchange  he  was 
elected  a  Director  and  has  been  continued  in  that 
capacity  ever  since.  When  the  first  Board  of  Direc- 
tors met,  he  was  elected  Secretary  and  held  that  of- 
fice up  to  the  close  of  1887 — serving  during  the 
administration  of  Presidents  Ludlow  and  Cammann 
— when  he  resigned,  receiving  a  special  vote  of 
thanks  for  his  services,  and  many  warm  expressions 
of  regret.  The  duties  of  the  position  during  the 
time  he  held  it  were  arduous  and  no  salary  was  at- 
tached to  it,  but  Mr.  Scott  devoted  both  time  and 
energy  unselfishly  to  the  interests  and  advancement 
of  the  Exchange,  even  to  the  injury  of  his  own 
private  business.  Mr.  Scott  has  always  entertained 
advanced  views  in  regard  to  the  importance  and 
improvement  of  the  Real  Estate  Exchange  and  has 


been  styled  "the  leader  of  the  progressive  party 
among  its  members."  Giving  expression  to  his 
views  in  the  press,  in  the  early  part  of  1888,  he  said : 
•'  I  want  to  see  a  ready  plan  of  real  estate  transfer, 
and  then  I  want  to  see  listed  on  the  Exchange,  «  Ith 
a  daily  call  or  two  calls,  all  stocks  of  companies 
which  have  their  foundation  in  real  estate.  There 
are  some  of  them  now,  and  others  could  be  organiz- 
ed to  advantage.  For  instance,  a  man  has  a  few 
thousand  dollars  to  invest  on  mortgage;  see  what  a 
bother  it  is.  Instead,  why  could  he  not  buy  a  few 
bonds  of  a  company  engaged  in  that  business?  The 
security  could  not  be  better.  There  is  no  possible 
star-chamber  business  about  it,  for  everything  is  of 
record,  and  with  a  daily  call  a  man  could  make  a 
realization  on  a  mortgage  in  an  hour  where  it  now 
takes  weeks.  There  are  too  many  antiquated 
methods  about  real  estate,  and  from  our  experience 
and  the  standing  which  the  Exchange  would  give 
listed  stocks,  we  could  keep  all  the  safeguards 
and  do  away  with  the  cumbersome  machinery." 

In  the  election  of  1889,  Mr.  Scott's  name  was 
brought  forward  as  that  of  a  candidate  for  the 
office  of  President.  He  received  the  faithful  and 
enthusiastic  support  of  the  progressive  element  in 
the  Board  and  was  elected,  succeeding  President 
Cruikshank,  and  being  the  fourth  incumbent  of 
the  office.  He  entered  upon  his  duties  saying  ■ 
•'  I  intend  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the  Exchange 
on  an  economical  basis,  and  I  shall  devote  my  best 
efforts  to  increasing  the  influence  and  power  of  the 
Exchange  in  our  State  and  city  legislation,  in  the 
interests  of  the  property  owners  and  the  people  of 
this  city."  Since  he  assumed  his  duties,  in  the  early 
part  of  1890,  the  question  of  rapid  transit  has  been 
brought  up  anew  and  is  generally  discussed  as  one 
of  the  most  vital  bearing  upon  the  city's  interests 
and  the  welfare  of  its  residents.  From  the  fiisi .  Mr. 
Scott  has  realized  the  importance  of  rapid  transit 
and  has  been  among  its  warmest  advocates.  The 
Real  Estate  Exchange,  under  his  administration,  has 
made  vigorous  efforts  to  procure  the  passage  of  a 
Rapid  Transit  Bill  which  would,  in  some  degree,  at 
least,  secure  to  the  tax-payers  of  the  metropolis  ade- 
quate and  rapid  transportation  facilities.  While 
the  last  Legislature  was  in  session,  a  committee  of 
fifty  influential  members  of  the  Exchange,  headed  by 
President  Scott  in  person,  went  to  Albany  and  pre- 
sented a  memorial  to  the  Senate  and  Assembly,  pray- 
ing that  the  Legislature  would  not  adjourn  with- 
out making  provision  for  the  people's  wants  in  this 
respect.  The  committee  were  allowed  the  extraor- 
dinary privilege  of  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  and  its 
chairman,  President  Scott,  was  accorded  the  unpre- 
cedented honor  of  addressing  the  President  of  the 
Senate  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  Chamber,  and  of 
presenting  the  memorial  in  person.  The  committee 
were  also  allowed  the  privilege  of  the  floor  of  the 


3o8 


contemporary  biography  of  new  york. 


Assembly,  and  were  introduced  to  the  Speaker  of  1 
the  House  and  afterwards  severally  presented  to  the  ! 
Governor  of  the  State.  When  the  Legislature  ad- 
journed without  having  given  the  people  the  re- 
quired bill,  President  Scott  called  a  meeting  of  all 
the  members  of  the  Exchange,  for  the  purpose  of 
petitioning  the  Governor  to  convene  an  extraordi- 
nary session  of  the  Legislature,  in  order  that  this 
great  question  might  be  properly  considered  and  a 
Rapid  Transit  Bill  passed.  In  appreciation  of  his 
efficient  administration,  President  Scott  was  recently 
presented  by  a  few  members  of  the  Exchange  with 
a  handsome  ivory  gavel,  suitably  inscribed.  At  the 
time  of  the  Johnstown  floods,  when  the  most  promi- 
nent merchants  and  business  men  of  the  citj'  were 
called  together  by  the  Mayor  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  and  met  in  the  Governor's  room  in  the  City 
Hall,  to  devise  means  for  extending  immediate  relief 
to  the  sufferers,  Mr.  Scott  was  appointed  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  ( )rganization,  which  named  the 
Executive  Committee.  This  latter  body,  of  which 
General  Wm.  T.  Sherman  was  chosen  Chairman 
and  Mr.  Scott  one  of  the  Secretaries,  raised  over  a 
million  dollars,  which  was  all  sent  into  the  Cone- 
maugh  Valley.  President  Scott  was  appointed  by 
the  Mayor  of  New  York,  a  member  of  the  World's 
Fair  Committee,  called  into  being  for  the  purpose  of 
making  arrangements  for  and  holding  an  Interna- 
tional Exhibition  in  the  city  of  New  Y'ork  on  the 
quadro-centennial  of  the  discovery  of  America  by 
Christopher  Columbus.  He  was  among  those  who 
went  to  Washington,  with  Mr.  Chauncey  M.  Depew 
and  other  influential  citizens,  to  press  the  claims  of 
New  YTork  before  Congress,  and  while  there  devoted 
himself  to  interviewing  Southern  and  Southwestern 
members,  with  most  gratifying  results.  When  Mr. 
Scott  was  chosen  President  of  the  Exchange,  the 
New  York  Record  commented  upon  his  election  as 

follows  : 

"Mr.  George  II.  Scott,  the  newly  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Real  Estate  Exchange,  is  well  known  by 
his  long  connection  with  this  business.  *  *  * 
He  is  thoroughly  posted  in  everything  relating  to 
real  estate  matters  and  in  his  individual  capacity 
transacts  a  large  business  in  buying,  selling  and  ex- 
changing property.  *  *  *  Mr.  Scott  will  bring 
to  his  new  position  an  intelligence  and  executive 
ability  of  a  high  order,  qualifying  him  for  the  per- 
formance of  the  responsible  duties  devolving  upon 
him.  An  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  regular  do- 
ings of  the  Exchange  during  the  past  year  can  be 
gathered  from  the  following  figures:  The  real 
estate  sold  at  auction  was  to  the  value  of  #49,943,- 
113,  an  increase  of  #3,352,760  over  the  previous 
year.  This  sum  expresses  the  doings  on  the  floor  of 
the  Exchange  alone,  the  sales  effected  by  individual 
firms  outside  of  these  transactions  being  far  in  ex- 
cess of  the  figures  mentioned.  The  financial  condi- 
tion of  the  Exchange  is  favorable,  the  balance  sheet 


i  showing  a  net  profit  of  #23,000.55  to  the  sinking 
fund.  President  Scott  enters  upon  his  official 
career  under  promising  auspices,  and,  having  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  his  associates,  will  doubt- 
less so  direct  the  affairs  of  the  Exchange  as  to  make 
it  a  still  greater  power  in  all  matters  relating  to  its 
legitimate  business." 

These  predictions  have  been  happily  fulfilled,  Mr. 
Scott's  energy  having  kept  the  Exchange  in  the  very 
forefront  on  all  public  questions.  After  spending 
twenty-one  3'ears  of  his  business  life  in  Pine  Street, 
Mr.  Scott — as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Scott  k  My- 
ers— moved,  in  1885,  to  146  Broadway.  The  firm 
has  recently  removed  to  the  Real  Estate  Exchange 
Building  in  Liberty  Street.  Mr.  Scott  served  in  the 
Second  Company  of  the  famous  Seventh  Regiment 
of  the  National  Guard  of  the  State  of  New  Y'ork, 
from  1865  to  1873,  and  is  now  a  prominent  member 
of  the  "Veterans  of  the  Seventh  Regiment,"  and  of 
the  Veteran  Club.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Man- 
hattan, New  York,  New  York  Athletic,  and  Lawyers' 
Clubs:  of  the  St.  Nicholas  Society  (in  which  he 
derives  membership  on  the  maternal  side)  and  of 
the  Arion  Society,  in  all  of  which,  as  well  as  in  busi- 
ness and  social  circles,  he  is  deservedlj'  popular, 
being  a  man  of  many  genial  characteristics  and  of 
more  than  agreeable  personality.  He  was  married, 
in  October,  1872,  to  Miss  Libbie  M.  Raynor,  of  New 
Yrork  City,  the  ceremony,  which  was  performed  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Morgan,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr.,  taking  place  in  St.  Thomas' 
Episcopal  Church  on  Fifth  Avenue,  and  being  one 
of  the  most  notable  ever  held  in  that  imposing  edi- 
fice. He  has  five  children,  viz.:  William  H.  Raynor, 
William  Marsden,  Edna  May,  Minnie  and  Made- 
line. 


EATON,  PROF.  DARWIN  GROVES,  A.M., 
M.D.,  Ph.D.,  an  eminent  American  educator 
and  scientist,  and  for  upwards  of  thirty  years 
Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Science  in 
several  leading  educational  institutions  of  the  State 
of  New  YTork,  was  born  at  Portland,  Chautauqua 
County,  New  Y'ork,  on  March  6,  1822.  He  is  of  the 
seventh  generation  of  his  name  in  xVmerica,  and  is 
a  descendant  of  Jonas  Eaton,  who  came  from  Wales 
about  the  year  1640  and  settled  in  Massachusetts. 
The  old  records  show  that  Jonas  Eaton  and  his  wife 
Grace  resided  at  Reading,  Massachusetts.  They 
had  eight  children.  John,  the  second  of  these,  born 
September  10,  1645,  and  his  wife  Dorcas,  had  ten 
children.  Jonas  (2d)  the  fourth  of  these,  born  May 
18,  1680,  and  his  wife  Mehitable,  also  had  ten  chil- 
dren. He  removed  from  Reading  to  Framingham, 
Massachusetts,  and  built  a  house  there,  upon  the  site 


- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW 


YORK. 


309 


of  which  stands  "  the  old  Eaton  house,"  the  home- 
stead of  the  family  for  many  years.  Jonas  Eaton  (2d  | 
died  in  1727.     His  ninth  child,  Benjamin,  born 
October  9,  1723,  married  Beula  Stone  and  they  had 
five  children,  of  whom  the  fourth,  Benjamin  (2d) 
born  July  27,  1754,  married  Mary  Stacy.    The  chil- 
dren of  this  couple  were  ten  in  number,  of  whom 
David,  the  fifth,  born  in  Framingham,  February  2, 
1782,  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
The  life  of  David  Eaton  presents  many  strong  and 
salient  features.    He  possessed  in  a  very  marked 
degree  the  characteristic  traits  of  the  best  type  of 
the  New  Englander  of  his  day,  and  more  than  a 
mere  allusion  to  him  should  be  made  in  a  biographi- 
cal sketch  of  one  of  his  children,  who  inherits  in 
notable  degree  many  of  his  most  estimable  qualities 
of  head  and  heart.   David  Eaton  was  the  eldest  son 
of  his  parents.    His  father,  Benjamin  Eaton  (2d) 
although  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  a  master  of 
the  trade  of  boot  and  shoe  making,  seems  not  to 
have  been  born  with  those  pushing  business  quali- 
ties which  command  or  lead  to  financial  success, 
and,  in  consequence,  remained  a  workman  all  his 
life.    Nevertheless,  he  was  an  intelligent  and  faith- 
ful workman,  and  while  not  rich  in  the  world's 
goods,  was  really  affluent  in  the  esteem  and  good 
will  of  all  who  knew  him.    For  years  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  Nathan  Fay,  an  energetic  business  man 
of  Southbury,  Massachusetts,  whose  boot  and  shoe 
factory  was  among  the  pioneer  establishments  in 
this  great  industry  in  "the  old  Bay  State."  He  was 
such  a  reliable  workman  that  he  was  not  required 
to  work  in  the  factory,  but  was  permitted  to  take 
the  stock  to  be  manufactured  to  his  own  dwelling, 
where,  with  the  aid  of  his  son  David,  he  prepared  it 
for  the  market.    David  was  a  mere  child  when  he 
began  to  help  his  father,  but  he  worked  with  a  will, 
and  at  fourteen  years  of  age  he  was  able  to  do  the 
work  of  a  mature  hand.    In  1800  Benjamin  Eaton 
died,  and  to  David,  as  the  eldest  son,  fell  the  grave 
responsibility  of  caring  for  his  widowed  mother  and 
a  houseful  of  children.    With  a  manliness  of  char- 
acter which  stands  out  with  undimmed  brilliancy 
even  after  the  lapse  of  almost  a  century,  he  took  up 
the  heavy  burden  laid  down  by  his  honest  father  at 
his  death,  and  bore  it  nobly  and  faithfully  until  it 
was  lightened  by  the  decrees  of  Providence.  At  the 
death  of  their  father,  David  and  his  only  surviving 
brother,  Cyrus,  "who  was  extremely  anxious  for  a 
liberal  education,  and  had  in  part  prepared  himself 
to  enter  college,"  made  an  arrangement  whereby 
the  first  named  was  to  remain  at  home  and  care  for 
the  family,  and  the  last  named,  by  teaching  and  by 
other  means,  should  make  his  way  through  college. 
This  arrangement  was  strictly  adhered  to,  and  Cyrus 


eventually  graduated  at  Bowdoin  College,  became  a 
teacher  in  his  Alma  Mater,  and  afterward  Principal 
of  an  academy  in  the  same  State.    But  this  heroic 
unselfishness  of  David  was  not  without  its  reward. 
Cyrus,  during  the  vacation  season,  spent  a  portion 
of  his  time  at  home,  and  devoted  himself  to  teaching 
his  elder  brother.    He  was  an  adept  in  the  study  of 
the  languages,  yet  his  brother  David  surpassed  him 
in  mathematics,  astronomy  and  kindred  science,  al- 
though he  had  no  school  training  and  only  desultory 
tuition  from  the  clergyman  of  the  parish.    By  the 
time  David  became  of  age  death  had  worked  such 
havoc  in  the  family  that  only  a  few  of  the  children 
remained— the  others  succumbing  to  that  dreadful 
scourge— scarlet  fever.    In  the  winter  of  1804-5 
David  Eaton  abandoned  the  manufacture  of  shoes 
to  engage  in  teaching  school  near  Bangor,  Maine, 
where  he  had  gone  on  a  visit  to  his  brother  Cyrus. 
In  the  spring  of  1805  he  returned  to  Southbury  and 
in  company  with  Mr.  Nathan  Fay,  set  out  to  explore 
the  Holland  Patent  (then  being  extensively  adver- 
tised as  a  desirable  locality  in  which  to  found  homes) 
to  which  their  eyes  as  well  as  those  of  their  neigh- 
bors had  been  longingly  turned  for  many  a  day.  In 
a  "  biographical  sketch  of  David  Eaton,"  prepared 
for  the  Chautauqua  County  Society  of  History  and 
Natural  Sciences,  by  Dr.  H.  C.  Taylor,  of  Portland, 
New  York,  a  very  full  account  of  the  journey  is 
given,  which  shows  it  to  have  been  one  of  great 
hardship.    Nevertheless  the  young  explorers  were 
pleased  with  their  investigations  and,  upon  their  re- 
turn to  Southbury,  communicated  their  impressions 
to  their  neighbors  and  friends,  many  of  whom  were 
influenced  to  migrate  westward,  a  large  number  as 
far  as  Chautauqua  County,  New  York,  then  a  wil- 
derness. In  the  winter  of  1805-0,  David  Eaton  again 
taught  school,  and  on  April  20,  following,  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Elizabeth  Home.    Early  in  May,  1806, 
"  he  left  the  home  of  his  fathers,  witli  all  his  effects, 
and  a  family  consisting  of  a  wife,  mother  and  sister." 
The  limits  of  this  article  do  not  permit  of  even  a 
brief  account  of  this  memorable  journey,  during 
which  Mrs.  Eaton,  who  was  in  delicate  health,  died. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  David  Eaton  finally  reached  his 
destination  and  took  up  land  in  the  new  town  of 
Portland,  the  article  for  which  was  dated  Jul)'  9, 
1800.    "The  clearing  of  land  was  the  order  with 
ever}'  settler,  and  Mr.  Eaton  was  no  exception. 
The  sturdy  blows  of  his  axe  soon  opened  the  forest 
and  let  in  the  sunlight,  and  a  generous  soil  ever  after 
furnished  him  all  the  necessaries  of  life.  His  mother 
kept  his  home,  and  his  sister,  Miss  Anna  Eaton, 
taught  school  until  1815,  when  she  married  Solomon 
Nichok  and  removed  to  Whitestown,  Oneida  Coun- 
ty."   On  March  G.  1811,  Mr.  Eaton  married  Mercy 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


3IO 

Groves  Fay,  widow  of  Nathan  Fay,  his  friend  apd 
brother  pioneer,  and  daughter  of  Retire  Groves, 
Esq.,  of  Whitestown,  Oneida  County,  New  York, 
whose  wife,  born  Abigail  King,  was  the  aunt  of  the 
Rev.  Jonas  King,  the  celebrated  missionary  to 
Athens  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 
This  marriage  was  the  consummation  of  an  attach- 
ment which  had  long  existed  and  it  was  ideally  per- 
fect. In  his  new  home  David  Eaton  rose  to  be  a 
man  of  consequence  and  position.  As  a  Lieutenant 
in  the  militia  he  served  in  the  War  of  1812  from  its 
beginning  until  1814,  and  at  the  battle  of  Queens- 
town,  October  3,  1812,  was  wounded  by  a  ball 
which  permanently  disabled  his  wrist.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  regimental  paymaster  in  1814, 
and  served  as  such  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being 
present,  however,  at  the  battle  of  Black  Rock  and 
Buffalo,  December  30,  1813,  and  on  the  Niagara 
frontier  in  August  and  September,  1814.  He  was 
Supervisor  of  the  town  of  Portland  in  1815,  '16,  '17 
and  '18,  and  again  in  1834  and  '35;  Clerk  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  from  1820  to  1827 ;  Justice  of 
the  Peace  from  1829  to  1834,  and  Superintendent  of 
the  Poor  from  1844  to  1850.  Mr.  Eaton  was  always 
one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  every  movement  for  the 
good  of  the  town  and  its  people.  In  1815  and  '16 
he  was  active,  with  others,  in  the  formation  of  a 
company,  incorporated  in  1817,  formed  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  turnpike  road  from  the  village  of  Buf- 
falo to  the  east  line  of  Pennsylvania.  Through  his 
influence  a  public  library  was  established  in  Port- 
land, in  1824,  and  was  maintained  for  many  years. 
He  was  also  largely  instrumental  in  founding  the 
First  Congregational  Church  in  Portland,  organized 
January  31,  1818.  David  Eaton  was  a  splendid  ex- 
ample of  a  self-educated  man.  He  was  a  careful 
student  and  accurate  observer  of  nature,  and  not- 
withstanding his  family  cares,  and  the  demands 
made  upon  him  by  his  official  duties  and  the  man- 
agement of  a  large  farm,  he  found  leisure  to  pursue 
his  studies  and  perfect  his  knowledge  of  mathe- 
matics and  natural  science.  In  the  commodious 
house  with  which  he  supplanted  the  log  cabin  that 
served  as  his  first  abode  in  Portland,  he  had  a  room 
for  himself  alone  where  he  kept  his  books,  instru- 
ments and  appliances,  and  to  which  he  frequently 
retired  to  refresh  his  wearied  physical  nature  by 
delving  into  the  mysteries  of  the  heavens.  By  the 
help  of  astronomical  tables  brought  from  his  home 
in  Massachusetts,  he  calculated  with  great  accuracy 
all  the  eclipses  of  the  sun  and  moon  for  more  than 
twenty  years  in  advance,  and  had  them  carefully  de- 
picted in  a  book  which  he  kept  for  that  purpose. 
He  was  an  accurate  surveyor  and  was  frequently 
employed  by  his  neighbors  in  that  capacity,  as  also 


in  the  drawing  of  deeds,  mortgages,  wills  and  other 
legal  documents.  His  observations  of  natural  phe- 
nomena were  carefully  recorded  in  a  book  kept  for 
that  purpose,  and  covered  a  period  of  more  than 
thirty  years.  Three  times  a  day  he  entered  the  tem- 
perature, direction  of  wind,  and  face  of  the  sky.  He 
was  not  able  to  have  a  barometer,  but  by  means  of 
an  extemporized  rain-gauge,  he  kept  a  record  of  the 
rain-fall,  melting  the  snow  for  that  purpose  in  win- 
ter. He  recorded  every  hail-storm  and  thunder- 
storm, with  any  peculiar  electrical  phenomena 
noticed,  and  every  unusual  appearance  in  the 
heavens,  such  as  aurora  borealis,  halos  around  the 
sun  or  moon,  comets,  meteors,  etc.,  etc.  He  like- 
wise carefully  recorded  the  first  appearance  of  the 
spring  birds,  of  the  house  fly  and  other  insects  :  the 
leaving  out  of  forest  trees,  the  blooming  of  fruit 
trees,  of  wild  flowers,  etc.,  etc.  It  is  hardly  neces- 
sary to  add  that  "  he  was  a  Nestor  among  the  early 
settlers  and  a  patriarch  in  his  family,  a  gentleman 
and  a  Christian."  His  mother  died  October  14, 1848, 
aged  ninety-five  years  six  months;  his  wife  died. 
May  12,  1862,  aged  seventy-three  years  six  months ; 
and  he  himself  died  October  7,  1872,  aged  ninety 
years  and  eight  months.  He  left  five  children — 
Edwin,  Emily,  Alfred,  Oscar  and  Darwin  Groves, 
all  of  whom  were  born  in  Portland.  The  last 
named  and  youngest,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  named  Darwin  after  the  grandfather  of 
the  great  naturalist,  who  was  a  poet  and  wrote  a 
poem  on  Gardening,  which  so  pleased  Mr.  David 
Eaton  that  he  named  his  son  in  his  honor.  The  lad's 
other  name — Groves — was  in  honor  of  his  mother's 
family.  Darwin  Groves  Eaton  was  bred  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  received  his  early  education  at 
the  local  public  school.  His  progress  in  the  more 
advanced  studies  was  accomplished  under  the  tui- 
tion of  his  father,  who  displayed  great  pains  and 
tact  in  carrying  out  the  task.  In  the  winter  months 
Darwin  taught  school  to  earn  money  for  an  academic 
education  in  a  neighboring  village.  His  father  was 
a  very  companionable  man,  and  under  his  influence 
and  tuition  his  children,  as  their  minds  expanded, 
naturally  acquired  a  fondness  for  science  and  espec- 
ially for  mathematical  and  natural  science.  Darwin 
inherited  a  fondness  for  these  pursuits  and  also 
great  natural  powers  of  observation.  Soon  after 
completing  the  course  in  algebra  and  geometrj'  at 
the  academy,  he  began,  under  his  father's  in- 
struction, the  study  of  astronomy,  and  soon  be- 
came able  to  calculate  eclipses.  He  also  acquired 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  surveying  and  was  able 
to  survey  neighbors'  farms  as  occasion  offered ; 
and  this,  with  teaching  school  winters,  enabled 
him  to  earn  money  to  aid  in  obtaining  a  higher 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


education.  His  father,  never  having  studied  bot- 
any, took  up  that  science  with  his  son   and  to 
gether  it  was  their  custom  to  spend  about  two  hours 
of  Saturday  afternoon  in  field  work.    The  herbar- 
ium thus  prepared  comprised  most  of  the  plants 
native  to  that  region.   Later  they  took  up  the  study 
of  geology  together,  and  the  banks  of  Lake  Erie  and 
the  deep  ravines  of  tributary  streams  afforded  am 
pie  opportunity  for  the  study  of  rocks,  especiallv 
those  of  the  Portage  and  Chemung  groups,  with 
their  characteristic  fossils.    The  house  of  David 
Eaton  was  the  abode  of  generous  hospitality  and 
frequently  the  resort  of  academic  teachers  and  other 
scientific  men.    Prof.  James  Hall  was  occasionally 
entertained  within  its  walls,  during  his  early  labors 
in  that  county ;  and  some  years  later,  Darwin,  then 
himself  a  man  of  science,  had  the  pleasure  of  studying 
paleontology  at  Albany  under  his  tuition.  Darwin 
G.  Eaton  began  teaching  at  the  age  of  eighteen  and 
taught  five  years  iu  the  public  schools,  still  hoping  to 
compass  a  college  education.  Having,  however^e- 
cided  to  adopt  the  profession  of  teaching  as  a  life 
vocation,  he  entered  the  State  Normal  School  at  Al- 
bany, in  1845,  soon  after  the  opening  of  that  institu- 
tion, under  the  principalship  of  David  P.  Page,  the 
pioneer  of  pedagogy  in  the  State  of  New  York.'  In 
the  autumn  of  1845  he  was  selected  by  Principal 
Page  to  assist  Professor  Albert  D.  Wright  in  con- 
ducting a  Teachers'  Institute  at  Monticello,  Sullivan 
County,  New  York.    At  the  close  of  that  Institute 
he  was  induced  by  Prof.  Wright  to  assist  him  in  two 
other  institutes,  one  at  Cairo,  Greene  County,  and 
one  at  Rome,  Oneida  County.    The  reputation  he 
acquired  in  this  work  preceded  him  to  Albany  and 
bore  fruit  on  November  5,  1845,  shortly  after  his  re- 
turn to  that  city,  in  his  appointment  to  the  position 
of  teacher  in  the  State  Normal  School.    His  vaca- 
tions,  thereafter,  while  he  was  connected  with 
that  institution,  were  spent  mostly  in  conduct- 
ing Teachers'  Institutes  in  New  York  and  other 
States.    In  all,  his  engagements  in  this  work  num- 
bered eighteen,  eleven  of  which  were  in  New  York, 
three  in  Maine,  two  in  New  Hampshire  and  two  in 
New  Jersey.    On  March  10,  1846,  having  completed 
the  full  course  of  study  at  the  Normal  School,  he 
was  graduated  from  that  Institution.  He  continued 
at  the  State  Normal  School  as  teacher  of  Physiology, 
Mathematics,  etc.,  until  July  24,  1851,  when  he 
resigned  to  accept  a  professorship  in  the  Brook- 
lyn Female  Academy — which  afterwards  became 
the   Packer  Collegiate   Institute.     This  position 
he  occupied  until   1883,  when  ill  health  com- 
pelled his  resignation,  which  was  reluctantly  ac-  I 
cepted.     During  his  connection  with  the  Packer 
Institute,  he  spent  three  vacation  seasons  in  Europe,  ! 


3ii 


and  devoted  one  year  to  visiting  educational  estab- 
lishnieats  in  England,  France,  Germany  and  Italy:  on 
the  latter  occasion  extending  his  travels  to  Egypt 
Palestine  and  Greece.    Dr.  Eaton's  connection^  ith 
the  Packer  Institute  began  when  the  cause  of  the 
higher  education  for  women  was  still  in  its  infancy 
in  America.  The  President  of  the  Institute,  the  late 
Prof.  Alonzo  Crittenden,  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
in  the  movement  in  this  country:  and  from  his  long 
and  intimate  association  with  this  distinguished  and 
worthy  man,  Dr.  Eaton,  upon  whom  he  leaned,  par- 
ticularly in  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  will  always 
be  remembered  and  honored  in  connection  with  this 
great  practical  advance  in  educational  work.  Dur- 
ing the  absence  of  President  Crittenden  iu  Europe, 
Dr.  Eaton  was  acting  President  for  a  year  or  two', 
during  which  the  affairs  of  the  Institute  were  not 
permitted  to  suffer  in  his  hands.  Upon  the  death  of 
Dr.  Crittenden,  which  occurred  on  January  33, 
1883,  Professor  Eaton  was  elected  President  of  the 
Packer  Institute.    At  this  time  he,  himself,  was 
prostrated  by  serious  illness,  with  no  apparent  hope 
of  recovery,  and  under  the  circumstances  felt  com- 
pelled to  decline  the  honor.    While  connected  with 
the  Packer  Institute,  Dr.  Eaton  was  Professor  of 
Chemistry  in  the  Long  Island  College  Hospital,  of 
Brooklyn,  tor  several  years;  and  received  from  that 
institution  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine in  1864.    From  his  youth  up  the  science  of  as- 
tronomy has  been  a  favorite  study  with  him.  The 
early  instruction  in  it,  received  from  his  father,  de- 
veloped a  taste  for  research  which  has  been  culti- 
vated with  zeal  and  intelligence  ever  since,  and  has 
resulted  in  placing  Professor  Eaton's  name  in  the 
list  of  American  amateur  astronomers.    Among  his 
more  public  labors  in  this  field  may  be  mentioned 
the  observation  of  the  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  at 
Burlington,  Iowa,  in  1869,  reported  to  Professor 
Coffin  of  the  Government  party  j  and  the  observa- 
tion of  the  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  in  1878,  made  at 
Idaho  Springs,  in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Since  sever- 
ing his  connection  with  the  Packer  Institute,  Dr. 
Eaton  has  not  been  connected  with  any  educational 
institution,  but  is  an  associate  member  of  the 
Brooklyn  Institute,  in  which  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Council  and  President  of  the  Department  of  Geology. 
On  recovering  his  health  in  1885  he  spent  one  year 
traveling  in  California,  Oregon  and  Washington,  and 
also  visited  the  Sandwich  Islands,  for  the  purpose  of 
studying  the  volcanic  phenomena  there  exhibited. 
He  has  given  much  time  to  the  study  of  volcanoes, 
having  visited  Vesuvius  several  times  for  that  pur- 
pose. In  1858  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  present 
during-  the  grand  eruption.     In  1873  he  visited 
Vesuvius  again,  and  found  the  mountain  had  gained 


312 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


six  hundred  and  eleven  feet  in  height  since  his.for- 
mer  visit.  Professor  Eaton's  special  excellence  as  a 
teacher  lies  partly  in  the  clearness  of  his  explana- 
tions. He  conveys  instruction  in  such  an  interest- 
ing way  that  it  produces  its  effect  upon  the  mind 
without  undue  fatigue,  hut  not  without  proper  men- 
tal effort  on  the  part  of  the  student,  and  leaves  a 
permanent  and  pleasant  impression  at  the  close  of 
the  lesson,  rather  than  a  feeling  of  exhaustion.  His 
occasional  public  lectures  on  scientific  subjects  are 
very  popular  and  are  always  well  attended  by  intel- 
ligent and  appreciative  audiences.  Among  educa- 
tors and  scientific  men  he  occupies  an  honored 
place,  and  is  held  in  warm  esteem.  Dr.  Eaton 
received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Hamil- 
ton College  in  1850  and  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Phil- 
osophy from  the  same  College  in  1870.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science  since  1870,  and  in  1874  was 
elected  a  Fellow.  Dr.  Eaton  is  a  communicant  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  has  held  the  office  of 
Riding  Elder  therein  thirty-two  years.  He  was 
twice  elected  to  the  General  Assembly.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  Director  in  the  Brooklyn  City  Bible 
Society,  the  City  Mission  and  Tract  Society  and  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
sions. He  was  also  for  several  years  President  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  the  city 
of  Brooklyn.  He  took  an  active  part  in  founding  the 
Hamilton  Club  of  Brooklyn,  in  which  he  retained 
membership  until  failing  health  compelled  him  to 
withdraw,  temporarily,  at  least,  from  this  and  other 
organizations  in  which  he  took  great  pride  and  the 
associations  of  which  were  peculiarly  pleasant.  He 
has  recently  become  a  Trustee  of  the  Packer  Insti- 
tute, in  which  he  was  so  long  a  member  of  the  Fac- 
ulty. In  concluding  this  sketch  of  one  whose  life 
has  been  given  to  the  great  cause  of  education,  the 
words  of  the  editor  of  the  Brooklyn  Eagle,  eulogizing 
the  teachers'  profession,  seem  specialty  applicable : 

•'Honor  to  the  educators  of  America.  They  are 
more  than  statesmen.  They  make  the  men  and 
women  who  make  the  homes  which  make  the  land. 
Their  reward  is  not  in  'storied  urn  or  animated  bust,' 
in  long  obituary  or  Latin  epitaph,  but  iu  the  grate- 
ful memories  of  those  whom  they  have  taught  and 
who  under  their  patient  teaching  have  ceased  to  do 
evil  and  learned  to  do  well." 


BEAL,  WILLIAM  REYNOLDS-,  a  leading  citizen 
of  New  York,  President  of  the  Central  Gas- 
Light  Company  of  New  YTork  City  and  of  the 
Win.  R.  Beal  Land  and  Improvement  Company,  also 
of  that  city,  and  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 


tury prominently  identified  with  that  section  of  the 
metropolis  now  comprised  within  the  Twenty-third 
and  Twenty-fourth  Wards,  was  born  at  Newark, 
New  Jersey,  May  13,  1838.  His  parents  were  Joseph 
Reynolds  Beal,  Esq.,  born  in  London,  England, 
towards  the  close  of  the  last  century,  and  Elizabeth 
Austen  Beal,  also  a  native  of  that  city.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Beal  were  married  in  London  and  lived  there 
during  the  earlier  years  of  their  wedded  life,  but 
came  to  America  about  the  year  1830  and  settled  at 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  where  their  younger  children 
were  born.  Joseph  Reynolds  Beal  was  a  gentleman 
of  culture  and  refinement,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  of  good  family.  Mr.  Beal  died  at  Newark,  Sep- 
tember 20, 1848;  his  wife  died  at  the  same  place,  No- 
vember 16,  1846.  "William  Reynolds  Beal,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  the  seventh  in  a  family  of 
nine  children.  He  spent  his  earlier  years  at  Newark 
and  in  boyhood  attended  the  excellent  school  con- 
nected with  Grace  Episcopal  Church  in  that  city,  of 
which  John  Lockwood,  Jr.  ,a  distinguished  educa- 
tor of  that  day,  and  afterwards  founder  of  the  well 
known  Adelphi  Academy,  in  Brooklyn,  was  then 
Principal.  Here  he  graduated  witli  high  honor  and 
was  about  to  enter  upon  a  preparatory-  course  for 
admission  to  college,  when  the  deatli  of  his  father  at 
a  comparatively  early  age  caused  him  to  turn  his 
attention  to  a  business  career.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  he  secured  a  position  as  assistant  in  the 
office  of  the  Newark  Gas  Light  Company.  About 
two  years  later  he  was  appointed  assistant  to  Mr.  S. 
S.  Battin,  a  prominent  engineer,  who  was  then  build- 
ing the  gas  works  at  Elizabeth.  New  Jersey,  and 
continued  with  him  until  the  completion  of  this 
work.  In  1855,  having  accepted  the  position  of 
Superintendent  of  the  Gas  Company  at  Yronkers, 
Westchester  County.  New  YTork,  he  removed  to  that 
nourishing  town  and  at  once  assumed  charge  of  the 
company's  works.  As  Superintendent  he  displayed 
good  administrative  ability,  and  although  still  a 
young  man,  gave  ample  evidence  of  having  found  a 
congenial  field  for  the  exercise  of  Ins  natural  talents. 
He  remained  with  the  company  eleven  years  and 
during  that  time  labored  with  rare  zeal  in  its  inter- 
ests, leaving  it  at  the  close  of  this  period  in  a  most 
prosperous  condition.  Wrbile  residing  at  Y'onker* 
Mr.  Beal  was  for  a  time  also  extensively  and  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  general  contracting  busi- 
ness, employing  large  numbers  of  men  and  horses 
and  being  concerned  in  a  great  many  of  the  local 
improvements.  With  commendable  spirit  Mr.  Beal 
took  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  generally  and 
was  prominent  in  every  movement  inaugurated  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  the  town  which  promised  well  for 
its  inhabitants.    He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


the  organization  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  and 
gave  matenal  assistance  in  building  the  handsome 
edifice  in  which  its  congregation  has  since  wor- 
shiped.    He  was  otherwise  prominent  in  church 
work  and  was  a  vestryman  of  the  parish  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.    In  1866,  declining  flattering  and  sub 
stantial  inducements  held  out  to  him  to  remain  Mr 
Beal  severed  his  connection  with  the  Yonkers'Gas 
Company  and  removed  to  Morrisania  for  the  pur 
pose  of  accepting  the  position  "of  Superintendent 
and  Secretary  of  the  Westchester  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany.   At  that  time  this  company  supplied  the 
towns  of  Morrisania  and  West  Farms,  and  its  business 
was  of  growing  importance.    In  1870  Mr  Beal  in 
association  with  the  late  Riley  A.  Brick,  a  promi- 
nent merchant  of  New  York,  took  a  leading  part 
in  establishing  the  Northern  Gas  Light  Company  for 
supplying  West  Farms,  Fordham  and  adjacent  vil- 
kges,  now  constituting  the  Twenty-fourth  Ward  of 
the  city,  and  was  the  engineer  employed  to  desio-u 
its  works.    He  is  now  the  Consulting  Engineer  of 
the  company  and  Chairman  of  its  Board  of  Direct- 
ors.   In  1874,  upon  the  annexation  to  the  city  of 
New  York  of  the  towns  of  Morrisania  and  West 
Farms,  now  comprising  respectively  the  Twentv- 
third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards  of  the  metropolis, 
the  name  of  the  company  supplying  the  Twenty- 
third  Ward  was  changed,  for  obvious  reasons,  to 
that  of  the  Central  Gas  Light  Company  of  New  York 
City.    In  this  company  Mr.  Beal,  who  is  its  largest 
stockholder,  has  had  at  different  times  as  colleagues 
in  the  Board  of  Directors,  a  number  of  the  principal 
residents  in  this  upper  district  of  the  city,  anions 
them  being  the  late  Colonel  Richard  31.  Hoe,  Jordan 
L.  Mott,  H.  P.  Whitney,  .John  J.  Crane,  Silas  D.  Gif- 
ford  and  Isaac  D.  Fletcher..    In  1872  Mr.  Beal  was 
chosen  President.    His  promotion  to  this  position 
was  a  fitting  recognition  of  his  executive  ability. 
Under  his  administration  the  affairs  of  the  company 
have  been  conducted  with  zeal  and  wisdom,  and 
its  stockholders'  interests  have  been  faithfully  and 
carefully  conserved  and  promoted.    Thoroughly  fa- 
miliar with  every  feature  of  the  gas  business,  me- 
chanical, clerical  and  administrative,  and  practically 
experienced  in  each  of  these  departments,  he  has 
been  able  to  accomplish  what  few  merely  executive 
officers  could  achieve.    A  number  of  his  inventions 
have  a  value  and  usefulness  which  are  widely  recog- 
uized.    Mr.  Beal  is  now  developing  a  new  process 
for  the  manufacture  of  coal  gas,  which,  if  successful, 
will  radically  change  the  present  methods,  improv- 
ing the  quality  of  gas  and  cheapening  the  cost  of 
production.    Always  a  firm  believer  in  the  future 
of  the  "  annexed  district,"  he  has  purchased  largely 
of  real  estate,  principally  in  the  Twenty-third 


J' J 

Ward,  in  which  he  has  resided  for  about  twenty- 
five  years:  and  is  also  the  owner  of  a  numb  r 
of  houses  ,n  that  ward.    In  association  with  sev 

the  William  R.  Beal  Land  and  Improvement  ConJ 
pany,  which  has  at  command  and  is  now  utUiifak 
large  means  for  developing  its  valuable  property. 
From  an  early  period  in  his  life,  Mr.  Beal  has 
been  an  active  and  intelligent  as  well  as  liberal 
promoter  of  public  education.     For  six  years  he  ' 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Rubers 
Female  College,  and  is  now  a  prominent  member  and 
was  Chairman  for  several  years  of  the  Board  of 
School  Trustees  of  the  Twenty-third  Ward.    In  the 
sectmn  in  which  he  resides  are  several  of  the  largest 
schools  within  the  city  limits.    Close  observation  of 
the  present  school  system,  extending  through  a- 
number  of  years,  during  which  his  official  connec- 
tion with  public  education  has  afforded  him  ample 
and  excellent  opportunities  for  forming  an  opinion 
has  convinced  Mr.  Beal  that  there  exists  a  le-iti' 
mate  demand  for  educational  facilities  beyond  those 
furnished  by  the  ordinary  grammar  schools.    He  is 
of  opmion  that  the  time  is  ripe  for  the  establish- 
ment, in  different  sections  of  the  city,  of  Hi<di 
Schools,  in  which  a  curriculum  may  be  provided 
smted  to  the  needs  of  many  pupils,  who  may  be 
unsatisfied  with  the  ordinary  grammar  school  course, 
and  yet  unable  from  one  cause  or  another,  to  com- 
plete the  full  college  course,  requiring  four  or  five 
years,  and  he  has  labored  earnestly  to  impress  his  col- 
leagues in  the  Board  of  Trustees  with  his  apparently 
logical  views  on  this  subject,  and  recently  framed 
and  introduced  in  the  Board  of  School  Trustees 
of  which  he  is  a  member,  a  resolution  memorial- 
izing the  Board  of  Education  of  the  city  of  New 
York  in  behalf  of  this  enlightened  movement. 
Mr.  Beal  took  a  leading  part  in  the  establishment 
of  St.  Mary's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
Twenty-third  Ward,  the  corner-stone  of  which  was 
laid  by  Bishop  Potter,  September  9,  1875.  This 
edifice  was  erected  on  land  formerly  owned  by  Mr. 
Beal,  who  served  efficiently  upon  the  building  com- 
mittee and  was  afterwards  for  several  years  a  ves- 
tryman of  the  parish.    Of  late  years  he  has  been  a 
vestryman  of  St.  Ann's  Church,  and  served  on  the 
building  committee  of  the  new  chapel  attached  to 
it,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  ecclesiastical  edifices 
in  the  city.    A  warm  friend  of  young  men  and 
deeply  interested  in  every  movement  tending  to 
promote  their  welfare,  Mr.  Beal  has  became  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Union  of  the  Twenty-third  Ward,  has  the  distinction 
of  being  its  first  honorary  member,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  its  Board  of  Trustees,  and  its  Yice-Presi- 


3i4 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


dent.  Actuated  by  a  praiseworthy  desire  to- see 
this  Association  comfortably  housed,  he  lias  helped 
to  further  the  project  for  a  new  building,  plans  for 
which  have  already  been  prepared,  the  site  chosen 
being  at  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-eight  Street  and 
Lincoln  Avenue.  In  politics,  Mr.  Beal  is  a  thorough- 
going Republican,  active  in  the  support  of  the 
principles  of  the  part}-,  which  he  joined  at  its  incep- 
tion, and  well  known  to  its  local  leaders  as  one  of 
its  staunchest  and  most  consistent  members.  Al- 
though nomination  to  office  has  been  frequently 
within  his  reach,  he  has  declined  all  overtures  of 
the  kind,  his  business  cares  being  too  numerous 
and  absorbing  to  permit  of  his  bestowing  attention 
upon  public  official  duties,  however  honorable. 
During  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Beal  went  to  the  front 
with  the  Seventeenth  Regiment,  National  Guard, 
State  of  New  York,  and  he  is  now  a  member  of 
Alexander  Hamilton  Post,  No.  182,  Department  of 
New  York,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  has 
been  connected  with  the  Masonic  Order  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  was  a  charter  member  of  Gavel  Lodge 
of  Morrisania,  and  is  still  a  member  of  it.  Somewhat 
of  an  enthusiast  in  aquatic  and  athletic  sports,  he 
was  for  some  years  a  member  of  the  Knickerbocker 
Yacht  Club,  and  is  the  president  of  a  local  athletic 
club.  He  has  recently  been  elected  to  membership 
in  the  Central  Turn-Yerein.  As  a  business  man  he 
has  a  deserved  reputation  for  integrity  and  conser- 
vatism, and  his  advice  and  services  are  highly 
valued  and  frequently  sought  by  corporation  offi- 
cers. He  is  the  representative  of  the  Board  of 
School  Trustees  of  the  Twenty-third  Ward  in  the 
School  Trustees'  Association  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  a  prominent  member  of  the  American  Gas 
Light  Association,  and  a  Director  in  the  Twenty- 
third  Ward  Bank.  "  Mr.  Beal,"  says  a  writer  in 
the  "  History  of  Westchester  County,"  [Philadel- 
phia :  L.  E.  Preston  &  Co.,  1886,]  "is  a  fair  repre- 
sentative of  the  class  of  business  men  who.  without 
the  advantages  of  inherited  wealth,  have  estab- 
lished both  fortune  and  high  reputation  by  their 
own  activity,  foresight  and  energy.  His  is  a  well- 
rounded  character,  and  as  a  manufacturer,  inventor 
and  man  of  business,  he  is  well  known  as  among 
the  most  active  and  able  of  the  public  spirited  citi- 
zens of  the  Twenty-third  Ward  of  the  city  of  New 
York."  Possessed  of  inherited  natural  refinement, 
and  the  culture  which  comes  from  close  observa- 
tion, careful  reading,  good  associations  and  exten- 
sive travel,  he  is  an  excellent  type  of  the  American 
gentleman,  a  man  who  finds  no  difficulty  in  blend- 
ing the  courageous  activity  and  restless  energy  of 
business  with  the  polite  amenities  of  life,  develop- 
ing by  the  combination  those  high  qualities  of  man- 


I  hood  which  generally  ensure  success,  and  always 
I  command  universal  approbation  and  respect.  Mr. 
Beal  was  married,  on  April  23,  1863,  to  Miss 
Eleanor  Louise  Bell,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Thad- 
deus  Bell,  Esq.,  of  Yonkers  and  New  York,  (who 
was  a  leading  citizen  of  the  last  generation,  and  at 
one  time  in  his  life  of  sufficient  importance  to  be 
mentioned  in  the  councils  of  his  party  in  connec- 
tion with  the  nomination  for  the  Mayoralty  of  the 
city  of  New  York),  and  a  sister  of  the  Hon.  Alonzo 
Bell,  formerly  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
during  the  administration  of  President  Hayes. 
Mrs.  Beal  is  a  lady  of  rare  graces  of  person,  man- 
ner and  conversation ;  she  is  a  prominent  factor  in 
the  social  circles  of  the  section  of  the  city  in  which 
she  resides,  and  is  sincerely  esteemed  for  her  kindly 
and  helpful  labors  in  connection  with  religious, 
educational  and  charitable  work.  The  family  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beal  consists  of  six  children  ;  four 
sons,  viz.:  Reynolds,  born  October  12,  1867,  who 
studied  marine  engineering  at  Cornell  University, 
!  and  is  now  engaged  in  professional  labors  at  the 
Morgan  Iron  Works  ;  Thaddeus,  born  .Line  23, 1870, 
now  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  office  of  the  Cen- 
tral Gas  Light  Company  ;  Albert,  born  September 
3,  1875 :  and  Gifford,  born  January  24,  1879,  both 
of  whom  are  still  at  school :  and  two  daughters,  viz.: 
Alice  and  Mary,  all  of  whom,  as  well  as  their  father 
bear,  besides  their  surname  Beal,  the  additional 
family  name  of  Reynolds. 


CHENEY,  ALFRED  CONSTANTINE,  a  leading 
citizen  and  financier  of  New  Yrork  City,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Garfield  National  Bank,  of  the  Gar- 
field Safe  Deposit  Company,  of  the  National  Board 
of  Steam  Navigation,  and  also  of  Cheney's  Towing 
Line:  late  President  and  now  Yice-President  of  the 
Nicaragua  Canal  Construction  Company,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Groton,  Grafton  Count}-,  New  Hamp- 
j  shire,  on  April  15,  1838.  The  American  family  of 
CheDey  is  of  Scotch  origin,  and  is  descended  from 
one  of  the  name  who  came  from  Scotland  to  America 
about  the  year  1650  and  settled  at  Newburyport, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  established  a  ship-building 
business.  One  of  the  principal  ship-builders  of  the 
place  to-day  is  Mr.  Preston  Cheney,  one  of  his  de- 
scendants, who  is  an  uncle  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  The  widely  known  silk  manufacturers — the 
Cheneys  of  Manchester,  Connecticut — are  of  the 
same  family,  and  the  Hon.  P.  C.  Cheney,  late  Gov- 
ernor of  New  Hampshire  and  United  States  Sena- 
tor, is  a  cousin  of  Mr.  Cheney,  who  is  also  related 
to  the  well  known  proprietors  of  Cheney's  Express, 


/iiJantac  PuijlislunQ  &E 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


3*5 


at  Boston.    The  parents  of  Mr.  Cheney  were  Albert 
Gallatin  Cheney  and  Hannah  Heath  Cheney,  the  lat- 
ter a  daughter  of  Joshua  Heath,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Hebron,  New  Hampshire,  and  a  native  of  Grafton 
County.    Albert  Gallatin  Cheney  was  born  in  Gro- 
ton,  in  the  county  just  named,  in  1803,  and  was  a 
farmer  in  early  life.    He  was  a  man  of  strong  char- 
acter, and  was  well-informed  in  regard  to  "public 
events.    He  possessed  a  marked  aptitude  for  public 
life  and,  while  still  a  young  man,  was  elected  to  the 
State  Legislature  to  represent  the  district  in  which 
he  was  born.     Upon  leaving  the  Legislature  he 
established  himself  as  a  merchant  at  Groton,  and 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life  preserved  his 
standing  as  a  local  leader.    He  died  in  1847,  at  the 
comparatively  early  age  of  forty-four  years,  being 
at  the  time  Treasurer  of  the  county.  His  last  illness 
was  occasioned,  it  is  said,  by  over-exertion  in  driv- 
ing and  traveling.    Typhoid  fever  set  in,  and  being 
treated  in  accordance  with  the  absurd  notions  then 
prevalent  in  the  medical  profession,  was  almost 
necessarily  fatal     The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
one  of  seven  children,  and  the  eldest  of  five  boys. 
Deprived  by  death  of  a  father's  care  and  protection 
at  the  age  of  nine  years,  he  did  what  he  could  for 
his  own  support  and  the  assistance  of  his  mother, 
brothers  and  sisters,  by  working  ten  months  in  the 
year  on  a  farm  until  he  was  fifteen,  getting  two 
months  schooling  each  year.    He  then  went  to  the 
neighboring  village  of  Wentworth  and  took  a  posi- 
tion as  "  boy  "  in  a  country  store  at  that  place,  kept 
by- J.  S.  Blaisdell,  receiving  for  his  services  a  salary 
of  fifty  dollars  a  year,  and  b  »ard  and  lodging.  After 
remaining  a  year  with  Mr.  Blaisdell,  young  Cheney 
turned  his  steps  toward  New  York,  arriving  in  that 
city  on  June  27,  1854.  He  soon  found  a  place  as  boy 
in  the  store  of  Messrs.  Bradford,  Heath  &  Clark, 
importers  of  woolens,  at  the  corner  of  Church  and 
Chambers  Streets,  the  last  named,  at  that  time, 
marking  the  extreme   northern  line  of  business 
houses  in  the  city,  as  Fourteenth  Street  marked  the 
extreme  northern  line  of  dwellings,  with  some  few 
exceptions,  goats  and  squatters  occupying  Manhat- 
tan Island  above  that  point.    Appreciating  the  ad- 
vantages within  his  reach,  the  lad  devoted  a  good 
share  of  his  leisure  to  reading  and  study,  and  attend- 
ed, during  the  evening  sessions,  Public  School  No. 
44,  in  North  Moore  Street,  where  he  may  be  said  to 
l)ave  finished  his  education.    In  two  years  he 
reached  the  position  of  receiving  clerk  in  the  house 
employing  him,  but  had  enjoyed  its  salary  of  #200 
a  year  but  a  short  time  when  the  panic  of  1857  made 
a  reduction  in  the  clerical  force  necessary,  on  the 
score  of  economy,  and  obliged  him  to  seek  work 
elsewhere.    On  January  1,  1858,  he  found  employ- 


ment as  clerk  in  the  house  of  George  Opdvkc  then 
at  the  head  of  the  woolen  trade  in  the  city.    A  few 
months  later  he  went  to  work  for  the  firm  of  Burr 
Griffiths,  White  &  Co.,  which  within  a  short  time 
took  the  style  of  White  &  Heath.    As  traveling 
salesman  for  this  firm  he  visited  the  cities  and  towni 
in  the  West,  building  up  trade,  and  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion.  Be- 
ing in  New  York  at  the  time  of  the  first  call  for 
volunteers  for  the  support  of  the  Government,  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  in  Company  "E"  of  the 
Twelfth  Regiment  of  the  National  Guard,  on  the 
memorable  19th  of  April,  1861,  and  marched  with  it 
to  the  defence  of  the  Capital.    This  regiment  was 
commanded  by  Colonel  (afterwards  Major-General) 
Daniel  Butterfield,  and  among  its  enlisted  men  was 
Boston  Corbett,  who  afterwards  slew  the  assassin  of 
President  Lincoln.    It  had  the  honor  of  occupying 
the  right  of  the  line  on  the  24th  of  May,  1861.  when 
the  Union  army  crossed  the  Potomac  and  first  took 
possession  of  Arlington  Heights;  and  it  marched 
over  the  Long  Bridge  into  Virginia  on  the  same  day 
that  Colonel  Ellsworth  and  his  Zouaves, together  with 
the  Seventy-first  Regiment  of  New  York,  went  down 
and  took  possession  of  Alexandria.  Mr.  Cheney  was 
one  of  a  number  of  volunteer  soldiers  in  the  Twelfth 
Regiment,  who,  during  the  first  two  months  of  their 
service  wore  the  civilian  attire  in  which  they  had 
enlisted,  the  Government  as  yet  not  being  able  to 
supply  uniforms  to  its  defenders.    The  term  for 
which  the  regiment  enlisted  expired  on  the  day  of 
the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  July  21,  1861,  but  it  volun- 
tarily remained  ten  days  longer  in  the  field,  and 
finally  returned  to  New  York.   Mr.  Cheney  then  re- 
sumed his  duties  as  salesman  with  White  A-  Heath, 
and  in  1867  was  admitted  to  the  firm  as  junior  part- 
ner.   A  year  later  he  retired  from  the  firm  and  re- 
sumed his  former  position.    On  January  1.  1870,  he 
left  the  woolen  trade  and  engaged  independently  in 
the  steamboat  and  ice  business  on  the  Hudson  River, 
spending  the  year  at  Barry  town,  managing  the 
freight  and  passenger  business  between  Stuyvesant 
along  the  river  to  New  York  City.    He  sold  out  his 
interest  in  this  line  at  the  close  of  the  first  season, 
and  in  April,  1871,  organized  the  Mutual  Benefit  Ice 
Company,  opening  a  depot  at  Fourteenth  Street, 
North  R  iver,  New  York,  and  continued  as  manag- 
ing director  of  the  company  until  1877,  during  which 
period  he  built  the  large  ice  houses  of  the  company 
on  the  Hudson.    He  then  devoted  his  whole  time 
and  attention  to  the  business  of  Cheney's  Towin<* 
Line,  which  he  had  established  in  1874,  and  the 
principal  business  of  which  was  towing  ice  down 
the  Hudson  for  the  principal  ice  companies,  making 
that  a  specialty.  In  1880  he  bought  out  the  Hudson 


316 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


River  Towing  Company,  a  rival  line  that  had  been 
managed  in  the  interests  of  the  Knickerbocker  Ice 
Company.  This  enabled  him  to  make  a  contract 
with  the  latter  company,  and  his  fleet  of  steamers, 
now  twelve  in  Dumber,  has  ever  since  had  its  prin- 
cipal business  in  towing  ice.  In  1881  Mr.  Cheney 
assisted  in  the  organization,  and  was  chosen  a  Direc- 
tor of  the  Garfield  National  Bank,  which  opened 
business  in  the  Masonic  Temple,  corner  of  Sixth 
Avenue  and  Twenty-third  Street,  on  December  19, 
in  that  year.  He  was  elected  Vice-President  of  this 
institution  in  1883,  and  shortly  afterwards  was 
elected  President,  assuming  the  duties  of  the  latter 
office  on  January  1,  1884.  In  1888  he  organized 
and  was  elected  President  of  the  Garfield  Safe  De- 
posit Company,  for  which  capacious  premises  were 
secured  adjoining  the  bank,  in  the  Masonic  Temple. 
In  1887  he  was  one  of  a  company  w  hich  organized 
the  Maritime  Canal  Company  of  Nicaragua,  and 
afterwards  assisted  in  getting  from  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  a  charter,  authorizing  the  com- 
pany to  do  business  with  a  capital  of  one  hundred 
millions  of  dollars.  This  bill  was  passed  during  the 
session  of  1888-'89  and  was  signed  by  President 
Cleveland.  The  Nicaragua  Canal  Construction  Com- 
pany was  then  organized  to  build  the  canal  for  the 
Maritime  Company,  and  Mr.  Cheney  was  elected  its 
President.  Finding  that  his  duties  in  connection 
with  the  Presidency  of  the  Bank,  Safe  Deposit  Com- 
pany and  other  corporations,  required  all  his  time, 
and  having  secured  the  services  of  his  friend,  the 
Hon.  Warner  Miller,  ex-Senator  of  the  United  States, 
he  resigned  the  Presidency  of  the  Construction  Com- 
pany into  the  latter's  hands  on  March  1,  1890,  being 
then  chosen  its  Vice-President.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee.  In  addition  to  holding 
the  various  trusts  named,  Mr.  Chene}'  is  a  Director  in 
the  Farmers'  Loan  and  Trust  Company,  and  in  the 
Union  Dime  Savings  Bank.  In  1884  Mr.  Cheney 
was  one  of  a  number  of  gentlemen  engaged  in  the 
steamboat  business  that  established  the  National 
Board  of  Steam  Navigation — the  only  organization 
of  the  steamboat  interests  in  the  United  States,  in- 
cluding all  sea-going  and  inland  steamers— and  was 
elected  President  of  that  organization  to  fill  a 
vacancy  caused  by  resignation,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1887  and  1888.  He  was  renominated  in  1889,  but 
declined  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used,  as  he  had  not 
the  time  to  give  to  the  duties  of  the  place.  Upon 
his  retirement  the  Board  passed  a  series  of  highly 
complimentary  resolutions,  a  copy  of  which,  beauti- 
fully engraved  and  mounted  in  album  form,  was 
presented  to  him.  The  Board  further  showed  their 
appreciation  of  his  services  by  making  him  an  Hon- 
orary Member  of  the  Executive  Committee,  an  office 


created  especially  for  him.  For  a  number  of  years 
Mr.  Cheney  (who  wears  the  title  of  Captain,  by  vir- 
tue of  his  ownership  of  steamboats)  has  been  a  most 
prominent  factor  in  all  local  maritime  displays.  In 
1883  he  organized,  and,  as  Chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee in  charge,  successfully  carried  out  a  steamboat 
parade  in  the  harbor  of  New  York,  in  honor  of  the 
Centennial  Celebration  of  the  Evacuation  of  New 
York  by  the  British.  He  also  organized  the  parade 
of  the  merchant  marine  in  New  York  Harbor  in  con- 
nection with  the  dedication  of  the  Statue  of  Liberty, 
and,  on  October  28,  1886,  was  in  command  of  the 
merchant  marine  on  that  occasion,  having  as  flag- 
ship, the  "A.  C.  Cheney,"  one  of  his  own  steamers. 
This  is  still  remembered  as  one  of  the  finest  marine 
displays  ever  witnessed  in  American  waters.  On 
the  occasion  of  the  Centennial  of  the  Inauguration 
of  Washington  as  President  of  the  United  States, 
Mr.  Cheney  was  a  member  of  the  General  Commit- 
tee having  the  celebration  in  charge,  and  was 
Treasurer  of  the  Naval  Committee,  which,  on  board 
of  the  United  States  Steamer  Dispatch — detailed  for 
the  purpose  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy — pro- 
ceeded down  the  bay  to  receive  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  on  his  way  from  Elizabeth,  New  Jer- 
sey, to  the  foot  of  Wall  Street,  New  York,  following 
the  route  taken  by  his  illustrious  predecessor.  The 
guests  of  the  Naval  Committee  on  the  "Dispatch" 
included  man}-  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the 
time,  among  them  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the 
Attorney-General,  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  State, 
the  Governor  of  New  York,  the  Mayor  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  the  General  of  the  Army,  the  Admiral 
of  the  Navy,  and  General  Wm.  T.  Sherman,  as 
America's  most  distinguished  citizen  and  soldier. 
Mr.  Cheney  had  the  distinguished  honor  of  being 
appointed  by  the  President  of  the  Republic  of  Nica- 
ragua a  representative  of  that  government  at  the 
International  Maritime  Congress,  which  assembled 
in  Washington  in  the  autumn  of  1889.  In  political 
faith  Mr.  Cheney  has  always  been  one  of  the  most 
enthusiastic  Republicans.  He  still  refers  with  par- 
donable pride  to  his  first  meeting  with  President 
Lincoln,  which  occurred  on  the  day  in  November, 
1860,  when  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  suffrages  of 
the  people  for  the  office  of  President  of  the  United 
States.  Happening  to  find  himself  in  Lafayette, 
Indiana,  the  night  before  election,  he  took  a  train 
for  Springfield  and  visited  Mr.  Lincoln  at  his  home, 
his  credentials  being  his  activity  in  the  Republican 
party  in  New  York  City.  He  was  cordially  wel- 
comed by  Mr.  Lincoln,  spent  the  day  at  his  offices, 
met  Col.  Ellswwth,  Mr.  Nicolai  and  others  who  have 
since  become  famous;  and  had  the  honor  of  being 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


one  of  the  three  persons  who  escorted  Mr  Lincoln 
to  the  polls  to  vote.    He  was  in  Chicago  on  the  oc- 
casion of  the  reception  given  by  the  city  to  Presi 
dent-elect  Lincoln  and  Vice-President-elect  Hamlin 
making  the  acquaintance  of  the  latter  at  that  time 
under  agreeable  circumstances,  and  being  cordially 
greeted  by  both.    Mr.  Cheney's  prominence  in  his 
party  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  in  the  fall  of  1888 
he  was  tendered  the  nomination  for  Mayor  of  the 
city  of  New  York  by  the  Republican  Countv  Com- 
mittee-an  honor  he  was  obliged  to  decline"  owino- 
to  the  pressure  of  his  duties  as  President  of  the 
Nicaragua  Canal  Construction  Company  and  the  of- 
ficial head  of  numerous  other  corporations.  Mr. 
Cheney  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  New  York 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  of  the  Union  League 
Club,  and  also  of  Lafayette  Post  No.  140,  Depart- 
ment of  New  York,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  has  been  connected  for  some  years  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member  of  Astor  Lodge, 
of  Phoenix  Chapter  No.  2,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and 
of  Palestine  Commaudery,  Knights  Templar.   He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  New  England  Society  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  of  the  Riverside  Baptist 
Church.     Vigorous  in  body  and  mind,  he  is  to-day 
one  of  the  most  active  of  the  business  men  of  the 
metropolis,  is  known  far  beyond  its  limits,  and  both 
in  business  and  political  circles  is  looked  upon  as  a 
man  of  pronounced  character,  sound  views  and  stern 
integrity.     Although  one  of  the  busiest  men  in  the 
busiest  city  in  the  world,  he  is  always  able  to  find 
time  to  do  a  service  for  his  fellow-citizens.  Not- 
withstanding the  numerous  cares  and  responsibili- 
ties resting  upon  him,  he  is  a  genial  companion,  a 
good  story-teller,  and  an  expert  with  the  hook  and 
line.    He  was  married,  on  January  20, 1864,  to  Miss 
Adaline  Juliette  Hull,  daughter  of  Samuel  Hull,  Esq., 
of  Owego,  Tioga  County,  New  York.    Of  the  three  j 
children  born. to  this  marriage  none  are  now  living. 


31/ 


CRIMMINS,  JOHN  D.,  a  distinguished  citizen  and 
business  man  of  New  York  City,  late  President 
and  Treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Park  Commis- 
sioners in  that  municipality,  and  conspicuous  for 
many  years  in  connection  with  building,  engineer- 
ing and  many  local  improvements  and  public  works 
of  magnitude,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
May  18,  1-844.    He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Crimmins,  a 
native  of  Limerick,  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  | 
in  the  spring  of  1837,  and,  engaging  in  the  business  ! 
in  1849  as  a  contractor,  acquired  both  wealth  and  j 
distinction.    The  grandfather  and  other  relatives  of  ' 
Thomas  Crimmins  came  to  America  in  1784,  and 


their  business  interests  here  were  in  the  care  of  Mr 
Thomas  Addis  Emmett,  the  famous  counsellor  dur- 
ing his  practice  at  the  bar  of  New  York  City.  Mr 
Crimmins  brought  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Mr 
Thomas  Addis  Emmett,  Jr.,  from  his  uncle  Maurice 
Barry,  who  had  property  here,  which  he  g!lve  his 
young  nephew  power  of  attorney  to  imma-e.  Mr 
Crimmins  was  received  with  marked  cordiality  by 
the  Emmetts  and  was  taken  into  the  employment  of 
Mr.  Thomas  Addis  Emmett,  Jr.,  and  became  a  man- 
ager  of  his  farm  and  country  place,  which  was  then 
famous  for  their  botanical  gardens.    Mr.  Crimmir^ 
obtained  great  distinction  in  the  displays  at  various 
county  fairs  and  the  exhibitions  of  the  American  In- 
stitute for  special  varieties  of  flowers,  fruits  and 
vegetables.    He  remained  with  Mr.  Emmett  until 
1849,  at  his  country  seat,  which  was  located  at  Fifty- 
ninth  Street,  near  what  is  now  Second  Avenue,  then 
on  the  old  "  Boston  Post  Road  "  and  contained  many 
acres,  being  conspicuous  among  country  gentlemen's 
places  for  its  cattle  and  great  variety  of  fruit  and 
flowers,  and  known  as  Mount  Vernon.  In  1849  this 
and  the  adjoining  estates  were  laid  out  into  streets 
and  Mr.  Crimmins  became  a  contractor  for  the 
work.    He  continued  in  the  employment  of  estates 
principally  until  leaving  business  in  1871.    In  1842 
Thomas  Crimmins  married,  in  New  York  City, 
Joanna  O'Keeffe,  a  native  of  Waterford,  Ireland'. 
The  children  born  to  this  marriage  were  John  D., 
Mary  E.,  who  married  Abraham  Dowdney,  after- 
wards  Member  of  Congress;  Rosa  M.,  the  wife  of 
Morgan  J.  O'Brien,  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court; 
and  Annie  L.,  the  wife  of  J.  Henry  Haggerty,  and 
Thomas  E.    John  D.  Crimmins,  the  eldest  son,  and 
j  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  on  the  Emmett 
estate.    He  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of 
the  city,  attending  Grammar  School  No.  18  in  East 
Fifty-first  Street.   He  completed  his  course  there  at 
the  age  of  fourteen,  and  not  being  old  enough  for 
admission  to  the  "Free  Academy,"  now  known  as 
the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  entered  St. 
Francis  Xavier's  College,  and  completed  the  com- 
mercial course  before  he  was  sixteen  years  old. 
Having  an  aptitude  for  accounts,  upon  reaching  this 
age  the  responsibility  of  keeping  the  books  in  his 
father's  business  was  creditably  borne  by  him.  In 
his  seventeenth  year,  in  addition  to  having  charge 
of  the  accounts  of  his  father's  business,  he  acted  as 
Superintendent  and  very  soon  acquired  the  knowl- 
edge of  values  that  entered  into  estimates  and  pro- 
posals for  work  of  the  character  in  which  his  fa'ther 
was  then  engaged.    At  twenty  he  became  a  partner 
of  his  father.   The  firm  was  then  known  as  Thomas 
Crimmins  &  Son.    About  this  period  bis  valuations 
of  the  cost  of  building  streets  and  sewers  were  recog- 


3i« 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


nized  as  authority  and  largely'  determined  the  ! 
amount  to  bid  upon  all  public  work.  During  this 
time  the  firm  employed  about  three  hundred  men, 
and  owing  to  his  natural  aptitude,  Mr.  Crimmins 
could  transfer  the  names  of  all  those  employees 
without  reference,  entirely  from  memory.  He  was 
conspicuous  for  being  always  able  to  recall  incidents 
of  the  most  trivial  character  in  business  matters  and 
never  failed  to  recognize  a  face  once  known  to  him. 
In  his  twenty-second  year,  building  was  added  to 
the  business  and  t lie  name  of  the  firm  was  changed 
to  Thomas  tt  John  D.  Crimmins,  and  the  last  named 
assumed  charge  of  all  the  financial  matters  connected 
therewith.  During  the  years  of  supervision  of 
work,  Mr.  John  D.  Crimmins  was  the  first  to  appre- 
ciate and  use  steam  appliances  and  all  improved 
methods  that  had  merit,  in  which  economy  and 
time  could  be  taken  advantage  of  in  carrying  out  | 
excavations.  He  acquired  a  practical  knowledge 
of  mason  work  and  in  that  way  became  competent 
to  criticise  the  work  of  the  best  mechanic.  About 
1867'68  Mr.  Crimmins  became  a  large  operator  in 
real  estate,  sometimes  independently,  aud  for  five 
years  purchased  and  sold  more  property  than  any 
man  of  his  years.  His  knowledge  of  the  value  of 
property  became  quite  as  conspicuous  as  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  value  of  excavation  work.  His  judg- 
ment was  sought  after  and  paid  for  very  handsomely, 
and  lie  was  frequently  selected  as  an  arbitrator  in 
the  settlement  of  large  real  estate  questions.  He 
was  appointed  by  the  Supreme  Court  on  several 
occasions  as  a  Commissioner  in  the  adjustment  of 
estates.  His  expert  testimony  on  the  values  of  work 
before  Court  and  Commissioners  has  been  the  basis 
in  instances  upon  which  the  entire  decision  rested. 
Mr.  Crimmins,  like  others  who  were  then  dealing 
extensively  in  real  estate,  had  considerable  property 
when  the  panic  of  1872  began.  Between  1872  and 
187P)  the  values  of  property  fell  off  more  than  half, 
and  all  or  very  nearly  all  the  dealers  in  real  estate 
that  were  prominent  at  that  time  were  forced  to 
take  advantage  of  the  bankrupt  law  then  in  exist- 
ence. In  his  large  operations  he  became  interested, 
with  other  parties,  in  the  purchase  of  laud,  largely 
upon  margins,  that  is  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  per 
cent,  in  cash  and  the  balance  on  bond  and  mortgage, 
the  bonds  being  executed  by  the  parties  interested 
in  the  purchase.  At  the  time  of  the  great  depres- 
sion, his  name  was  on  bonds  with  other  parties  to 
the  extent  of  several  hundred  thousand  dollars.  In 
several  instances  the  property  had  passed  out  of  his 
hands  to  other  purchasers.  In  time  they  failed  to 
meet  their  interest  and  taxes,  and  the  usual  pro- 
ceedings of  foreclosure  took  place.  As  fast  as  the 
proceedings  were  completed  and  the  amount  of  the  | 


deficiency',  where  it  occurred,  determined,  he  was 
called  upon  to  make  good  all  the  deficiencies,  and 
in  addition  thereto,  the  expenses  of  the  litigation. 
This  he  did  without  a  moment's  default.  It  was 
some  time  before  all  the  obligations  could  be  ascer- 
tained. In  the  meantime  he  was  carrying  on  busi- 
ness extensively  as  a  contractor,  and  it  required  all 
his  earnings  and  savings  to  meet  the  demands 
spoken  of.  He  was  strongly  advised,  in  order  to 
pass  this  trying  period,  to  do  as  others  were  doing, 
and  take  advantage  of  the  bankruptcy  laws,  but  his 
answer  was  uniformly  that  he  made  the  obligations 
and  they  should  be  met.  When  the  last  of  these 
matters  were  settled,  which  involved  a  matter  of 
several  hundred  thousand  dollars  as  the  principal, 
it  left  him  exhausted  in  funds  but  strong  in  credit, 
and  within  ten  days  he  immediately  commenced 
exercising  his  judgment  in  relation  to  the  purchase 
of  real  property.  Land  was  being  offered  in  every 
direction  and  the  sales  at  the  Exchange  attracted  a 
few  purchasers  and  those  who  were  bold  enough  to 
purchase,  so  little  confidence  had  the  financial  insti- 
tutions of  the  city  in  real  estate,  and  although  it  may 
be  strange  to  read  to-day,  the  banks  would  refuse 
to  afford  such  people  the  customary  accommoda- 
tions. Within  a  few  years  he  had  largely  made  good 
his  great  losses  in  consequence  of  the  advances  in 
property  that  he  bought  in  that  period,  and  his 
credit  being  beyond  question,  and  his  judgment 
showing  itself  so  evident,  offers  came  to  him  in 
several  directions  from  capitalists  to  become  asso- 
ciated with  him,  but  his  past  experience  had 
taught  him  a  lesson,  and  from  that  period  to  the 
present  he  has  never  permitted  himself  to  become 
interested  with  any  other  person  in  the  purchase  or 
improvement  of  real  estate.  His  building  operations 
have  also  been  entirely  exclusive  of  any  connection 
with  other  persons.  He  has  erected  upwards  of 
four  hundred  houses  in  the  city  of  New  York,  the 
last  of  importance  being  the  Lenox  Lyceum — with 
the  surrounding  property,  owned  exclusively  by 
him.  For  twenty  j'ears  he  has  been  the  leading 
contractor  in  the  city,  employing  more  men  than 
any  two  persons  engaged  in  the  business.  The 
character  of  his  contracting  business  has  for  fifteen 
years  been  for  private  individuals  and  corporations, 
and  largely  of  that  class  which  requires  great  skill 
and  judgment,  and  the  greater  part  of  his  business 
is  done  without  competition,  planning  and  carrying 
out  the  work  to  completion.  The  aggregate  amount 
of  Mr.  Crimmins'  work  is  positively  surprising.  He 
has  had  in  his  employ  as  many  as  five  thousand 
men  at  one  time,  with  hundreds  of  horses  and 
machinery  of  everyT  description  used  in  excavations 
for  gas  works  and  mains,  building  of  railroads. 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


3'9 


docks,  subways,  the  foundations  of  many  of  the 
largest  buildings,  and  for  refrigerating  processes  in 
connection  with  breweries.  Mr.  Crimmins  early  be- 
came conspicuous  in  public  affairs  and  before  he 
was  of  age  was  Secretary  of  several  political  organi- 
zations and  also  of  the  Contractors'  Association,  the 
President  of  which  at  that  time,  Mr.  John  Pettigrew, 
was  the  best  known  contractor  of  his  day  in  the  city! 
In  his  twenty-second  year  Mr.  Crimmins  was  nom- 
inated for  Councilman  in  the  district  comprising  all 
that  part  of  the  city  north  of  Twenty-sixth  Street 
from  the  East  River  to  the  Hudson  and  Harlem 
Rivers.    His  party  was  not  successful,  but  his  per- 
sonal strength  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  received 
four  thousand  and  eight  votes,  just  double  the  num- 
ber polled  by  the  other  candidate  nominated  by  his 
party.    Since  that  time  Mr.  Crimmins  has  declined 
nominations  for  many  public  offices.    After  being 
twice  nominated  for  Park  Commissioner  of  the  city 
of  New  York,  first  by  Mayor  Grace,  he  accepted  the 
office  at  the  hands  of  Mayor  Edson,  and  assumed 
the  duties  of  the  office  in  1893.    While  in  the  Board 
he  was  twice  chosen  its  President  and  during  one  of 
his  terms  as  such,  served  also  as  Treasurer.  His 
resignation  from  the  Board  in  1887  was  owing  to 
the  increasing  pressure  of  his  numerous  business 
duties  and  occasioned  wide-spread  regret,  as  it  was 
universally  conceded  that  no  more  painstaking  and 
efficient  officer  had  ever  filled  the  position.  =  The 
Mayor  requested  him  to  remain  in  office  and  he  did 
not  withdraw  until  after  his  term  expired,  when  Mr. 
Crimmins  insisted  on  his  resignation  being  accepted. 
Mr.  Crimmins   has  accorded  his  support  to  all 
measures  best  calculated  to  advance  the  city's  per- 
manent welfare  and  prosperity,  and  there  is  no  citi- 
zen more  conversant  with  her  needs.  Mr.  Crimmins 
is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  (and  also 
Treasurer)  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  a  body  having 
charge  of  all  the  work  in  connection  with  the  Cathe- 
dral and  St.  Patrick's  Church  (the  former  cathedral 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  city)  including  schools  and 
cemeteries.    He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Orphan  Asylum,  a 
member  of  the  Advisory  Committee  of  the  Found- 
ling Asylum,  a  Trustee  of  St.  Mary's  Lodging  House, 
and  in  each  Board  Chairman  of  the  active  commit- 
tees.    He  has  inaugurated  conspicuous  improve- 
ments both  in  the  plans  of  buildings,  and  the  method 
of  training  the  children,  and  the  asylums  are  consider- 
ed to  be  the  model  institutions  of  their  character 
in  this  country.  He  is  also  a  Life  Member  and  an  of- 
ficer of  the  Catholic  Club ;  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  St.  John's  Day  Nursery,  and  also  of  the 
Home  for  Incurables ;  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Prison  Association,  and  also  of  the 


Tenement  House  Association;    an  officer  of  the 
Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick,  a  Trustee  of  the  Fifth 
Avenue  Bank  and  of  a  Bank  for  Savings;  a  member 
of  the  Real  Estate  Exchange  and  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce;  Treasurer  of  the  Central  Park  Improve- 
ment Company  and  President  of  a  Land  Improve- 
ment Company:  Vice-President  <»f  the  Y..i,„t  Mi-h\ 
Democratic  Club;  a  member  of  several  leadm.r  city 
clubs,  and  a  member  of  many  committees  in  connec- 
tion with  charitable  and  educational  organizations, 
including  the  Metropolitan   Museum  of  Art,  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  anil  the  Amer- 
ican Geographical  Society.    On  April  15,  1868,  Mr. 
Crimmins,  then  in  his  twenty-third  year,  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Lilly  L.  Lalor,  daughter  of  Martin 
Lalor,  a  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  New  York  City. 
She  was  a  graduate  of  the  Sacred  Heart  Academy 
at  Manhattanville,  where  she  received  the  highest 
honors  of  her  class  and  the  gold  medal  on  her 
graduation.    Mrs.  Crimmins  was  one  of  the  most 
charitable  women  in  the  city,  and  spent  much  of  her 
time  in  assisting  the  poor.  She  took  special  interest 
in  asylums  and  many  a  parentless  child  owed  com- 
fort to  her  charity.    In  the  truest  sense  of  the  word 
she  was  a  helpmate  to  her  husband,  and  her  wis- 
dom and  counsel  were  of  substantial  value  to  him 
through  their  long  and  unclouded  wedded  life.  She 
died  on  the  6th  of  March,  1888,  and  her  funeral  was 
one  of  the  most  notable  tributes  to  womanly  virtues 
that  ever  took  place  in  New  York.    Fourteen  chil- 
dren were  Born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crimmins,  of  whom 
eleven  survive.    Mr.  Crimmins  himself  is  a  man  of 
extremely  charitable'  disposition.    It  has  been  said 
of  him  that  he  never  inquires  who  demands  his 
charity  or  what  may  be  the  denomination  of  the  ap- 
plicant.   Let  him  be  convinced  that  suffering  can 
be  alleviated  or  need  removed  and  his  purse  is 
opened.     As  has  been  aptly  remarked,  "Philan- 
thropy with  him  is  not  a  trade;  it  is  a  Christian 
duty."    His  brother  Thomas  E.  has  been  connected 
with  him  in  business  for  many  years,  and  the  con- 
tracting firm  is  known  as  John  D.  &  Thomas  E. 
Crimmins  at  the  present  time.    As  a  contractor, 
Mr.  Crimmins  constantly  has  in  his  employ  thou- 
sands of  men.    Many  of  them  have  been  with  him 
for  years,  and  in  numerous  instances  the  children 
of  his  employees,  growing  up  under  his  eye,  have 
entered  his  service,  as  they  became  fitted  for  their 
positions.    The  most  cordial  and  friendly  relations 
have  always  existed  between  himself  and  his  work- 
men.   During  the  many  years  he  has  been  in  busi- 
ness, a  strike  has  never  occurred  among  his  em- 
ployees.   He  is  frequently  chosen  as  arbitrator  in 
difficulties  between  employees  and  employers,  and 
in  every  instance  his  decisions  have  been  cheerfully 


320 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


acquiesced  in  by  both  sides.  In  personal  appearance 
Mr.  Crimmins  is  distinguished  and  dignified,  with 
an  affable  and  courteous  bearing,  singularly  free 
from  that  patronizing  manner  which  is  so  often  the 
offspring  of  great  wealth  and  conscious  power. 
The  humblest  of  his  employees  may  enter  his  office 
and  be  sure  of  meeting  a  kindly  reception,  as  much 
so  as  if  he  were  himself  a  millionaire.  His  career 
is  inseparably  interwoven  with  the  history  of  New 
York  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  with  the 
extension-  of  its  unrivaled  water  fronts,  the  con- 
struction of  its  magnificent  boulevards,  the  decora- 
tion of  its  beautiful  parks,  and  its  public  charities. 
But  what  has  commended  him  most  of  all  is  the  un- 
ostentatious and  noble  manner  in  which  he  has 
guarded  the  interests  of  the  poor  and  needy  who 
are  always  to  be  found  in  a  great  city. 


TANDERBILT,  CORNELIUS,  fourth  of  the  name, 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  New 
York  Central  Railroad  Company,  and  of  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company,  and  Financial 
Manager  of  the  entire  Vanderbilt  system  of  roads, 
was  born  at  New  Dorp,  Staten  Island,  November 
27, 1843.  He  is  the  son  of  William  H.  Vanderbilt, 
formerly  President  of  the  New  York  Central,  and 
grandson  of  Commodore  Cornelius  Vanderbilt, 
founder  and  original  organizer  of  the  Vanderbilt 
system.  Commodore  Vanderbilt's  father.  Cornelius 
Vanderbilt,  was  a  descendant  of  Jan  Aertsen  Van 
der  Bilt,  a  Dutch  farmer,  who  settled  near  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  about  1650.  The  elder  Cornelius  Van- 
derbilt was  a  farmer  at  New  Dorp,  and  there  his 
grandson,  William  H.  Vanderbilt,  also  became  a 
farmer  about  1841,  the  Commodore  having  a  notion 
of  testing  his  son's  individuality  and  perseverance  in 
making  his  own  living  out  of  comparatively  small 
material,  while  he  himself  was  rapidly  accumulating 
wealth  through  his  marvelously  admirable  prosecu- 
tion of  the  great  undertakings  which  from  time  to 
time  occupied  his  attention.  The  success  of  this 
training,  which  was  in  fact  that  of  the  old  Commo- 
dore himself  during  his  boyhood  and  young  man- 
hood, resulted  in  making  William  H.  Vanderbilt  the 
self-reliant,  determined  and  thoughtful  man  out  of 
whom  grew  the  railroad  king  of  later  days.  Young 
Cornelius,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  had,  perhaps 
fortunately  for  himself  under  the  changed  conditions 
of  life  which  opened  up  to  him,  a  different  training 
from  that  of  his  predecessors.  In  his  boyhood  and 
early  youth  he  received  an  excellent  academic  edu- 
cation. From  the  beginning  his  growth  and  prog- 
ress were  watched  over  by  the  Commodore,  who 


evinced  with  regard  to  his  grandchildren  the  deep- 
est affection  and  the  most  earnest  desire  for  their 
advancement.  Perceiving,  as  did  also  Mr.  William 
H.  Vanderbilt,  indications  in  young  Cornelius, 
which  promised  abundant  success  if  a  sound  busi- 
ness bringing  up  were  provided,  Commodore  Van- 
derbilt strongly  advocated  such  a  course,  with  the 
result  that  at  an  early  age  he  entered  business  life  as 
a  clerk  in  the  Shoe  and  Leather  Bank  in  New  York 
City.  Here  no  favor  was  shown  him  on  account  of 
his  family  connections  or  probable  future  position, 
but  he  was  placed  in  the  same  relative  condition  as 
all  others  in  the  service  of  the  institution,  and  while 
a  simple  clerk  under  the  direction  of  his  superior 
officers,  was  instructed  in  the  work  of  the  bank  and 
thus  introduced  to  his  first  knowledge  of  financial 
affairs.  It  soon  became  obvious  to  the  department 
heads  of  the  bank  that  Cornelius  was  a  J'oung  man 
remarkably  endowed  with  faculties  whose  proper 
encouragement  and  direction  would  unquestionably 
be  of  great  value  to  the  institution.  All  his  work 
was  seen  to  be  faithful  and  remarkably  accurate. 
He  was  industrious  and  indefatigable  in  the  dis- 
charge of  duty  and  close  in  his  attendance  to  the 
service  of  the  bank.  All  of  this  was  recognized  by 
the  bank  officials  anil  he  was  gradually  advanced 
from  post  to  post  as  his  service  seemed  to  deserve 
such  acknowledgment,  his  salary  being  adequately 
increased  with  each  promotion.  Meauwhile  the 
Commodore,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  engrossing  occu- 
pations and  the  control  of  the  vast  interests  in  his 
hands,  did  not  fail  to  keep  an  eye  on  this  young 
man,  in  whom  he  foresaw  a  most  able  and  honorable 
successor  to  himself.  Accordingly,  when  young 
Cornelius  was  approaching  his  majority  his  grand- 
father had  him  transferred  to  the  private  banking 
house  of  Kissam  Brothers,  that  he  should,  in  this 
position  and  under  the  different  conditions  which 
obtained  therein,  gain  a  knowledge  of  the  brokerage 
business  and  of  the  stock  market  which  he  could 
hardly  have  obtained  in  an  ordinary  bank  of  deposit 
and  discount.  The  marked  individuality  of  Cor- 
nelius showed  itself  at  this  period,  in  a  direction 
which  was  illustrative  of  one  of  its  very  strongest 
features — the  religious  tendency.  Perhaps  without 
any  specific  intention,  but  certainly  with  a  direct 
leading  in  that  direction,  he  connected  himself  with 
the  Episcopal  church,  and  with  such  conscientious- 
ness of  purpose  that  the  relation  then  formed  doubt- 
less stood  as  a  barrier  forever  after  between  himself 
and  those  insidious  and  so  often  fatal  temptations 
which  act  with  such  force  and  perseverance  in  the 
case  of  men  whose  inheritance  includes  great  wealth 
and  a  lofty  position.  Of  a  strongly  receptive  nature, 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt  was  endowed  with  a  natural 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


manliness  sufficient  to  strengthen  him  in  any  direc- 
tion towards  which  his  disposition  or  his  environ- 
ment might  lead  him,  and  at  the  same  time  he  was 
peculiarly  fortunate  in  his  youth  in  heing  specially 
under  the  hands  of  the  Commodore.  Many  of  the 
latter's  best  qualities,  his  tenacity  of  purpose,  his 
tremendous  energy  and  his  breadth  of  mental  vision, 
were  thus  assimilated  by  the  young  man,  while  no 
less  did  he  owe  to  his  father,  Mr.  William  II.  Vander- 
bilt,  the  patience,  foresight  and  self-discipline  which 
were  a  part  of  the  latter's  character  and  greatly  as- 
sisted in  raising  him  to  the  eminence  which  he 
reached  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  financiers 
this  country  has  produced.  When  Commodore 
Vauderbilt  died,  he  showed  by  practical  recognition 
in  bis  will  that  the  conduct  and  career  of  young 
Cornelius  up  to  that  period  had  met  with  his  com- 
plete approbation.  Subsequently  a  similar  confi- 
dence both  in  his  integrity  and  ability  was  exhibited 
by  the  will  of  his  own  father,  and  who  so  disposed 
the  family  arrangements  made  regarding  the  Van- 
derbilt estate  after  his  death,  that  the  bulk  of  the 
family  fortune,  including  the  railroad  securities, 
was  left  to  the  management  of  the  two  brothers — 
Cornelius  and  William  Kissam.  In  18(55,  being  then 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  was 
appointed  to  a  position  in  the  office  of  the  Harlem 
Railroad,  and  for  two  years  devoted  himself  more 
particularly  to  the  study  of  railroad  management 
and  finances,  with  the  result  that  in  1867  he  became 
Treasurer  of  that  company.  This  office  he  contin- 
ued to  fill  during  the  next  ten  years  and  of  course 
with  an  enormous  accumulation  of  experience  and 
knowledge  regarding  the  affairs  which  it  was  to  be- 
come his  duty  thereafter  to  supervise  and  control  on 
a  much  larger  and  more  important  scale.  Commo- 
dore Vanderbilt  died  in  New  York  City  January  4, 
1877,  and  Mr.  William  H.  Vanderbilt  succeeded  him 
in  the  Presidency  of  the  New  York  Central  Rail- 
road, while  Cornelius  was  made  First  Yice-Presi- 
dent  and  given  entire  control  of  the  finances  of  the 
road,  and  his  brother.  William  K.,  became  Second 
Vice-President,  having  charge  over  the  road's  traf- 
fic business.  As  Treasurer  of  the  Harlem  road, 
Cornelius  had  shown  his  peculiar  aptitude  for  finan- 
cial affairs  and  had  in  fact  mastered  their  intrica- 
cies as  applied  to  a  railroad  system.  And  thus  the 
application  of  his  aequirnients  and  his  natural 
powers  to  the  much  larger  volume  of  such  business 
connected  with  the  management  of  the  New  York 
Central  Road  was  really  felt  by  him  but  little.  In 
his  new  position  and  brought  into  direct  relation 
with  the  heads  of  departments  of  the  New  York 
Central  and  with  the  managers  of  the  other  roads  of 
the  Vanderbilt  system,  Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt 


become  speedily  notable  for  the  clearness  and  ac- 
curacy of  his  statements,  for  a  quickness  of  percep- 
tion which  enabled  him,  almost  at  a  glance,  to  un- 
ravel any  account  or  financial  statement,  however 
complicated,  and  for  a  remarkable  memory,  which 
on  requisition  would  recall  any  portion  of  his  famil- 
iar knowledge  of  his  work,  and  enable  him  to  an- 
swer promptly  and  accurately  the  frequent  and 
unexpected  questions  of  his  father  concerning  it. 
Having  in  charge  the  financial  relations  of  the  Cen- 
tral Road  brought  him  also  into  familiar  acquaint- 
ance with  the  outside  world,  and  more  particularly 
with  the  great  banking  and  other  business  interests 
with  which  the  system  is  necessarily  identified. 
Such  acquaintance  gained  for  him  the  respect  and 
admiration  of  the  most  prominent  financiers,  bankers 
and  railroad  men  of  the  country,  and  it  began  to  be 
recognized  that  in  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  would 
eventually  be  found  a  fitting  follower  and  represen- 
tative of  his  father  and  grandfather.  In  May.  1**3, 
Mr.  William  H.  Vanderbilt  retired  from  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  Vanderbilt  roads,  and  Cornelius  and 
his  brother,  William  K.  Vanderbilt,  resigned  their 
Vice-Presidencies.  The  object  of  this  apparently 
sudden  and  vital  official  change  in  the  control  and 
direction  of  the  great  system  of  roads,  the  reins  of 
whose  government  had  hitherto  been  held  in  indi- 
vidual hands,  was  the  result  of  wise  and  conserva- 
tive judgment,  having  for  its  purpose  the  best  use 
in  the  direction,  of  all  the  best  accessible  wisdom. 
The  object  of  the  change  was  first  to  bring  the 
Directors  into  more  direct  contact  with  the  opera- 
tions of  the  companies,  and  to  make  the  manage- 
ment responsible  to  them.  In  this  wa}-,  not  only  tin- 
trained  ability  of  the  Executive  Officers  was  made 
available  in  the  Board,  but  the  representative-  of 
the  stock  and  bondholders  were  in  touch  with  the 
movement  of  the  business,  and  their  wisdom 
strengthened  the  organization.  Another  and  most 
important  purpose  was  to  bring  the  Vanderbilt 
lines  east  of  Chicago  into  the  closest  alliance.  Cor- 
nelius Vanderbilt  became  the  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  New  York  Central  and 
Hudson  River  Railroad  Company  and  also  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Michigan  Central,  while 
William  K.  assumed  the  same  position  in  t lie  Lake 
Shore  and  Nickel  Plate.  Thus  the  Vanderbilt  man- 
agement and  interests  between  New  York  and  Chi- 
cago were  brought  into  harmonious  relations,  and 
made  subject  to  a  common  policy.  By  this  ar- 
rangement the  President  of  each  of  the  lines  be- 
comes directly  responsible  to  the  Directors  of  his 
own  company.  Under  this  new  system  Mr.  James 
H.  Rutter  was  the  first  President  of  the  New  York 
Central,   and   at    his  death  was  succeeded  by 


322 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


Chauncey  M.  Depew,  who  still  holds  the  office. 
But  what  is  known  as  the  Vanderbilt  system  ex- 
tends from  the  Atlantic  nearly  to  Salt  Lake  City, 
while  its  branches  and  other  affiliated  lines  reach 
into  every  State  and  Territory  of  the  Northwest, 
covering  in  all  about  twenty  thousand  miles  of 
rails.  It  extends  also  far  into  the  South,  and  by  al- 
liance with  the  Union  Pacific,  from  ocean  to  ocean. 
The  Yauderbilt  system  proper  includes  the  Harlem: 
New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River ;  the  West 
Shore  ;  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern  :  the 
Michigan  Central  with  its  Canada  Southern  auxil- 
iary ;  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis;  the.  Chicago  and  North  Western,  which 
stretches  from  Chicago  to  Omaha  and  six  hundred 
miles  beyond  toward  the  Pacific  ocean ;  and  the 
Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  and  Omaha,  cover- 
ing the  entire  Northwest.  Of  all  these  roads  Mr. 
Yauderbilt  has  a  thorough  practical  knowlege,  as, 
besides  having  been  First  Yice-President  and  Finan- 
cial Manager  of  the  New  York  Central,  he  was  in 
1878,  Treasurer  of  the  Michigan  Central  and  of  the 
Canada  Southern ;  in  1879,  Yice-President  and 
Treasurer  of  the  latter ;  in  1880,  Treasurer  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  Michigan  Central,  and  continued 
to  hold  these  positions  until  1883,  when  he  was 
made  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
New  York  Central,  Chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Michigan  Central,  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Canada  Southern.  In  1877  he  was 
made  Vice-President,  and  in  1886,  President  of 
the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad,  of  which  he 
had  already  been  Treasurer  from  1867  to  1877,  and 
the  position  of  President  of  this  road  he  has  con- 
tinued to  hold  ever  since,  in  connection  with  his 
other  offices.  With  an  aggregate  of  fine  finan- 
cial ability  and  experience,  the  reins  of  power  still 
remain  in  the  hands  of  a  Vanderbilt,  not  by  reason 
of  the  name  or  for  the  sake  of  conservatism,  or  be- 
cause of  precedents,  but  because  Mr.  Cornelius 
Vanderbilt's  established  character  for  prudence  and 
sound  judgment,  his  recognized  financial  ability  and 
his  conceded  integrity  in  council  are,  as  is  well 
known,  all  combined  in  the  interest  of  all  stock- 
holders alike.  And  it  has  been  thoroughly  demon- 
strated and  is  fully  recognized  that  he  is  determined 
that,  without  fear  or  favoritism  of  any  kind,  the 
roads  shall  be  managed  for  the  benefit  of  all  the 
stockholders,  a  fact  the  knowledge  of  which  forms 
a  bulwark  of  strength  and  confidence  in  the  Van- 
derbilt securities  all  over  the  world.  Mr.  Vander- 
bilt's training  from  the  beginning  lias  been  financial 
altogether.  And  while,  of  course,  he  is  thoroughly 
familiar,  from  his  long  official  experience  in  the  New 
York  and  Harlem  and  New  York  Central  roads,  with 


everything  in  general  relating  to  railroad  transpor- 
tation and  traffic,  it  is  as  a  financier  that  his  imme- 
diate relations  to  the  roads  in  his  care  have  made 
him  most  prominent.  He  is  a  natural  lover  of  fig- 
ures. He  delights  in  them,  and  the  most  compli- 
cated mathematical  statements  in  connection  with 
affairs  with  which  he  is  familiar  have  not  the  slight- 
est terrors  for  Mr.  Yauderbilt.  Of  course,  the  duties 
which  have  been  herein  indicated  are  quite  suffi- 
cient to  occupy  the  time  and  attention  of  any  one 
man  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  labor,  but  they  do 
not,  by  any  means,  represent  the  totality  of  the  in- 
terests which  Mr.  Vanderbilt  has  in  his  charge,  and 
over  all  of  which  he  exercises  that  degree  of  super- 
vision which  each  of  them  appears  to  demand  at  his 
hand ;  for  it  is  a  marked  feature  in  his  character 
that  to  whatever  interest,  small  or  great,  he  attaches 
himself,  to  that  extent  he  takes  upon  himself  the 
burden  of  fulfilling  such  duties  as  to  him  appear  es- 
sential in  connection  therewith.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  is 
probably  associated  as  a  Director  or  Trustee  with 
as  many  public  organizations,  societies  and  institu- 
tions as  any  other  man  in  New  York.  Perhaps,  in- 
deed, he  has  more  and  wider  relations  of  this  char- 
acter than  any  other  man.  It  is  remarked  of  him 
that  he  is  just  as  rigid  and  methodical  in  his  rela- 
tion to  positions  of  this  nature  as  he  is  with  regard 
to  the  broader  interests  connected  with  his  railroad 
and  financial  duties.  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  deep  and 
conscientious  religious  nature  has  brought  him  into 
prominence  as  a  member  of  religious  organizations, 
and  he  is  in  the  direction  of  many  such,  while,  as  a 
benefactor  in  religious  and  charitable  works,  he  has 
been  as  generous  as  he  has  been  modest  in  giving. 
He  is  a  Trustee  or  Director,  among  others,  of  the 
following  institutions  :  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  St. 
Luke's  Hospital,  the  Seaman's  Mission  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  the  Home  for  Incurables,  the  Hos- 
pital Saturday  and  Sunday  Association,  the  House 
of  Rest  for  Consumptives,  the  Eye  and  Ear  Infirm- 
ary, the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  the 
Christian  Home  for  Intemperate  Men,  and  the  Hos- 
pital for  the  Ruptured  and  Crippled.  He  is  also  a 
member  or  fellow  of  the  following  :  New  York 
Yacht  Club,  the  Players'  Club,  the  St.  Nicholas  So- 
|  ciety,  of  which  he  was  formerly  President,  the  St. 
Nicholas  Club,  the  New  York  Farmers;  Trustee  of 
the  Union  Trust  Company,  the  New  York  Historical 
Society ;  Member  of  the  Union  League  Club,  the 
Union,  the  Knickerbocker,  the  CeDtury,  the  Grolier, 
the  Down-town  Club,  the  Thursday  Evening ;  Fellow 
of  the  American  Geographical  Society',  Director  in 
!  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  and  the  Metropoli- 
!  tan  Art  Museum  ;  Member  of  the  Episcopal  Cathe- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


dral  Committee,  of  the  American  School  for  Classi- 
cal Studies  at  Athens,  and  Member  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce.    Mr.  Vanderbilt  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Country  and  Tuxedo  Clubs  and  is  prominent  at 
Newport,  where  he  has  a  model  farm,  and  where  he 
interests  himself  greatly  in  the  Casino  and  the  Read- 
ing-Room  and  the  Improvement  Society.  Although 
as  has  been  said,  a  man  of  deep  religious  convic- 
tions, and  of  faithful  adherence  to  these  in  his  per- 
sonal and  public  life,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  is  by  no  means 
an  ascetic,  but  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  lover  of  art  in 
all  its  phases,  is  fond  of  horses  and  yachting,  al- 
though not  in  the  least  a  sporting  man,  aud^nly 
caring  for  either  od  account  of  the  relaxation  from 
business  and  exhilaration  of  spirits  to  which  they 
are  accessory.    In  most  of  his  relations  with  insti- 
tutions and  other  public  organizations  Mr.  Vander- 
bilt proceeds  upon  the  theory  that  he  is  by  such 
connection  performing  a  portion  of  his  duty  to  the 
world  at  large,  as  to  which  his  ideas  are  peculiarly 
conscientious.  He  is,  therefore,  as  has  been  already 
indicated,  punctilious  in  his  attendance  at  meetings 
of  Trustees  or  Boards  of  Directors  of  which  he  is°a 
member,  and  devotes  to  whatever  questions  of  in- 
terest may  come  before  him  in  this  capacity  the 
same  earnestness  that  he  bestows  on  his  customary 
duties.    As  is  the  case  with  all  men  of  recognized 
fortune,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  is  the  recipient  of  requests 
in  season  and  out  of  season  for  the  bestowal  of 
charity  in  every  possible  direction.    In  connection 
with  those  institutions  of  a  charitable  nature  of 
which  he  is  a  member,  and  as  to  the  conduct  and 
uses  of  which  he  is  fully  cognizant,  he  is  always 
liberal,  aud  helps  them  out  of  many  a  tight  corner 
from  which  it  would  be  difficult  for  them  without 
his  assistance  to  emerge.    In  other  directions,  how- 
ever, than  those  covered  by  organized  charity,  the 
demand  upon  Mr.  Vanderbilt  often  assumes  the 
character  of  a  persecution.     Subject,  as  men  of 
wealth  are,  to  the  clever  and  experienced  attacks  of 
skilled  professional  beggars,  a  constant  watchful- 
ness or  else  an  entire  abstention  of  charity  must  be 
observed  with  regard  to  such  instances.    Mr.  Van- 
derbilt has  always,  where  cases  have  been  brought 
before  him  whose  character  has  been  recognized  as 
deserving  of  assistance,  been  most  liberal,  while  at 
the  same  time  thorough^  judicious  in  extending 
such  assistance  as  was  needed.    Unfortunately,  as 
is  the  case  with  others  under  similar  circumstances, 
it  has  been  very  much  the  experience  of  Mr.  Van- 
derbilt that  such  cases  only  too  frequently  turn  out 
to  be  simulated  and  fraudulent  in  their  character. 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  is  a  lover  of  art.    He  possesses  in 
his  elegant  and  refined  residence  in  Fifth  Avenue 
a  valuable  and  well  selected  collection  of  the  works 


32j 


of  the  best  modern  painters.    It  was  he  who  gave  to 
the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  the  great  painting 
of  Rosa  Bonheur  of  the  Horse  Fair,  and  I,,  ||„-  -:,„„■ 
institution  he  presented  a  rare  and  valuable  coll,-, 
tion  of  drawings  by  the  old  masters.    But  the  most 
important  single  benefaction  by  Mr.  Vanderbilt  and 
a  really  remarkable  instance  of  generosity  and  wis,, 
thoughtfulness  combined,  was  the  gift  to  the  em- 
ployees of  the  New  York  Central  anil  Hudson  River 
Railroad,  and  its  leased  and  affiliated  lines,  of  the 
splendid  club  house  at  the  corner  of  MadUon  \ve 
nue  and  Forty-fifth  Street,  New  York.    As  to  this 
club,  which  is  supplied  with  reading  rooms,  game 
rooms,  rooms  for  educational  classes,  a  lanre"  hall 
for  general  meetings,  gymnasium,  bowlimj  alleys 
plunge  bath  and  sleeping  apartments  for  employees 
coming  in  late  or  detained  in  the  city  over  night— it 
is  also  fortunate  in  the  possession  of  the"  finest 
library  owned  byany  club  in  New  York.  The  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  New  York  Central  and  Hudson 
River  Railroad  Company  showed  their  appreciation 
of  the  value  and  importance  of  this  gift  to  the  em- 
ployees of  the  road  by  recording  upon  their  minutes 
and  afterwards  presenting  to  Mr.  Vanderbilt  in  ap- 
propriate form  the  following  letter  : 

New  Yokk  Central  and  Hudson  RrvBK  Railkoad, 

Office  of  the  President,  i 
„  ...  New  Yoke,  June  30, 1886.  , 

L.  Vanderbilt,  Esq., 

My  Dear  Sir-.— I  am  directed  bv  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors of  the  New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River 
Railroad  Company  to  convey  to  vou  the  expression 
of  their  profound  appreciation  of  your  generosity  in 
the  gift  of  the  proposed  building  for  the  use  of  the 
men  in  the  service  of  this  and  other  companies  cen- 
tering at  the  Grand  Central  Depot.    In  leasing  the 
laud  for  the  site  of  this  structure,  they  feel  thaUhey 
are  applying  the  property  to  the  best  purpose  pos- 
sible.   Wliile  you  could  not  be  fairly  called  upon 
any  more  than  other  individual  stockholders  to  per- 
sonally incur  this  expense,  in  doing  so  you  perpetu- 
ate in  a  way  most  honorable  to  yourse'lf  and  bene- 
ficial to  the  company,  a  name  already  identified 
with  the  management  of  this  corporation  and  is 
affiliated   lines  through  two  generations.  Indi- 
vidually I  am  deeply  Sensible  that  this  work  will 
lighten  the  burdens  of  the  administration  of  the  af- 
fairs of  the  company,  and  promote  that  good  feel- 
ing and  mutual  and  interdependent  interest  between 
the  executive  and  all  departments  of  our  business, 
which,  increasing  with  years,  will  furnish  more  ac- 
ceptable service  to  the  public,  and  add  to  the  value 
of  the  property.  Yours  very  truly, 

Chauncey  M.  Depew, 
President. 


The  significance  of  this  gift  was  as  well  under- 
stood and  appreciated  by  the  employees  of  the  road, 
for  whose  benefit  it  was  designed  and  has  since 
been  conducted,  as  it  was  by  the  Directors  of  the 
road.    Not  only  should  an  act  of  this  nature  be 


324 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


cousidered  in  its  personal  relation,  but  also  in 
regard  to  its  influence  upou  the  relatious  of  all 
those  connected  with  the  road,  encouraging,  as 
it  does,  a  degree  of  harmony  and  of  the  recog- 
nition of  mutual  interests  as  well  as  mutual 
duties  which  could  not  fail  to  be  conducive  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  road,  and  therefore,  to  those  of 
it's  stockholders.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  married,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1867,  while  quite  a  young  man,  Miss  Alice 
Gwynne,  the  daughter  of  a  distinguished  lawyer  of 
Cincinnati.  Four  sons  and  three  daughters  have 
been  born  to  them.  The  two  eldest  boys,  William 
H.  and  Cornelius,  showed  several  years  ago  their 
possession  of  the  hereditary  family  traits  of  enter- 
prise and  interest  in  affairs  by  publishing  and  edit- 
ing a  boys'  newspaper  called  The  Comet.  At  the 
top  of  their  father's  house  they  fitted  up  a  large 
room  with  cases  and  a  press  and  all  the  other  ma- 
terial of  a  printing  office,  quite  complete  of  its  kind, 
and  from  which  the  young  publishers  turned  out, 
besides  their  amateur  paper,  a  number  of  creditable 
efforts  of  the  art  of  printing.  In  his  home  life — as 
would  certainly  be  anticipated  of  such  a  man,  to 
whom  fortunately  have  been  accorded  the  blessings 
of  a  sympathetic  wife,  and  respectful,  obedient  and 
intelligent  c  hildren,  and  amid  these  surroundings — 
Mr.  Yanderbilt  is  seen  at  his  best.  Thoroughly  do- 
mestic in  his  personal  nature,  social  and  agreeable 
in  his  manner,  his  domestic  life  is  one  that  would 
win  the  respect  and  admiration  of  any  one  fortu- 
nate enough  to  become  personall}'  familiar  with  it. 
One  trait  of  Mr.  Vauderbilt's  character  which  has 
not  yet  been  touched  upon,  and  yet  which,  when  it 
is  prominent  in  the  nature  of  a  man,  is  sure  to  be 
specially  noted  by  his  associates,  is  the  tenacity  of 
his  friendships.  To  those  whom  he  knew  during 
his  youth  and  young  manhood,  he  is  always  ready 
to  extend  the  hand  of  friendship  and  kindly  remem- 
brance. Like  the  same  trait  in  General  Grant,  to 
whom  in  his  misfortunes  Mr.  Vanderbilt's  father 
was  so  generous,  but  with  better  judgment  in  selec- 
tion, Mr.  Yanderbilt  never  forgets  old  acquain- 
tances, or  those  whom  he  has  known  and  cared  for 
or  admired,  no  matter  what  length  of  time  may 
elapse  without  their  meeting.  Thus,  in  summing 
up  his  character,  and  with  a  view  to  all  that  has 
been  here  told  with  regard  to  him,  perhaps  the 
most  salient  feature,  the  rarest  and  most  beautiful 
trait  which  he  possesses,  is  fidelity.  From  boyhood 
up  he  has  been  noted  for  the  characteristic  of  faith- 
fulness to  every  duty  which  he  assumes  or  which 
was  thrust  \ipon  him,  fidelity  to  the  enormous 
monied  interests  placed  in  his  hands  and  looking 
finally  to  him  for  their  direction  and  management, 
fidelity  to  a  public  and  social  life  most  exacting  in 


its  appeals  and  claims,  fidelity  to  his  family  and 
more  immediate  and  close  personal  ties  and,  at  last, 
fidelity  to  those  religious  convictions  whose  warm 
and  serene  influence  has  guided  him  to  mature  life 
by  ways  unmarked  with  any  divergence  from  per- 
fect rectitude,  and  graced  and  beautified  by  earnest 
sympathy  for  his  fellows  and  the  full  comprehen- 
sion and  pursuit  of  his  duty  to  mankind. 


OULD,  JAY,  financier,  was  born  in  lioxbury, 
Delaware  County,  New  York,  May  27,  1836. 
The  family  were  of  English  extraction,  the  first 
settler  of  the  name  having  arrived  there  as  one  of  a 
half  dozen  Puritan  families  from  Connecticut.  This 
was  Captain  Abram  Gould,  to  whom  was  born  the 
first  male  child  in  that  section — John  B  Gould — who 
grew  to  manhood,  and  was  blest  with  two  sons  and 
four  daughters.  One  of  these  sons  was  christened 
Jason  Gould,  and  is  the  subject  of  the  present  sketch. 
Mr.  John  B.  Gould  was  the  owner  of  a  small  farm, 
which,  notwithstanding  his  industry  and  intelligent 
exertion  and  careful  management,  yielded  only  a 
sufficient  income  to  support  his  rather  numerous 
family-  in  a  style  of  severe  simplicity.  During  his 
early  years  young  Jay  worked  on  his  father's  farm  ; 
and  all  the  educational  advantages  which  he  ob- 
tained at  this  period  he  gained  from  the  district 
school,  whose  sessions  covered  only  half  the  year; 
while  his  other  opportunities  for  study  were  heavily 
handicapped  by  the  severe  and  exacting  duties 
which  always  fall  to  the  lot  of  a  small  boy  in  a  far- 
mer's family.  Even  this  district  school  was  unfor- 
tunately closed  before  he  reached  his  tenth  year,  on 
account  of  the  troubles  occurring  by  the  breaking 
out  of  the  famous  "  anti-rent  war."  Soon  after  this, 
dissatisfied  with  a  farming  life,  Mr.  Gould  accepted 
a  position  as  clerk  in  the  country  store  of  Benham 
Brothers,  in  the  village  of  Roxbury.  His  pay  was 
sixteen  dollars  per  month,  which  was  cousidered 
good  wages  in  those  days  and  in  that  locality.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen,  however,  we  find  that  he  entered 
Hobart  Academy,  New  York;  and  that  at  this  time 
he  was  also  keeping  the  books  of  the  village  black- 
smith ;  while  from  his  elder  sisters,  who  were  young 
ladies  of  considerable  culture,  he  obtained  instruc- 
tion which  enabled  him  to  start  in  his  favorite 
study — mathematics.  He  supported  himself  during 
his  stay  at  Hobart  Academy  and  was  of  no  expense 
to  his  father.  At  this  time  he  is  said  to  have  been 
of  a  reserved  nature,  giving  all  the  time  possible  to 
close  application  to  his  studies,  until  he  made  such 
remarkable  progress  that  in  a  little  more  than  six 
months  he  had  passed  through  the  prescribed  course 


S 


<3  AY  ©  ®  QJJ  [L  ®D 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF   NEW  YORK. 


325 


of  instruction  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  tutors. 
Leaving  the  academy,  and  at  the  same  time  the  ser- 
vice of  the  village  blacksmith,  he  obtained  employ- 
ment in  a  hardware  store;  still  devoting  his  leisure 
hours  to  systematic  study,  and  turning  his  attention 
to  surveying,  trigonometry  and  engineering.  It  is 
a  curious  fact  in  the  young  man's  life  that  lie  should 
thus  early  have  devoted  himself  to  a  study  which 
was  naturally  to  lead  up  to  the  prevailing  business 
of  his  after  life.  It  is  said  of  him  at  this  time,  the 
only  recreation  he  permitted  himself  consisted  in  the 
perusal  of  the  works  of  the  great  historians ;  and 
this  study  also  continued  to  his  taste  as  he  grew  to 
maturity.  With  the  determination  to  acquire  a 
practical  knowledge  of  surveying,  he  borrowed  an 
old  compass  and  a  set  of  surveying  implements,  and 
practiced  surveying  on  a  limited  scale,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  boys  of  the  village  acting  as  flag 
and  chain  bearers.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  man 
and  illustrative  also  of  his  remarkable  inventive 
talent  that  he  obtained  the  services  of  these  youths 
by  making  them  presents  of  toys  of  his  own  inven- 
tion and  construction.  An  anomaly  in  the  history 
of  boys  of  his  age  is  presented  in  the  fact  that  when 
only  fifteen  years  of  age  he  was  made  full  partner  in 
the  business  in  which  he  was  engaged,  and  shortly 
afterwards  was  intrusted  with  its  entire  charge 
And  under  his  skillful  management  this  business 
grew  largely,  involving  frequent  visits  to  New  York 
and  Albany  for  the  purpose  of  making  purchases  of 
hardware  and  other  stock.  During  these  visits  he 
made  so  favorable  an  impression  upon  those  with 
whom  he  had  dealings  that  he  was  permitted  to 
open  an  account  with  the  well  known  firms  of 
Phelps,  Dodge  &  Company  of  New  York,  and  Rath- 
bone  &  Company  and  S.  H.  Ransom  of  Albany,  up- 
on their  best  terms  for  credit.  But  the  hardware 
business  did  not  prove  suited  to  his  taste,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1852  he  gave  up  his  business  to  his 
father  (who  had,  in  the  meantime,  -old  his  farm); 
and,  still  continuing  his  interest  in  surveying,  he 
obtained  the  charge  of  a  surveying  party,  to  com- 
plete a  new  map  of  Ulster  County,  at  a  salary  of 
twenty  dollars  per  month.  In  this,  his  first  survey- 
ing expedition,  young  Gould  started  out  with  only 
five  dollars  in  his  pocket.  It  was  bitterly  cold 
weather ;  he  had  no  overcoat,  and  he  walked  some- 
times at  the  rate  of  forty  miles  a  day  to  keep  his 
blood  in  brisk  circulation.  The  surveying  party 
came  to  pecuniary  grief,  his  employer  becoming  em- 
barrassed and  unable  to  pay  him ;  and  he  determined 
to  carry  out  the  enterprise  on  his  own  account,  con- 
necting with  him  two  others  of  the  party,  none  of 
whom  were  in  possession  of  any  capital,  but  all 
ambitious  and  determined.    The  hardships  of  this 


period  have  been  told  by  Mr.  Gould  in  his  own  lan- 
guage, as  follows: 

"I  was  out  of  money,  that  is  to  say,  all  that  I  had 
at  my  command  was  a  ten  cent  piece,  and  with  that 
last  coin  I  had  determined  not  to  part.  (I  did  not 
part  witli  it,  and  I  never  shall.  I  keep  it  now  as  a 
momento).  Fall  was  approaching,  and  unless  our 
surveys  were  completed  before  the  winter  set  in,  the 
completion  of  our  enterprise  would  have  been  de- 
layed until  the  next  season,  subjecting  ns  to  addi- 
tional expense.  This  I  saw  would  probably  cause 
the  abandonment  of  the  enterprise,  and  I  was  deter- 
mined to  carry  it  through  if  possible.  Had  I  had 
sufficient  money  to  last  me  on  a  journey  hack  to 
Delaware  for  fresh  supplies,  I  could  "not  have 
afforded  the  time.  I  was  among  entire  Btrangere 
and  consequently  without  credit.  I  could  neither 
advance  nor  retreat  without  money,  and  so  deeply 
did  I  deplore  the  prospective  ruin  of  our  enterprise, 
that  I  could  not  refrain  from  tears.  When  things 
are  at  the  worst,  however,  they  can  only  change  for 
the  better,  and  just  when  the  clouds  of  my  despair 
were  thickest.  Fortune  came  smiling  through  them. 
Tired  out  with  my  last  day's  tramp,  hungry  and  de- 
jected, I  was  resting  in  a  rocky  nook  near  the  town 
of  Shawangunk,  with  my  tears  trickling  down  on 
the  face  of  the  compass,  when  I  was  suddenly 
hailed  by  one  of  the  farmers  of  the  neighborhood, 
who  asked  me  to  accompany  him  home  and  make 
him  a  noon-mark,  which  is  a  north  and  south  line 
drawn  so  that  the  shadow  of  an  upright  object 
thrown  on  it  indicates  the  time  of  mid-day.  Arrived 
at  the  farm,  I  was  invited  to  take  dinner  "first,  an  in- 
vitation which  I  joyfully  accepted,  as  I  had  Bupped 
on  a  couple  of  small  crackers  the  previous  night, 
and,  although  I  had  been  hard  at  work  since  day- 
light, had  eaten  nothing  else,  and  consequently  felt 
exceedingly  faint.  After  a  hearty  diniier  I  made  the 
noon-mark,  and  was  about  bidding  the  hospitable 
farmer  "good  day,'-'  when  he  asked  me  what  my 
charge  was  for  the  mark.  1  told  him  he  was  wel- 
come to  it,  but  he  geuerousty  insisted  on  paying  me 
half-a-dollar,  assuring  me  that  that  was  the  price 
his  neighbor  had  paid  for  one.  I  accepted  the 
money  and  started  on  my  way  rejoicing.  Had  I  that 
moment  discovered  a  new  continent  I  could  not 
have  been  more  elated,  for  with  sixty  cents  iu  my 
pocket,  and  the  prospect  of  making  other  noon- 
marks  along  the  route,  1  could  now  see  a  way  to 
carry  my  enterprise  to  a  successful  termination.  1 
can  never  forget  that  day.  From  that  time  forward 
I  prosecuted  my  labors  with  alight  heart;  the  fame 
of  my  noon-marks  preceded  me;  applications 
from  farmers  came  in  all  round,  and  out  of  this  new 
source  of  supply  I  paid  all  the  expenses  of  my  sur- 
veys, and  came  out  at  the  completion  with  six  dol- 
lars in  my  pocket." 

At  about  this  time  young  Goidd  was  wandering 
disconsolately  along  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  and 
Delaware  Canal  when  he  met  Oliver  J.  Tillson  (a 
young  man  of  twenty  years  of  age)  and  introduced 
himself,  and  at  the  same  time  remarking  that  he  was 
just  the  fellow  that  he  had  tramped  a  good  many 
miles  along  the  towpath  that  Sunday  morning  to  see. 
With  real  tears  in  his  eyes  he  related  the  story 
of  his  life.    He  said  he  had  heard  that  young  Till- 


326 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


son  had  some  knowledge  of  surveying  and  civil  en-, 
gineering,  and  he  had  come  to  see  whether  they 
could  not  form  a  partnership.  He  was  in  debt  and 
entirely  without  ready  money.  The  young  men 
continued  in  conversation  till  they  arrived  at  Till- 
son's  house,  by  which  time  the  latter  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  adopt  Gould's  plan  and  form  a  business 
partnership  with  him  and  his  friend  Brink.  Not 
one  of  them  had  any  ready  money,  but  finally  they 
raised  sufficient  to  buy  two  odometers,  one  for 
Tillson  and  the  other  for  Brink.  Gould  had  his 
own  odometer.  They  went  to  work  with  a  vim, 
taking  different  routes,  and  trundling  the  odometers 
wheel-barrow  fashion  over  the  rough  country  roads. 
According  to  agreement,  they  met  every  Saturday 
afternoon  at  the  house  of  Tillson's  father  in  Rosen- 
dale,  where  on  that  day  and  on  Sundays  they  "  fixed 
things  up,"  as  Gould  used  to  call  it,  and  compared 
notes.  The  map  of  Ulster  County  was  completed 
in  December,  1852,  and  Gould  said  he  would  like  to 
sell  out  and  go  back  to  his  father's  home.  They 
held  an  auction  among  themselves,  and  Tillson  and 
Brink  together  bought  out  Gould's  right  and  title  in 
the  map.  The  following  is  a  verbatim  copy  of  the 
receipt : 

December  27,  1852. 
Received  of  Oliver  J.  Tillson  and  Peter  H.  Brink 
ninety  dollars  and  wheel,  in  full  of  all  debts  and  de- 
mands and  dues  against  them  and  the  Ulster  County 
Map. 

Jason  Gould, 
for 

John  B.  Gould. 
JohnB.  Gould  was  Jason's  father,  and  had  advanced 
his  son  a  trifle.  Besides,  at  the  time  the  receipt  was 
given,  he  was  a  minor  and  believed  that  was  the 
correct  way  of  signing.  The  ''wheel"  which  is 
here  mentioned,  was  the  odometer  he  used  to  trun- 
dle all  over  the  wTild  westeru  portion  of  the  county 
while  making  his  surveys.  The  accuracy  of  the 
Ulster  County  map  had  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  late  John  Delafield,  who  applied  to  the  Legisla- 
ture of  the  State  for  aid  in  the  completion  of  a 
topographical  survey  of  the  entire  State,  to  be  un- 
dertaken by  Mr.  Gould.  Before  success  was  met  in 
the  Legislature,  Mr.  Delafield,  unfortunately  died. 
But  with  the  boldness  and  energy  which  had  al- 
ready so  demonstrated  themselves  as  a  part  of  his 
character,  Gould  determined  to  prosecute  the  enter- 
prise without  waiting  for  Legislative  aid.  In  the 
spring  of  1853  he  began  the  survey  of  Albany 
County,  and  completed  it  by  the  following  fall. 
During  the  ensuing  winter  he  drafted  out  his  sur- 
veys, and  produced  a  map  which  he  sold  on  its  com- 
pletion at  a  very  handsome  profit.  Meanwhile, 
during  the  summer  of  1853,  he  was  employed  by  the 


Cohoes  Company  to  survey  and  make  a  map  of  the 
village  in  which  their  .manufactory  is  situated. 
This  map  netted  him  $600.  During  the  same 
year  he  surveyed  and  laid  out  the  Albany  and  Nis- 
cayuna  Plank  Road.  This  was  a  task  involving  em- 
barrassing difficulties  of  engineering,  but  Mr.  Gould 
mastered  them  all,  completed  the  work  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  company,  and  was  liberally  rewarded. 
As  will  readily  be  judged,  the  year  1853  included  for 
him  an  almost  incredible  amount  of  work ;  and  he 
rose  at  daybreak  and  seldom  retired  for  rest  before 
midnight.  The  following  year  he  sent  a  company 
of  surveyors  into  Delaware  County,  New  York,  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  surveys  for  a  map  of  that 
locality;  and  also  organized  and  dispatched  similar 
expeditions  for  two  counties  in  Ohio  and  one  in 
Michigan.  Personally  he  attended  to  the  supervi- 
sion of  the  drafting  department,  but  he  kept  himself 
also  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  the  details  of  the 
business.  During  the  summer  he  surveyed  a  pro- 
posed railroad  from  Newburgh  to  Syracuse ;  but 
this  last  effort  proved  too  much  for  his  already  over- 
worked constitution,  and  he  was  taken  seriously  ill 
with  typhoid  fever,  followed  by  inflammation  of 
the  lungs;  and  altogether,  it  was  a  long  time  before 
his  health  and  vigor  were  sufficiently  restored  to  en- 
able him  to  attend  to  active  business.  He  sold  out 
his  interest  in  the  Ohio  and  Michigan  surveys,  and 
the  map  of  Delaware  County  having  been  completed, 
he  sold  that.  Meanwhile  his  investigations  in  Dela- 
ware County  resulted  in  the  collection  of  his  notes 
and  recollections,  which  he  shortly  afterwards  pub- 
lished in  a  History  of  Delaware  County,  a  thoroughly 
well-written  and  entertaining  volume  of  about  four 
hundred  and  fifty  pages.  This  edition  was  made  in 
1856;  and  up  to  this  time  from  his  different  surveys 
he  had  accumulated  about  five  thousand  dollars.  It 
chanced  that  his  attention  now  became  accidentally 
directed  to  the  business  of  tanning,  and  with  his 
usual  interest  in  any  new  matter  which  came  before 
him,  he  made  a  study  of  the  details  of  the  business, 
conceived  that  it  might  prove  more  profitable  than 
the  work  on  which  he  was  engaged,  and  at  once  en- 
tered upon  a  journey  through  the  tanning  regions 
of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  for  the  purpose  of 
inspection.  Being  attracted  to  the  extensive  forests 
of  Luzerne  and  Monroe  Counties,  Pennsylvania,  just 
rendered  accessible  by  the  opening  of  the  Delaware, 
Lackawanna  and  Western  Railroad,  he  made  exten- 
sive purchases  of  land  upon  the  Lehigh,  bordering 
upou  those  counties,  determining  to  establish  there 
a  site  for  a  settlement  which  he  had  in  his  mind. 
Prior  to  this  period  Mr.  Gould  had  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Hon.  Zadock  Pratt  of  Prattsville,  the 
well  known  tanner.   He  now  returned  to  New  York 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


327 


from  his  trip  through  Pennsylvania,  and  laid  his 
plans  before  Mr.  Pratt  with  such  force  that  the  lat- 
ter made  a  journey  to  the  location,  approved  it,  and 
work  was  immediately  commenced  by  the  two.  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Pratt  &  Gould.  A  sawmill 
and  blacksmith's  shop  were  put  up,  and  soon  the 
firm  was  doing  a  large  lumber  business.  Teams, 
wagons,  and  the  necessary  tools  and  materials  for 
clearing  the  forest  were  brought  from  New  York, 
skilled  mechanics  and  laborers  were  engaged,  and 
within  one  hundred  days  from  the  time  the  first  tree 
was  felled,  the  tannery  was  in  full  operation.  This 
settlement  was  named  by  Mr.  Pratt  "  Gouldsboro," 
as  a  compliment  to  his  young  and  energetic  partner. 
Next  a  good  road  was  constructed,  connecting  the 
settlement  wiih  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  and 
Western  Railroad;  and,  having  been  appointed 
postmaster,  Gould  applied  to  Congress  and  procured 
the  passage  of  an  act  making  this  route  a  daily 
stage  route.  A  company  was  organized  under  the 
name  of  the  Delaware  and  Lehigh  Plank  Road  Com- 
pany. A  charter  was  obtained;  Mr.  Gould  was 
chosen  President,  and  the  work  being  prosecuted 
vigorously,  the  road  was  completed  at  a  cost  of 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  It  is  a  most  interest- 
ing fact  and  most  creditable  to  the  founder  of 
Gouldsboro,  that  among  the  first  acts  of  his  early 
days  of  prosperity  were  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  a  school  at  his  own  expense,  and  the 
gift  of  a  lot  and  a  liberal  subscription  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  church.  In  the  year  1857  he  took  an  active 
paft  in  the  establishment  of  the  Stroudsburg  Bank, 
in  which  he  was  the  largest  stockholder.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  his  career  as  a  fiuancier.  He  soon 
became  recognized  to  be  one  of  the  most  capable 
and  industrious  of  the  members  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  and  to  such  an  extent  that  his  influence 
prevailed  with  the  administration  of  the  bank  and 
enabled  it  to  pass  over  the  disastrous  panic  of  that 
year,  which  destroyed  so  many  older  financial  insti- 
tutions. With  that  individuality  and  self-confidence 
which  have  grown  to  be  such  powerful  factors  in 
Mr.  Gould's  nature,  he  now  determined  upon  con- 
ducting his  operations  at  Gouldsboro  by  himself, 
and  accordingly  he  bought  out  (in  1859)  Mr.  Pratt's 
interest.  Shortly  after  he  associated  with  himself 
Messrs.  Charles  M.  Leupp  &  Company,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  respectable  firms  in  the  trade,  sell- 
ing them  an  interest  in  his  tanning  business  for 
eighty  thousand  dollars.  The  sudden  death  cf  Mr. 
Leupp  in  October,  1859,  made  a  settlement  of  his 
estate  necessary,  and  Mr.  Gould  was  obliged  to  can-  ) 
eel  important  arrangements  for  the  extension  of  his 
business,  with  great  loss  to  himself.  Misunder- 
standings occurred  with  the  surviving  partner  of  1 


Leupp  &  Company,  Mr.  Lee,  who  is  said  to  have 
gone  down  to  Gouldsboro  with  a  posse  of  armed 
men,  driven  Gould's  men  out,  and  taken  possession 
of  the  tannery.  Mr.  Gould  was  away  at  the  time, 
but  on  his  return  routed  the  enemy,  and  regained 
possession  of  the  tannery.  The  complete  stagnation 
which  occurred  in  the  trade  at  about  this  time,  how- 
ever, necessitated  the  closing  of  the  tannery,  but  it 
was  shortly  afterwards  re-opened  by  Mr.  Gould  with 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men  employed,  and  manufac- 
turing a  million  and  a  half  pounds  of  sole  leather 
annually.  Through  all  his  varied  engagements  and 
lines  of  business  it  is  apparent  that  Mr.  Gould's  at- 
tention, owing  to  his  early  predilection  for  survey- 
ing, had  been  more  or  less  directed  to  the  considera- 
tion of  railroad  affairs,  and  the  immense  value  of 
transportation  in  a  newly  opened  country.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  while  he  was  working  his  tannery 
at  Gouldsboro  and  starting  the  Stroudsburg  Bank, 
he  had  also  his  eyes  open  to  any  possible  opportu- 
nity that  might  offer  itself  in  the  matter  of  railroad- 
ing. It  was  about  this  time  that  the  celebrated 
Schuyler  frauds  had  given  a  great  shock  to  railroad 
securities,  many  of  which  declined  to  a  nominal 
value.  At  this  crisis  he  invested  the  bulk  of  his  own 
capital,  and  every  dollar  that  he  could  borrow  be- 
sides, in  the  purchase  of  bonds  of  the  Rutland  and 
Washington  Railroad,  which  he  acquired  at  ten 
cents  on  the  dollar.  At  the  same  time  he  secured 
for  himself  the  control  of  the  mortgage  bonds  of  the 
Troy  and  Rutland  Railroad.  This  was  a  most  dar- 
ing and  dangerous  speculation,  but  it  proved  to  be 
profitable  beyond  even  the  most  sanguine  expecta- 
tions of  the  investor,  and  in  less  than  two  years 
from  the  time  that  lie  assumed  control  of  the  roads, 
Mr.  Gould  succeeded  in  extricating  them  from  their 
pecuniary  embarrassments,  and  consolidating  them 
with  the  Saratoga,  Whitehall  and  Kensselaer  Kail- 
road,  under  the  title  of  the  latter.  The  bonds  of 
these  roads  were,  by  Mr.  Gould's  skillful  manage- 
ment and  able  financiering,  worked  up  above  par, 
and  the  road  became  one  of  the  most  prosperous  in 
the  State.  With  the  capital  which  he  had  accumu- 
lated from  this,  his  first  railroad  investment,  he  re- 
moved to  New  York  City  in  1859,  where  he  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  broker.  At  this  time  the  Erie 
Railroad  was  in  what  was  considered  by  rail- 
road men  and  financiers  almost  a  hopeless  con- 
dition of  embarrassment,  and  it  was  questioned  by 
such  men  if  it  were  even  possible  to  save  that  mag- 
nificent property  from  bankruptcy  and  ruin.  Mr. 
Gould  entered  the  directory  of  the  Erie  Company, 
and  shortly  afterward  became  President,  holding 
that  office  until  the  reorganization  of  the  company 
in  1872.    Fully  understanding  the  difficulties  with 


328 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


which  he  had  successfully  contended  in  his  previous 
railroad  management,  he  conceived  that  he  would' 
he  able  by  judicious  administration  to  lift  this  road 
out  of  its  condition  of  stagnation,  and  place  it  where 
it  had  been  before,  on  a  par  with  the  leading  trunk 
lines  of  the  United  States.  In  his  first  battle 
toward  this  end,  lie  met  with  those  giants  in  rail- 
road management — Daniel  Drew  and  Commodore 
Vanderbilt — and  it  is  historical  that  he  completely 
defeated  them.  The  methods  which  he  used  were 
new  in  railroad  management,  but  they  were  effec- 
tual, and  the  result  was,  after  much  litigation  and 
serious  disturbance  of  securities,  that  he  rescued 
the  road  from  ruin  and  established  its  independence 
on  an  enduring  basis.  How  much  of  this  conclu- 
sion was  due  to  Mr.  Gould's  foresight  and  adminis- 
trative capacity  is  of  course  a  question  between  his 
friends  and  his  enemies.  At  about  this  time  he  be- 
came the  owner  of  the  Cleveland  and  Pittsburgh 
road,  of  which  he  made  a  success,  afterwards  leas- 
ing it  to  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company.  He 
next  made  large  purchases  of  stock  of  the  Union 
Pacific,  Wabash,  Texas  Pacific,  St.  Louis  and 
Northern,  Missouri  Pacific,  and  the  Missouri,  Kan- 
sas and  Texas  railroad  companies,  taking  the  latter 
out  of  the  hands  of  a  receiver.  Concerning  the 
Missouri  Pacific  Mr.  Gould  has  made  the  following 
statement  publicly : 

"  I  bought  from  Mr.  Garrison  the  control  of  the 
road,  which  ran  from  St.  Louis  to  Kansas  City,  be- 
ing two  hundred  and  eighty-seven  miles  long.  I 
gave  him  a  check  for  it  in  full.  I  did  not  care  for 
the  money  I  made,  for  I  had  passed  the  point  where 
I  cared  to  make  money.  It  was  more  of  a  plaything 
to  see  how  much  I  coxild  develop  it ;  and  I  did  de- 
velop it  until  now  (in  1883)  we  have  in  the  system 
some  twenty  thousand  miles,  extending  from  St. 
Louis  through  Kansas  City  to  Omaha,  with  another 
line  shorter  than  that,  on  the  east  side  of  the  St. 
Louis  CO  River.  Then  there  are  two  lines  extend- 
ing to  Mexico:  another  line  from  St.  Louis  to  Gal- 
veston. They  concentrate  at  St.  Louis,  Chicago, 
Detroit  and  Toledo. 

••  I  think  the  property  when  Ibousrht  it  was  earn- 
ing about  $70,100  a  week  gross.  1  have  just  re- 
ceived an  account  of  the  gross  earnings  for  last 
month,  and  I  find  them  to  be  $5,100,000. 

"  We  have  incidentally  developed  cattle  raising, 
coal  mining  and  cotton,  so  that  we  have  created 
this  earning  power  by  the  development  of  the  sys- 
tem." 

This  statement  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Gould  is  given 
to  illustrate  the  enormous  grasp  of  a  mind  which 
could  foresee  such  vast  ultimate  benefits  to  accrue 
from  the  consolidation  of  isolated  roads  into  a  sin- 
gle grand  system.  Mr.  Gould  is  currently  credited 
with  being  a  "  railroad  wrecker."  The  same  was 
frequently  said  of  the  late  Samuel  J.  Tilden;  yet  the 
latter  was  not  only  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency 


of  the  United  States,  but  is  by  very  many  of  the 
best  political  judges  believed  to  have  been  elected 
to  that  high  office.  With  regard  to  the  matter  of 
railroad  wrecking,  it  is  to  be  said  that  ninety  per 
cent,  of  all  the  railroads  in  the  United  States  have, 
at  one  time  or  another,  been  in  the  hands  of  a  re- 
ceiver. Railroads  are  the  pioneers  of  settlement, 
and  it  is  unfortunate  for  those  who  first  undertake 
them,  that  they  almost  invariably  prove  losing  in- 
vestments. Their  truly  great  value  to  the  country 
consists  first  in  their  active  influence  as  pioneer 
agencies,  and  next  in  their  reorganization  aud  re- 
capitalization, when  they  become  valuable  and 
permanent  objects  of  investment.  As  stated  by 
Mr.  Gould  in  the  passage  quoted  above,  the  uses  of 
such  railroad  lines  in  the  opening  up  of  new  sec- 
tions of  country,  organizing  and  encouraging  new 
industries,  and  advancing  the  progress  of  agricul- 
ture and  civilization,  are  certainly  among  the  most 
magnificent  objects  to  be  gained  by  application  of 
human  intelligence  to  the  use  of  human  instrumen- 
talities. Mr.  Gould's  great  interest  in  railroads  natur- 
ally drew  his  attention  to  the  telegraph  system  of  the 
United  States,  and  he  invested  heavily  in  the  stock 
of  the  Atlantic  aud  Pacific  Telegraph  Company  at 
its  start,  but  he  soon  found  out  that  his  railroad  in- 
terests lay  more  with  the  Western  Union.  He  ac- 
cordingly sold  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  stock  to  the 
latter  company,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  was 
not  permitted  to  appoint,  as  the  head  of  the  United 
Company,  the  man  whom  he  had  selected  for  that 
position,  he  started  the  American  Union  (187!))  in 
opposition  to  this,  and  continued  this  opposition 
until  1881,  when  that  company  was  also  merged  in- 
to the  Western  Union.  In  December,  1880,  official 
records  showed  that  Mr.  Gould  was  in  control  of 
ten  thousand  miles  of  railroad,  being  more  than 
one-ninth  of  the  entire  mileage  of  the  country. 
Early  in  1881  he  became  interested  in  the  elevated 
railroad  system  of  New  York.  One  of  the  most  in- 
teresting incidents  known  to  the  history  of  finance 
in  America  occurred  in  1882.  At  that  time  some 
doubt  had  been  cast  upon  the  financial  standing  of 
Mr.  Gould,  and  on  March  13th  he  summoned  sev- 
eral of  the  leading  capitalists  of  New  York  to  his 
private  office,  aud  there  spread  before  them  for  their 
examination,  certificates  of  stock,  all  in  his  own 
name,  having  a  face  value  of  $53,000,000  and  of- 
fered to  produce  $20,000,000  more  if  desired.  As 
may  be  imagined,  this  act  set  at  rest  all  questions 
as  to  his  means.  In  1883  he  stated,  in  regard  to  the 
holders  of  the  stock  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company,  that  of  $80,000,000  of  that  stock,  $60.- 
000,000  was  held  by  investors,  while  only  $20,000.- 
000  was  in  the  hands  of  the  brokers.    While  testify- 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


ng  before  a  Senate  Committee  as  to  the  relations 
between  capital  and  labor,  being  asked  to  give  a 
description  of  the  valuation  of  the  Western  Union 
plants  franchises,  Mr.  Gould  answered  as  follows  • 
I  do  not  suppose  that  I  can  give  you  as  intfilH* 

f,K?La°A,SWer  t0  that  as  a  Poetical  man  could  f 
judge  of  these  properties  by  a  broader  rule  bv  their 
money-earning  power.    It  would  be  in poss  b e to 
duplicate  it,  because  our  contracts  wUl?  the  rail 
roads  cannot  be  duplicated,  and  you  cannot  anoro" 

em  re  Jow, f  lfT  "  gr0winS  :  il  represents  the 
enure  growth  of  the  country.    A  railroad  renrp 
sents  only  a  partial  growth.   Ve  are  b  dklino  ] E 
now  that  are  in  advance  of  civilization  "nd  will 
drag  civilization  after  them."  '  1 

Here,  as  in  the  previous  quotation  from  Mr 
Gould,  is  to  be  observed  the  largeness  of  his  mental- 1 
vision,  in  its  application  to  the  true  value  of  great  I 
properties  and  growing  interests.    While  a  "  pnc 
tmal  man"  would  have  stated  to  the  Senate  Com- 
mittee, after  proper  preparation,  the  sum  in  dollars 
and  cents,  represented  by  the  wires,  the  posts,  the 
batteries  and  the  other  plant  of  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company,  Mr.  Gould,  acknowledging 
his  incapacity  to  make  such  a  definition  as  this  in 
a  few  glowing  words  of  absolute  truth  and  plain 
meaning  to  those  capable  of  understanding  sets 
forth  such  a  presentment  of  the  values  pertaining 
to  the  question  as  a  "  practical  man  '•  could  not  by 
any  possibility  have  offered.    In  March,  1887,  Mr. 
Gould  purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  the  St 
Louis  and  San  Francisco  Railroad  Company,  which 
has  an  aggregate  mileage  of  nearly  nine  hundred 
miles,  and  is  joined  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and 
Santa  F6  Railroad  Company,  the  Atlantic  and  Paci- 
fic, and  the  western  portion  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Companies.     These,  with  the  projecting 
links,  will  give  him  control  of  an  additional  three 
thousand  miles  of  rail.    The  names  of  few  living 
men  are  more  widely  known  than  that  of  Jay 
Gould.    For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  his 
movements  in  finance,  and  his  operations  among 
railroads  have  influenced  the  market  to  a  greater 
extent  than  have  those  of  any  other  one  man  or 
body  of  men  either  in  ihe  United  States  or  Great 
Britain.    The  boldness  and  audacity  of  his  under- 
takings, his  foresight,  and  the  determination  and 
tenacity  of  purpose  which  carries  out  every  plan 
which  he  conceives,  regardless  of  the  magnitude  of 
the  obstacles  in  his  path,  are  qualities  which,  while 
they  have  made  him  feared,  have  also  made  him 
respected.    Concerning  the  net  result  of  his  acqui- 
sition of  great  railroad  properties  and  his  consoli- 
dation and  after-administration  of  these,  it  is  im- 


529 


Possible  but  to  admit  that  it  has  been  to  the  advan- 
ces    iTn  SeCtl°nSOf  MTy  traversed  "v  such 
roads.    However  many  individuals  may  have  fallen 
by  the  wayS1de  or  been  trodden  out  of  business  e7 
-tence  through  the  development  of  Air  Goulds 
Plans  the  people  at  large  ami  the  country  have"  een 
benefited     In  the  face  of  those  comphiints  w, 
a    made  by  men  of  less  sagacity,  but  no  less  a„en 
t  on  toself-mterest,  it  may  be  bold  to  venture  upon 
statements  such  as  these:  but  thorough  expert 
with  railroad  history  during  the  past  twenty-live 
years  warrants  them.    From  his  boyhood  up.  Mr. 
Gould  has  displayed  qualities  of  industry  and  earn- 
estness and  understanding  in  every  business  to 

wo  th  7,  UPP  6d  himSelf'  Whkh  are  certainly 
w  orthy  of  being  recommended  to  youth  in  general". 
Furthermore,  it  is  to  be  said  of  him  that  whoever 
he  may  have  injured  .luring  the  progress  of  his  ca- 
reer, he  has  never  directly  harmed  the  poor  man. 
Rev  Dr.  Talmage,  after  a  trip  through  the  West  at 
the  time  when  great  railroad  strikes  were  in  pro- 
ress  there,  delivered  a  lecture  on  the  subject  of  his 
trip  and  generally  on  the  conditions  of  labor  and 
capital.  In  the  course  of  this  lecture  he  spoke  as 
follows  : 

"All  this  contention  of  Jay  Gould  and  the  Knights 
of  Labor  only  makes  matters  worse.  Men  have  a 
right  to  band  together  in  the  interests  of '  their  occu 
pation  or  profession,  whether  they  call  themselves 
'Grangers  '  or  •  Knights  of  Labor,' or  an  asso™iation 
of  plasterers  or  carpenters  or  plumbers  or  clerical 
unions,  and  there  is  a  legitimate  and  righteous  use 
of  such  organizations.  6n  the  other  hand,  if  a  n  an 
by  business  application  gets  wealth,  he  has  as  much 
a  right  to  it  as  the  other  man  has  to  his  poverty 

for  instance,  many  suppose  that  Mr.  Gould  has 
made  and  enlarges  his  fortune  out  of  the .  labor in  ' 
classes.  Mr.  Gould  makes  his  money  out  of  c  pf- 
talists.  Being  an  adroit  business  man,  he  absorbs 
the  estates  of  those  who  compete  with  him  in  the 
great  money  markets.  His  regular  diet  is  not  poor 
men  but  capitalists.  Capitalists  stewed:  capital 
ists  boiled;  capitalists  roasted:  capitalists  fricas- 
seed ;  capitalists  on  the  half-shell 

"  Mr.  Gould  is  one  of  the  kindest  of  men.  and 
would  not  hurt  a  fly  .-  but  he  plays  '  ten  pin  '  n 
Wall  btreet  with  the  many  adventurers  who  come 
there  to  play  with  him,  and  their  balls  go  down  the 
side  of  the  alley,  and  he  makes  a  ten  strike  or  has 
two  or  three  spares,  and  the  fellow  s  beaten  till  the 

tZ  wlu  Ll:eir,hrls;-  "  P<n°pIe  would  keeP  out  of 
the  Wall  Street  bowling  alley,  and  play  checkers 

and  dommos  with  their  wives  and  children,  much  of 
this  trouble  would  be  over." 

In  reviewing  the  leading  incidents  of  Mr.  Gould's 

life,  and  the  extraordinary  influence  which  he  has 

wielded,  it  is  proper  to  take  into  consideration  his 

personal  appearance,  his  habits  and  characteristics. 

A  man  rather  below  the  medium  height,  he  does 

not  weigh  much  over  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 

pounds.    Habitually  reticent,  this  is  not  in  the  least 


33Q 


CONTEMPORARY  BIOGRAPHY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


from  lack  of  language  in  which  to  express  himself: 
on  the  contrary,  he  is  a  fluent  talker,  with  the  ca- 
pacity of  expressing  his  views  with  the  clearest  and 
best  selected  words.  His  voice  is  rich  and  musical ; 
he  uses  short  sentences;  never  becomes  excited, 
but  is  always  cool  and  self-controlled,  but  is  of  a 
retiring  nature  and  undemonstrative.  His  prevail- 
ing characteristic  would  appear  to  a  casual  visitor 
to  be  directness.  He  has  an  incisive  quality  of 
mind  which  will  not  permit  him  to  indulge  in,  or 
listen  to  from  others,  statements  which  are  vague 
or  not  directly  to  the  point  at  issue.  His  eyes  are 
sharp  and  penetrating,  but  it  is  very  much  his  habit 
wheu  conversing  to  close  them.  He  does  not  use 
tobacco  in  any  foriu,  and  liquor  only  in  very  small 
quantities.  He  always  dresses  well,  but  not  obtru- 
sively. He  is  an  excellent  listener,  and  his  manner 
of  talking  when  the  subject  interests  him  is  impres- 
sive and  emphatic.  His  health  has  not  been  good 
for  years,  although  he  is  active  in  his  movements 
and  able  to  stand  strains  that  would  overcome  the 
constitutions  of  much  stronger  men.  Of  course,  the 
secret  of  this  as  of  his  success  in  life,  is  his  tremen- 
dous will  power,  through  which  the  mind  has  en- 


tire control  of  the  body,  even  to  the  extent  of  at 
least  checking  the  inroads  of  disease.  In  his  pri- 
vate character  Mr.  Gould  is  domestic,  and  his  rela- 
tions to  his  family  and  friends  have  been  most 
agreeable  and  attractive.  He  married,  while  still 
young  in  life.  Miss  Helen  D.  Miller,  daughter  of  a 
New  York  merchant,  a  beautiful  and  talented 
woman.  The  marriage  was  a  love  match,  and  Mrs. 
Gould  made  a  tender  wife  and  mother.  She  died 
January  14,  188!),  in  the  presence  of  her  husband, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Gould,  her  sons  Howard  and 
Edward,  her  daughters  Helen  and  Anna,  and  her 
sisters  Mrs.  Harris  and  Mrs.  Noyes  and  Mrs.  Dick- 
inson. Her  death  was  a  serious  loss  to  Mr.  Gould, 
whose  affection  for  his  wife  and  children  had  been 
notable.  Mr.  Gould's  city  residence  is  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  on  the  corner  of  Forty-seventh  Street,  and 
,is  enriched  by  a  valuable  collection  of  oil  paintings 
and  statuary  and  a  well-filled  library.  His  country 
seat  at  Irvington,  New  York,  a  magnificent  estate, 
is  chiefly  remarkable  for  its  possession  of  one  of  the 
finest  conservatories  in  the  country.  Mr.  Gould's 
office  is  in  the  Western  Union  building,  Broadway 
and  Dey  Streets,  New  York. 


